Recipes

Low-calorie, low-cost, high-taste, high-nutrition. This post adapted from my old website.

Vegan Chili

A great tasting meatless chili. I like this better than chili with meat because I can store TVP in my pantry and I don’t have to cook or drain ground beef.

This recipe only gets better overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloved garlic, minced
• 5 cups water
• 1 pound red kidney beans, dry, unsoaked
• 100g TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 1 vegetable bullion cube
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce (from the asian foods aisle)
• 1 tablespoon MSG
• 1 can crushed tomatoes

Directions:

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and select Saute option
2. When oil is heated, saute onion until translucent
3. Add garlic, cook a few minutes more
4. Add water, kidney beans, TVP, seasonings
5. Set instant pot for manual cooking for 50 minutes
6. After cooking complete, let pressure release 20 minutes
7. Add can of tomatoes

Split pea Soup

Pork and peas go great together. Nutrition will vary somewhat depending on which pig product you buy.

Ingredients:

• Bacon (200g) or pork sausage (6oz)
• Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1lb split peas
• 2 vegetable bullion cubes
• 4.5 cups water

Directions:

1. Add [bacon|sausage] to Instant Pot and select Saute option
2. Cook until fat is mostly rendered out and meat is nearly done
3. Add onion, garlic and cook until onion is translucent
4. Add water, split peas, seasonings
5. Cook on manual mode 15 minutes
6. Let pressure release naturally 5 minutes before venting

Miso lentil-barley soup

Inspired by something I got at Panera Bread. It turned out entirely different than what I was going for, but was a winner nonetheless.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• Onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 60g miso
• 100g pearl barley
• 100g lentils
• 4 cups water
• 10oz package frozen spinach
• 2 packets dehydrated lime (or the juice of half a lime)

Directions:

1. Add oil to Instant Pot and select Saute option
2. When oil is heated, add onion and cook until translucent
3. Add garlic, tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste starts to stick to the bottom of the pot
4. Deglaze pot with a small portion of water
5. Add lentils, barley, miso and stir
6. Cook on manual mode 20 minutes
7. When cook cycle is done, do not release pressure
8. Prepare spinach according to package directions
9. Add spinach, lime and stir to combine