Recipe Review from 11/9/20

Not much to say about this past week: worked, had Wednesday off due to Veteran's Day, and taught a couple yoga classes. Andy-dog and I had the house to ourselves from Wednesday on as the Husband took Kep-pup pheasant hunting out on the western side of the state. I worked on some quilting projects and read in my downtime. So all in all, rather quiet and uneventful.

My snugglebugs.

Sat (L) out (S) leftover orzo soup
Sun (L) grilled cheese (S) Sheet pan chicken and squash
Mon - leftover chicken
Tues (Subaru in shop) leftover chicken
Wed (Off) Potato and Pea curry
Thurs (Yoga) leftover curry
Fri - leftover curry

Lunches: (me) curried butternut squash soup

Sheet pan chicken - this was "supposed" to be an ATK recipe with squash, kale, and cranberries, but when I went to make the recipe I realized I had neglected to double check the ingredients and I was missing like four items. I couldn't even do a "make do" version.

SO! I fell back on my Milk Street favorite: Za'atar sheet pan chicken, except I put one inch thick slices of butternut squash underneath. Worked wonderfully. Za'atar flavors and the chicken juices nicely infused the squash, everything stayed moist, and I had a built in veggie side. I would do this again!


Potato and Green Pea Curry (modified slightly from Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian/vegan
I made this for suppers while the Husband was away so I could come home, dump my bags, let the dog out and just re-heat. Worked perfectly! Except, this makes far more than four servings, especially if you add basmati rice (which I did). I'm going to easily get 6-8 meals out of this. And I have NO complaints about that!

A couple modifications: I used Yukon gold potatoes instead of russets as I like Yukon's better. I used mixed veggies and peas as I had a partial bag of mixed that needed to be used up. And I skipped the cilantro as I'm not paying $1.50 for something I'll just use a tiny portion of.

Serves 6-8 (closer to 8 with rice)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies (or peas)
Optional: cilantro; cooked basmati rice, naan


In a 6 quart Instant Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the oil and onion, the cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the paprika, turmeric, garam masala and cayenne. Pour in 1 1/2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits (DO THIS TO AVOID BURNING). Add the potatoes and 1 1/2 tsp salt; stir to combine and distribute in an even layer. Add the tomatoes and their juice over the top of the potatoes, do not stir!

Press CANCEL, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to HIGH. Set the cooking time for four minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, quick-release by moving the pressure valve to VENTING. Press CANCEL, then carefully open the pot.

To finish: Select More/High Saute and cook, stirring often, until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance and the sauce is clinging lightly (3-4 minutes). My notes: this part wasn't necessary, potatoes were fully cooked. Press  CANCEL to turn off, and using potholders, remove the insert from the pot. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in peas (and cilantro if using) and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: serve with basmati rice and naan


Spiced Butternut Squash Soup (modified from: Milk Street Fast and Slow) vegetarian with vegan option
We have a plethora of squash in the basement right now, and I'm working my way through new and old squash recipes. I adore squash soup IF it's made nice and thick. I don't care for watery squash soup, I like my soup to have some substance and backbone!

So this got modified - I added an extra pound of squash and increased the cooking time by three minutes.

Result: yum! It was still a tich thin for my tastes, but still acceptable. Best part - super easy to make in the IP!

Serves 4-6 (I got six lunches out of this)

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
3 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1" chunks
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (optional

In a 6 quart Instant-Pot, select More/High Saute. Add the coconut oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 tsp salt, cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the curry powder and garam masala, add the squash and broth. Stir to combine and spread in an even layer.

Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move th pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual: make sure the pressure level is set ot High. Set the cooking time for 13 minutes. When the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, the release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel and carefully remove the lid.

With an immersion blender, blend the mixture in the pot until smooth. Select More/High Saute and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then press Cancel to turn off the pot. Remove the insert from the pot. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with 1 cup of the puree, then stir into the soup. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollup of yogurt and pumpkin seeds.