Instapot mushroom farro

Ingredients
1½ cups whole farro 
3 tablespoons EVOO
16 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced 
½ onion, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped or ½ teaspoon dried
¼ cup white wine
2½ cups broth
½ c Parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Using sauté function, heat 2 tablespoons oil in Instant Pot until shimmering. Add mushrooms, onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are softened and have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. 

2. Stir in farro, garlic, porcini mushrooms, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth. 

3. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes then quick-release. 

4. If it's too much liquid, continue to cook farro, using sauté, stirring frequently, until proper consistency is achieved. 

5. Add Parmesan, stir. Then stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle individual portions with parsley and extra Parmesan. Optional: drizzle with extra oil before serving. 

Note: Original from America's Test Kitchen, modified for our liking.

Yellow curry soup with carrots and snow peas

Ingredients 

1 pound carrots, peeled like ribbons 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
I small can (4oz) Thai yellow curry paste
1 pound ground chicken
2 cups water 
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
6 ounces snow peas, trimmed
4 scallions, sliced thin
Fresh Thai basil, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges

Instructions 

Note: This is pretty chunky for soup. We thought it was good with rice. If doing again, get that started first. Jasmine is best for Thai food. 

1. Shave carrots into thin ribbons lengthwise with vegetable peeler; set aside. 

2. Combine oil and curry paste in Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until chicken is no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. 

3. Add water, coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to simmer, then add snow peas and carrot ribbons, simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. 

4. Divide evenly among individual serving bowls. Sprinkle with scallions, basil, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, sriracha, and extra fish sauce to taste.

Originally from America's Test Kitchen but modified for us. 

Tuscan chicken and broccoli bake

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1 heaping cup cottage cheese

• 1/3 cup pesto

• 2 tbs EVOO (divided)

• 4 small crowns broccoli, cut into small florets

• 1½ lbs chicken breasts, cubed
• salt to taste

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 8 oz shredded mozzarella
• 2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

• garnish: chili pepper flakes + fresh basil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375℉. 
   
   
2. In a large deep skillet, heat 1 tbs olive oil. saute your broccoli for 3-4 minutes until just fork tender. season with salt and pepper to taste. remove from pan and set aside.
   
   
3. In a large bowl, whisk together your lightly beaten eggs, cottage cheese and pesto. Set aside.
   
   
4. Season your chicken pieces with salt all over. Heat the remaining 1 tbs olive oil in the pan and cook your chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
   
   
5. To the cottage cheese mixture, add the tomatoes, broccoli, mozzarella and chicken and toss to combine all. 
   
   
6. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish and spread out evenly. Top evenly wit the small mozzarella balls and then evenly sprinkle on the grated parmesan. 
   
   
7. Bake for 35 minutes and then remove from the oven. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes then slice and enjoy with a chili pepper flakes garnish.

Garlic parm white beans

 Ingredients

3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
Extra virgin olive oil 
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
1 cup chopped fresh parsley 
¼ to 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Juice of half a lemon

Instructions

1. In a large pan, warm 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly, tossing regularly, until just golden

2. Add the cannellini beans and ½ cup water. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, and the spices. Add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally until warmed through (about 10 minutes) - may need a bit more water.

3. Stir in the parsley, cheese, and lemon juice.

4. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with your favorite crusty bread (Also good topped with cooked shrimp) 

Ratatouille

Ingredients: 

2'ish yellow squash

5'ish roma tomatoes, because they're the same diameter as squash 

2'ish zucchini

1 pkg mushrooms

2 chinese eggplant, because they're the same diameter as squash              

If using regular eggplant, peel and quarter pieces to roast to get diameter similar to other veg.

fresh thyme (stems removed)  

32 oz can of crushed tomatoes

6-8 cloves garlic 

2 shallots

1 tsp dried oregano 

Fresh basil and parm (for garnish) 

EVOO 

Instructions 

1. Heat 4 Tbsp of olive oil in duty oven (on stove top)
2. Add garlic and shallots - cook until soft, then add crushed tomatoes and ~2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme and dried oregano. Simmer for ~an hour with lid on to bring out flavor 
3. Salt and Pepper to season.

In the meantime ...

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thinly slice all veggies about the same thickness, 1/4 inch or so. 
3. Lightly toss squash, zucchini, and eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with s&p. Lay on cookie sheet and roast for ~20 minutes to get water out of veggies and develop a little bit of color. 

Assembly

1. Stack veggies (the roasted ones and also the raw tomatoes and mushrooms) like a sammich, alternating between veggies, then lay on side (so they stand up on side) in dutch oven, with the bottom parts in sauce. See pic.
2. Continue stacking and laying the perimeter of the dutch oven first, then spiraling into the center. 
3. Drizzle the top with EVOO
4. Place lid on dutch oven, and cook for ~45 min.
5. Top with fresh basil and parm, then serve!

Serve with fresh baguette. Also, sausage goes well with it (side), if you want meat! 

Thai Basil Chicken

INGREDIENTS

4 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed

6 medium garlic cloves, peeled

9 red Thai chiles, stemmed (12 was too hot)

4 tablespoons fish sauce, plus extra for serving (see note)

2 tablespoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoon white vinegar, plus extra for serving (see note)

1 tablespoon sugar, plus extra for serving (see note)

1 ½ pounds ground chicken

5 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

red pepper flakes, for serving (see note)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Process basil leaves, garlic, and chiles in food processor until finely chopped, 6 to 10 one-second pulses, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once during processing. Transfer 2 tablespoon basil mixture to small bowl and stir in fish sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set aside. Transfer remaining basil mixture to 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl.

Stir shallots and oil into basil mixture in skillet. Heat over medium-low heat (mixture should start to sizzle after about 2 minutes; if it doesn’t, adjust heat accordingly), stirring constantly, until garlic and shallots are golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chicken, increase heat to medium, and cook, stirring and breaking up until only traces of pink remain. Add reserved basil-fish sauce mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly until chicken is no longer pink. If you have any extra basil, you can sprinkle it in, if you want. Serve immediately, passing extra fish sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes, and vinegar separately.

Serve with rice and veggie - we've steamed broccoli or sautéed eggplant and mushrooms or zuchanni

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated 

Zoodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce

 Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp 

1/2 Tbsp oil

1/4 c fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp Sriracha

1 Tbsp water

2 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

3-4 zucaanni or yellow squash, spiralized

3 c fresh bean sprouts

1 c matchstick carrots

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c unsalted peanuts, chopped 

4 scallions, cut 

4 lime wedges

Directions: 

1. Saute shrimp in pan and set aside

2. Make sauce by combining lime juice and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

3. In a large pan, add carrots, squash, 2 Tbsp peanuts, half the scallions and above sauce. Cook on medium-low heat until warm and the squash and carrots are tender (5 min) mix shrimp in. 

4. Garnish with remaining peanuts, scallions, cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve warm.