Author: PatagoniaLlami

Directions

1. Masala Burger
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the onions, green chillies, and ginger garlic paste in the 2 tbsp of oil.
3. Add cumin, coriander and chili powders and continue to saute until spices have been absorbed by the oil.
4. Mix in the shredded cauliflower and carrots into the mixture and allow to sweat for a few minutes before seasoning well with salt and pepper.
5. When cauliflower begins to look slightly transparent add the curry powder and saute until fully incorporated. Cook the mixture until fork tender but not mushy. Place in a large mixing bowl to cool.
6. Add the chopped cilantro, breadcrumbs, and egg and mix well. The mixture should not appear too wet, and you should be able to form rough balls.
7. Divide mixture into 8 to 10 balls based on the size of the buns your using and form in patties.
8. In a large skillet on medium-high heat pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4 inch.
9. In batches, gently place the patties around the pan giving enough room to flip over. Sear the bottom of each patty until completely brown before flipping over and repeating on the other side. The patties should be crisp, hinging on the side of burnt, on the top and bottom. Sear sides as well for extra texture if desired. Remove from pan and blot off excess oil before placing on toasted buns.

1. Cilantro Chutney Aioli
2. In a food processor or blender, puree the ginger, garlic, lime juice and zest, cumin seeds, and asafetida.
3. Add the cilantro and blend on low while drizzling in the canola oil. Add water if needed to bring it to a consistency of a thin paste.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for future use
5. Take 4 tablespoons of the fresh chutney and mix with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Spread over the top of all the toasted buns.

I set about creating this butter chicken recipe like I do everything else in my life—somewhat obsessively. Many tries later, after many less-than-perfect renditions, I knew I’d nailed it when my husband tried this particular recipe and beamed, and I put it on my blog, where it was super popular. This was the one—and it sparked a book deal. It’s also keto-friendly. This recipe, in order for optimal taste, does make too much sauce; save the rest to mix into other ingredients in your next meal (that’s why I like to call it “Now & Later” Butter Chicken). This method also allows you to cook rice in the Instant Pot at the same time.

This recipe relies on one important ingredient—the garam masala. Invest in a bottle, which can be found in a number of grocery chains, Indian shops, and online. You can also make your own.If your butter chicken is bland and flavorless, a lack of garam masala is to blame. —Urvashi Pitre

This Instant Pot Butter Chicken from Urvashi Pitre—a blogger and cookbook author (oh, and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology)—has it all: efficiency (we’re talking 30 minutes), flavor, fluffy rice, and extra-tender chicken. If you’re a vegetarian, there are tons of riffs you can try, Urvashi says. A few easy swaps for chicken: peas and paneer; hearty chickpeas; tofu; and mixed vegetables. Also, don’t forget to substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth or water. To make it vegan, she adds, “swap butter and cream for coconut oil and coconut milk.”

Featured in: 9 Instant Pot Indian Recipes for Rich, Comforting Flavor Fast. —The Editors

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the rice, place in a 6 or 7-inch heat-safe pan, and set aside.
2. Place tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chicken, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, salt, 1 teaspoon of the garam masala, and cumin into the inner liner of your Instant Pot. Mix the sauce a bit, then place the chicken. You are putting in everything except the butter, cream, cilantro, and 1 remaining teaspoon of garam masala. Mix well.
3. Place a tall steamer rack/trivet on top of the chicken mixture, and place the uncovered bowl of uncooked rice on the rack.
4. Press the Manual or Pressure cook button, set the timer to 10 mins, and cook.
5. Once it is done cooking, allow the pot to cool for 10 minutes, undisturbed. Then, release all remaining pressure and open the pot. Remove and set the cooked rice aside. Remove the chicken and set aside.
6. Using an immersion blender, blend together the sauce until it is smooth. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the cut-up butter, cream, cilantro, and garam masala.
7. Remove half the sauce and freeze or refrigerate for later.
   
8. Break up the chicken into bite-size pieces, add it to the sauce. Serve with rice.

Frozen peas, in my opinion, are the highly underrated dinner savior. The pesto is a snap to throw together and is the perfect way to dress up otherwise bland pantry staples. The recipe makes more pesto than you will need for several servings of pasta, but it keeps (and freezes!) well. Make a batch and you’re only ever a few minutes away from dinner. Try leftover pesto as a sandwich/wrap/pita spread if your lunch is in need of a pick-me-up.

Proper, well-behaved pesto should have some Parmesan or other cheese in it. But proper, well behaved pesto probably shouldn’t have peas in it. Since we’re already breaking all of the rules here, I went ahead and made this without any cheese (because I didn’t have any, if I’m being honest). If you are more prepared than I, go ahead and try the pesto with 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan or Romano thrown in at the very end. A little cheese never hurt anyone.

Keep a bag of chopped kale in the freezer beside your peas to ensure that you can throw this meal together at a moment’s notice, but if you don’t have kale on hand try it with other greens. Spinach or swiss chard would both work well. Arugula would give it a great peppery kick. Play around with your favorite greens! —k s

Directions

1. For the parsley-pea pesto:
2. Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor and pulse until roughly combined.
3. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and continue pulsing until mixture comes together. Add more olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, if pesto needs to be thinned out. You want it to be loose enough that it will lightly coat your noodles.

1. For the soba with kale:
2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Once water has come to a boil, add dried soba noodles, give a good stir, turn off the heat and cover. Set aside for 4 to 5 minutes. I like my soba al dente and find that it is very easy to overcook. This method ensures that the noodles maintain their bite.
3. While noodles are cooking, place the frozen peas in a small bowl and add some water. Heat them in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on high, stirring halfway through, or until defrosted.
4. Once noodles and peas are cooked, drain both and return to the pot. Add chopped kale and pesto. Toss to coat evenly. You’re done! Enjoy!

In a restaurant kitchen, toward the end of service, when the bulk of the hustle and bustle has settled and the cleaning has begun, someone goes through the walk-in cooler: organizing, consolidating, putting ingredients back in their rightful home. What needs to be used up? What do we need more of?

I almost never do this in my home fridge. The other day, as I finally took a dive into the crisper drawer, I found one stray rutabaga, two parsnips, three lemon halves, and five sprigs of thyme. I bought all of those things because I was excited to use them, but they fell away, forgotten.

For me, the easiest way to eat more vegetables is to have an abundance on hand, but not let them languish in the fridge. If you have a few carrots and celery stalks, don’t give into the temptation to buy parsnips and rutabagas—use up what’s around first. This recipe will help.

I call for a variety of vegetables, but don’t make a special trip to the store if you’re missing one or two. Embrace substitutions. The combination of protein-rich chickpeas and starchy noodles give this hearty vegan soup body. Using miso or liquid aminos adds salt and depth of flavor—if you don’t have either on hand, salt the soup as you normally would or add a splash of soy sauce instead. This recipe is flexible and, like most soups, benefits from a rest overnight so the flavors can meld, though I am rarely that patient. —abraberens

Directions

1. In a soup pot, heat a glug of olive oil over medium heat. Add the thyme (or herbs de Provence) and briefly fry, 10 to 15 seconds.
2. Add the onion, leek, and garlic, plus a big pinch of salt, and reduce heat to medium-low. Sweat the mixture until soft, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the white wine and reduce by half.
4. Dissolve the miso into 8 cups of water. If it doesn’t blend completely, don’t worry, it will as the soup simmers—this just helps it along.
5. Add the root vegetables, chickpeas, and miso water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, lightly toast the red pepper flakes over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and a pinch of salt. Add the warm red pepper to the mixture.
8. When the vegetables are tender, taste and adjust the salt as desired. Add the pasta and simmer until tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
9. Divide the soup into 4 bowls and top with a hefty spoonful of the parsley relish.

Cream of broccoli soup is a cozy, cool-weather classic. But many versions disappoint—they’re too thick, heavy, or one-note in flavor, not to mention time consuming to make. In creating this recipe, I landed on several simple tricks for ensuring sublime creaminess (hint: there’s no cream involved!) and vibrant flavors, all in under 30 minutes.

First, the broccoli. I’m a big believer in using frozen versus fresh in puréed soups. It’s a huge time saver—there’s no trimming, chopping, or peeling of woody broccoli stems. Plus, there’s no guessing on the number of stalks you need to buy to yield the right amount, nor any compromise on flavor and texture.

Second, the broth. From all my testing, I found that a mixture of water and vegetable broth (enriched with a little miso) resulted in the best, most reliable base—one that’s savory yet light enough to let the star ingredient’s sweet earthiness shine through.

And last, the “cream.” Many recipes turn to roux and heavy cream for creaminess and body—others, potato or peeled broccoli stalks. My preferred path? A can of white beans plus Greek yogurt. The white beans nicely thicken the soup (they’re hard to detect once the soup is blended), and the yogurt adds a welcome creaminess and tang that lifts and brightens the whole pot.

A few additional notes: Feel free to garnish the soup however you like, but I’m partial to a drizzle of Greek yogurt and these golden, irresistibly crunchy croutons sizzled in turmeric and olive oil (which, as a bonus, are gorgeous against the bright green soup). To make the soup vegan, use an equal amount of plain non-dairy yogurt or sour cream in place of Greek yogurt.

—EmilyC

Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery, scallions, shallot, and garlic, then season with a few big pinches of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 6 minutes, until softened, lowering heat, if needed, to prevent coloring.
   
2. Add miso to the pot, smearing it with the back of a spoon and toasting it in the oil for 15 to 30 seconds. Add broccoli, stock and/or water, and white beans, plus a few more big pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the broccoli is completely tender.
   
3. Meanwhile, to make the croutons: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turmeric (it will gently sizzle), then mix in the bread. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring several times, or until the croutons are nicely crisp and golden on all sides. Remove from heat.
4. When the broccoli is tender, add the lemon juice and arugula to the soup, stirring until wilted, then remove from heat. Let cool slightly.
5. Blend the soup in batches until smooth, using an immersion or stand blender, adding a little more water or stock, if needed, to thin the soup.
6. Return soup to pot (if you used a stand blender) and bring the pureed soup to a bare simmer over medium-low heat, then add the yogurt, stirring until fully incorporated. Remove from heat and season to taste.
7. To serve, divide soup into bowls. Drizzle with a little Greek yogurt (thinned with a little olive oil or milk) and top with croutons. Serve warm.
   

Sliced zucchini, gooey mozzarella, chunky tomato sauce, creamy ricotta, repeat. If you’re reading this and paused when you saw zucchini, believe me, I understand. I used to be squeamish about embracing vegetables, and always felt like doing so meant missing out on satiety. That is, until I started developing dishes like this zucchini lasagna. It’s full of flavor, loaded with texture, and so satisfying that I never feel like I’m sacrificing a thing. When I sunk my teeth into this for the first time, I asked myself, “Veggie who, veggie what?” And I’m that one that made it.

Lately, my husband and I have been doing vegan or vegetarian weekdays. One glaring observation during this quest? Vegetables retain a lot of damn water. And there is nothing I despise more than soggy food. When working with vegetable substitutes, there are a few universal rules to retain the vegetable’s integrity while reducing excess moisture: In this lasagna, thinly sliced zucchini replaces pasta. So I take a couple of key steps to make sure this zucchini stays on point:

First, I pull out the tools. My favorite, in this case, is the mandoline. Please don’t get me wrong, you can cut your zucchini by hand—but a mandoline ensures all of your zucchini strips are cut evenly, so they cook evenly. I set my mandoline for 1/8-inch cut: pretty thin but thick enough to stand against the heat. Next, I reduce the excess liquid. Salt draws out moisture, then a quick roast expedites the process and tenderizes the zucchini. Once I pull the zucchini out of the oven, I transfer the slices to paper towels to dry out. This is essential in making sure that you don’t end up with a pool of liquid in your lasagna pan.

After you take those steps, all you have to do is layer your ingredients and bake. But if you’re feeling spiffy like me, you’ll sprinkle a garlicky crumble over the top for added texture and flavor. Layer upon layer, this zucchini lasagna is hearty enough to satisfy your soul. —Meiko And The Dish

Directions

1. Make the seasoning blend: Add all seasonings to a bowl and stir until combined.
2. Prepare the zucchini: Heat the oven to 450°F and coat 2 large sheet pans with cooking spray. Arrange sliced zucchini in a single layer on a baking sheet without overlapping. Use 2 teaspoons of seasoning blend to sprinkle on top of zucchini on both sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for 8 minutes. Remove the zucchini slices from the baking sheet and place on a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Reduce the oven heat to 350°F.
3. Make the meat sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until soft. Add the ground meat, plus 1 tablespoon of the seasoning blend, and cook until browned, approximately 6 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat while it cooks.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce, garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, and balsamic vinegar, plus an additional 2 teaspoons of the seasoning blend. Let simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
5. Assemble the lasagna: Combine the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning blend in a small bowl.
6. Lightly oil a 9×13-inch baking pan. Add 3 to 4 spoonfuls of the meat sauce across the bottom of the pan, followed by 1/4 of the zucchini slices in a single layer. Sprinkle over 1/4 of the shredded mozzarella, followed by a layer of meat sauce (approximately 1 heaping cup). Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture in dollops on top. Repeat this two more times by layering the zucchini slices, mozzarella, meat sauce, and ricotta mixture. Be sure to gently press down with each layer of zucchini. Finally, top with the last layer of zucchini slices and then the last of the shredded mozzarella cheese.
7. Make the garlic crumble: Add the garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, remaining seasoning blend, and the oil to a bowl and toss until combined. Sprinkle the garlic crumble across the top of the lasagna.
8. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. The top should be golden brown and bubbly on the edges. Let the lasagna sit at room temp for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.