Instant Pot Fall Harvest Minestone Soup

While we were on vacation, we made this Minestrone recipe, originally from Ina Garten. It was super satisfying, especially because the weather was cold up north! The day we arrived back at home, we harvested all of the remaining veggies from our own yard—snow was on the way. Our crop this year included over 20 winter squash, and a giant pile of swiss chard. With Ina’s recipe fresh on my mind, I knew one way to put those veggies to work. After a few adaptions, we had a pot full of perfectly fall minestrone. Cozy, but also chock-full of veggies, which is just want I look for right after vacation.

Instant Pot Fall Harvest Minestone Soup

Published October 17, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 ounces diced pancetta or diced thick-cut bacon (optional)

1 tablespoon coconut oil or other cooking oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups diced butternut squash (peeled and seeds removed)

1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, strained and rinsed

1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes

5 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3-4 swiss chard leaves

1/2 cup basil (optional)

Salt to taste

Optional: 2 cups cooked small-sized pasta, such as ditalini, orecchiette, or gnocchetti (Use chickpea pasta for gluten-free)

For serving: grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Turn Instant Pot to Sauté setting. If using pancetta, place in pot and cook for a few minutes, browning on each side.
2. If pot is dry, add coconut oil. This can be skipped if there is a good amount of oil in the pot from the pancetta. Place onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in pot, and stir to combine. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
3. Using a knife, remove the stems from the swiss chard leaves. Place the green parts aside (reserve for later) and dice the stems. Add the stems to the pot.
4. Pour wine into pot. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the pot, releasing any brown bits as the wine simmers (this adds flavor to the soup).
5. Add butternut squash, beans, diced tomatoes, broth, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme to pot. Stir. Place lid on Instant Pot and set to “Bean/Chili” setting. Set timer to 1 minute with vent in the sealed position.
6. When timer goes off, release the pressure and open the pot.
7. Chop the reserved swiss chard leaves into bite-sized pieces, and roughly chop the basil. Stir both into the soup. Taste, and season with salt to your preferences (note: store bought broth will likely already have salt in it, so you may not need much. Homemade broth usually doesn’t already have salt, so more will need to be added).
8. Divide pasta among serving bowls. Ladle soup into bowls, and stir to incorporate pasta. Top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot. Great with a side of garlic bread or crostini!
9. Note: We stir the pasta into each serving bowl, rather than the whole pot, because if you put all of the pasta into the soup, it will absorb much of the broth, and the next day, you’ll find your leftovers are not very soup-like.

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sausage & Sun Dried Tomatoes

The car vibrates around me as music rolls low and steady from the speakers. After five days of camping, there is nothing I want more than a hot shower, a meal cooked on a real stove, and my own soft pillow. That is, aside from staying forever, but I know that’s not possible, for all long weekends must come to an end. 

Somehow, despite assigning each night’s meal to a different person, we ended eating tacos every evening. Don’t get me wrong, tacos are amazing—breakfast tacos, fish tacos, chicken tacos, beef tacos, veggie tacos. I’m all about it. Tonight however, I’m looking forward to just about anything else—something hearty and warm. something cheesy and meaty. Something with a spice other than New Mexican Chile Powder, and an herb other than cilantro. We’ll eat it off of clean plates and we’ll use real silverware. We’ll remember that we usually eat dinner in proper chairs, and instead of building a fire we’ll watch a movie. 

To dining at home! 

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sausage & Sun Dried Tomatoes

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free,    |   Caitlin Sherwood    |   

Spaghetti squash is baked with sun-dried tomatoes and Italian sausage.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup sun dried-tomatoes
• Salt & pepper
• 1 cup cooked Italian sausage crumbles
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Directions:

1. Slice the spaghetti squash in half, and remove the seeds and discard. Steam the squash until tender (I use an Instant Pot by filling the pot with 1-inch of water and a steaming basket. You can also cook the squash on the stove in a large pot—fill with 2 inches of water, bring to a boil, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes). Once tender, remove from pot.
2. Using a fork, pulling flesh from the spaghetti squash and place in bowl. Mix squash with son-dried tomatoes, sausage crumbles, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a dash of salt and pepper. Add half of cheese.
3. Spoon filling back into the shells of the spaghetti squash, and top with the cheese. Place squash halves on cookie sheet and place in over on low broil. Cook until cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Paleo Spicy Sesame Zoodles with Salmon

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After my blog post about leading with your Why, I felt like I should follow with a sort of ode to vegetables. If moving others to healthier eating habits is my Why, then getting you to look at a bowl of vegetables and think, "Gimme!" is my objective. Since I got super worked up about this bowl of vegetables, I really wanted to share it with you. Besides, it was inspired from a meal I used to make while living in my first college apartment and totally hit the mark. I ate this for multiple days in a row and am still thinking "More please!" 

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When I was a Sophomore in college, I moved into my first apartment. I had one of the best roommates ever. I cooked a lot. My parents supplied my kitchen with two Food Processors and a Immersion Blender. Making dinner was my favorite study break. Clearly, not much has changed. 

Still, one of my favorite meals was a total "hack". It was easy to make, super cheap, and amazingly delicious. It was Spicy Sesame Noodles. Good cold or warm, those noodles stuck in my memory. 

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This version of that recipe has been reworked, sans pasta, so that I can enjoy that same dish, while getting some real nutrients! Number one reason why I love sitting down to a big bowl of veggies: I finish my meal feeling strong. 

Zucchini noodles are not always the perfect replacement for pasta, but in this dish I found them quite satisfying. Since the spicy sesame sauce is good warm or cold, I left the noodles raw, which gave them an "al dente" texture. With a few crunchy broccoli florets, this dish is almost like a salad but tastes like so, so much more. My favorite way to eat it is with Salmon on top. Grilled or roasted salmon would work great, but canned salmon is cheaper and makes for a quick lunch! 

What is your "power fuel"? What things make you feel strong?

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Paleo Spicy Sesame Zoodles with Salmon

Published February 5, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 2   |    Active Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

2 medium-sized zucchini 

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup broccoli florets 

2 six-ounce cans of salmon 

For garnish: minced green onion or cilantro

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and honey. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to help the honey dissolve. Continue to allow this to simmer. The sauce will reduce a bit, and the flavors of the garlic, ginger and chili will infuse with the soy sauce.
2. Spiralize the zucchini (I use this spiralizer (affiliate link)). You can also use a vegetable peeler or julienne the zucchini). Divide the prepared zucchini into serving bowls.
3. Remove the sauce from the stove. Whisk it one last time and pour it over the zucchini noodles. Add the sesame seeds, and toss everything gently to coat it with the sauce. Cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces, and arrange them over the noodles.
4. Drain the canned salmon, and break up the meat with a fork before adding it to the top of each dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds,  red pepper flakes, and green onion/cilantro. Serve.