Instant Pot Vegan Pumpkin Tahini Linguine

Thanks to this wonderful  site  I was able to prepare a pasta dish in the Instant Pot without any burnt residue at the bottom as I experienced previously. This method I adopted gives pasta cooked al dente. This texture is maintained even when the sauce is added at the end of the steps enumerated in the recipe below.

The short cooking time of the pasta as it is cooked separately from the sauce is key as well as how the pressure is released at the end of cooking. An additional factor is adding the sauce to the pot at the end of cooking of the pasta rather than with it.

The sauce is delicious and creamy that coats the linguine with its velvety texture.  The combination of miso and nutritional yeast gives it its umami flavor while the pumpkin and tahini paste imparts the creaminess which your tongue will relish in every bite. These latter two ingredients are more for achieving a thick sauce. You hardly detect their flavor but they successfully achieve the goal of imparting creaminess to the dish without the use of fat laden cream or beans or cashews.

Instant Pot Vegan Pumpkin Tahini Linguine

See this site for more on cooking pasta in the Instant Pot.  This recipe was inspired by this.

Ingredients: 

Sauce 

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 cups unsweetened, unflavored almond milk or other similar non dairy milk
• 2 tbsp white miso
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 lemon juiced
• 4 tbsp tahini paste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper Fresh or dry basil for topping

Pasta

• 1 lb (16 oz) linguine or other pasta
• 4 cups cold water
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

• Place all the sauce Ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
  

• Place the water, salt and pasta in the Instant Pot. Close the lid and put the valve to the Sealing position.

• Press the manual or "Pressure Cook" button and set the time for 1 minute on High Pressure setting for al dente (2 minutes for softer pasta).

• At the end of cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for five minutes.

• Then quick release the steam that is left by putting a towel over the vent as you switch the valve to venting position.

• Then immediately add two thirds of the sauce to cooked pasta in pot and mix using the residual heat of the pot. Add the rest of sauce if you want pasta laden with a lot of sauce.
  

• Top pasta with fresh or dry basil.

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Friends Are My Bridges

Friends are my bridges
To endure life's rough edges
Or to celebrate with, to jump
Overcoming a hump.
Over waters to cross
Clear or so gross
With friends along
Feels like a song
Jumping with glee
Or cringing on my knees.


Note: The beautiful painting was created by my friend Margaret Soboslay, who is a member of the Life Writers Group I belong to.

The Challenge

Listen and not judge. 

Disagree and still open

ones heart and mind. Peace.

Instant Pot Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

I attended a vegan potluck at Temple David in Monroeville PA last night and I brought  this delicious crowd pleaser. This was inspired by the one prepared on the stove top by the adorable vegan  chef and YouTuber, Brittany Jaroudi.  This was one of the dishes she featured during the cooking demo she did at our Vegan Pittsburgh East Pumpkin Recipes Demonstration session last Saturday at the Murrysville Library. She has also featured a video of her recipe at her YouTube channel the Jaroudi Family.

I

The stove top approach is a one pot recipe that entailed mixing the pasta to the simmering sauce with some stirring for fifteen minutes. During the demo I wondered aloud if the recipe could be done in the Instant Pot. It was mentioned that some who have tried cooking pasta in this cooking device got mushy consistency.

I decided to experiment and come up with an Instant Pot version. The results:  UPDATE:  See this blog post for a better way to cook pasta in the Instant Pot.

1. I obtained pasta that had the consistency of those cooked the conventional way. Not mushy at all. The sauce coated the pasta and the overall dish was not dripping with sauce.

2. Since I did not saute the onion and garlic in any oil at start of process to make the recipe oil free, the lack of oil might have contributed to a bit of the pasta burning at the bottom of the pot. The digital display showed the word burn in the Instant Pot warning me about this occurring which I just  ignored.

3. As I said only a small bit got stuck at bottom of pot while the rest had excellent texture. Despite this I prefer the Instant Pot to standing in front of the stove stirring intermittently for fifteen minutes. I love the texture and taste of the dish. The pot is currently soaking and I still have to scrub the bottom of the pot now. Tsk, tsk. I wonder...

4.  The alternative is to use some oil and saute the onion and garlic as an added step or just add oil.  Another option is to cook the pasta in the broth, release the pressure, then add the sauce to the cooked pasta and mix using the residual heat of the pot or tbe saute mode. See this site for this approach.

Overall my nonvegan husband liked the one pot recipe except for the nutmeg taste. People at the potluck liked the texture and taste of this version.

Instant Pot Vegan Pumpkin Pasta

Inspired by this stove top version and this site for detailed Instant Pot instructions for pasta with sauce.  UPDATE :  See this blog post for better way to cook pasta in the Instant Pot.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz uncooked pasta (I used macaroni)
• 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin puree
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large white or red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1\4 tsp nutmeg
• 1\4 tsp cinnamon
• 1\2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp miso paste

Add all the ingredients except the lemon juice and miso paste (note 1) in the Instant Pot and mix. Cook at manual mode using low pressure for six minutes. (note 2) . See UPDATE At the end of cooking, quick release the Instant Pot to release pressure note( 3). Add the lemon juice and miso paste to the cooked pasta mixture and mix.

Notes:

1. Miso paste is added after cooking to preserve its probiotic effect.

2. Since I did not saute the onion and garlic in oil, a little bit of the pasta burned at the bottom and the Instant Pot displayed the word burn in its digital display while cooking which I ignored. I just left the burned part at the end of cooking and scoop the rest.

3. Do not leave the pasta in the pot. The residual heat will overcook it.

Crossing Across

Friends in life's journey

are bridges over both calm

and troubled waters.

Note:  Beautiful painting created by Margaret Soboslay, a member of the Life Writers Group I belong to.

Instant Pot Chicken Alexander

This recipe was inspired by the one my sister, Bebeng, made for her daughter's 50th birthday party. She concocted the recipe as an alternative to chicken ala king when she had her catering business decades ago in the Philippines.  It became an instant hit with her customers.

Bebeng's yummy chicken Alexander.

My sister made it using the stove top by first boiling the chicken thighs followed by making the sauce separately then adding the shredded chicken and peas to it. I decided to use my new Instant Pot to make my version of this delicious dish.  This is actually my first one to cook using this new cooking toy of mine. I thank my other sister Menchie for showing me and Bebeng how to use it when we cooked beef mechado for the party. This experience helped me overcome my fear of using my new cooking gadget.

What makes this especially good is the addition of the magic seasoning sauce, Maggi, which is available in any grocery store. It gives any dish that umami flavor above what soy sauce or Worcestershire could. Its use started in Europe and became widespread all over the world including the Philippines. I remember as a child it being added to many dishes in our kitchen. If we wanted something to be extra good, we used it to create its magic with our food.

This is an easy delicious recipe whether you use the stove top or Instant Pot.  Make your version today.

my sister Bebeng and her husband, Jun, at the background.

From left to right, Bebeng, myself and Menchie. On the right is the Instant Pot we practiced on cooking Beef Mechado.

The three dishes Bebeng prepared for the party, Sotanghon, Beef Mechado and Chicken Alexander.

Instant Pot Chicken Alexander

Recipe courtesy of my sister, Bebeng

• 3 -5 lbs chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 -14 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• 1-14 oz can cream style sweet corn
• 1  tbsp Maggi Sauce (or to taste)
• 1\2 cup broth
• 1 bag frozen green peas or mixed vegetables or other vegetables you like

Combine all the ingredients except the vegetables in the Instant Pot and cook using manual setting at high pressure normal for five minutes. Add the frozen vegetables after the end of cooking using the residual heat of the Instant Pot or use the saute mode to cook them. You can cut the chicken into small pieces if you like after cooking. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Tears that fell down my face

Softened my hardened

 heart that forgot the tears in 

others.  Felt their pain.

Essence of Faith

God's gift of trust. In

times riddled with doubts, worries.

I've got this. Says He.

Note: This was inspired by the sermon given by Fr. Larry Adams during the October 5, 2019 Mass at St. Bernadette Church Monroeville.  The text similar to it appears in the church bulletin page 2  

Likewise another source I used is the write up by Ron Donatelli of St. John the Baptist in their church bulletin. 

Surprise Party for Esmeralda

I saw this picture below recently in my Facebook page which was posted by Sylvia who is at the top row on the left.  All of us in the picture were classmates at St. James Academy in Malabon Rizal or Metro Manila now. I believe we just finished our 4th grade when this was taken in the late fifties and we were on our break from school. At the front row from left to right are Celia, Esmeralda and Mary and at the back from left to right are Sylvia, Vida and myself. But what was the occasion when this photo was taken you might ask?

If my memory is correct, Vida organized the group to go to Esmeralda's Dad's photo studio, V'Rionez, to attend Esmeralda's birthday party.  Vida lived across from our house in Tonsuya and she invited me to go with her to Esmeralda's dad's photo studio in Sangandaan.  We rode the commonly used public transportation in the Philippines called jeepney to get there.  I was both excited and scared to ride this very unique and iconic colorful Filipino vehicle without any grown up with me. Just my very confident friend Vida. If you know Vida she can conquer the world including in this case my own fears.

I really do not remember how Celia and Mary got there.  Celia lived pretty close to Vida's place and might have gone with us by walking from their house at Borromeo Street. Mary who lived by Bayan might have taken a short jeepney ride to Vida's place  to go with us.  Sylvia's house was quite a distance from where all of us lived in a street called Acacia Street and might have been dropped off by a relative.  Anyway somehow we all were at the V'Rionez Studio.

There was one problem.  Esmeralda's parents did not know we were coming and that there was a birthday party.  I think their daughter mentioned it to Vida and the latter just assumed there was one. I wonder if Esmeralda herself knew this was going to happen.

Both parents were surprised but unflappable. Esmeralda's mom improvised and fried hot dogs.  I could still picture her frying them in oil in a tiny little cubicle in the studio. They were so delicious that their taste and aroma are stilll embedded in my memory.  Her father made the occasion extra especial by taking our group picture as shown above and also a picture of each one of us giving a gift to Esmeralda.  I think I brought her a handkerchief as a gift or maybe we just used a pretend gift for the picture.   Of course we were thrilled.  It is much better than an iPhone shot don't you think?  We had a professional photographer after all and hey look the group picture landed in Facebook decades later.

Almost everybody still keep in touch with each other except we have not heard from Esmeralda. She left after grade school and did not go to St. James for high school. I wonder what she would have said of that day we surprised not only her but her unknowing parents!

This whole surprise event is a testimony to Vida's leadership and organizational skill which are evident even to these days as she generously hosts several reunions at her place in Los Angeles some of which I have written about in this blog.

Vida is leftmost at the back while Sylvia is second from the right. I am in front on the left. This was a mini reunion of our high school classmates at Vida's place in 2009. Left to right standing, Vida, Temy, Cbristy, Irma, Jenny, Sylvia and Malou. In front sitting, me and Zeny who were both surprised with flowers, leis and even a crown for me during the reunion by the thoughtful host, Vida.

A Prayer

Touch my soul Lord so

I can replace judgement with

hope and compassion.