Vegan Under Pressure 

I've been posting pretty frequently about the mad infatuation I have with the ol' Instant Pot, so when Julieshowed me Jill Nussinow's recent Vegan Under Pressure, I knew I wanted to take it for a spin and review it.

I really love this book. If you have a pressure cooker, you'll also really love this book. For any of you vegan old timers, (I'm looking at you, Andrea), her cooking style reminds me a LOT of Lorna Sass--not just the pressure cooking angle, but her style with recipes, too. She's sorta got a little macro glow.

The recipes in VUP, definitely have a healthy slant to them, in a way I really appreciate. The bulk contain millet and other cool grains, with tons of legumes and vegetables. I didn't notice any processed ingredients besides healthy oils (and those seem limited--I added a little to recipes here and there) and just a little salt (I added some of that too). There are desserts, and I was particularly mesmerized by the prospect of pressure cooking cake, fruit crumbles, and cheezecake.

I'm not new to pressure cooking, but since it's been awhile and the electric cooker is newish to me, I've definitely experienced a learning curve. This book helps so much, and will be a staple for me. The author gives detailed, thorough directions in each recipe for pressure amounts and cooking times, and specifies whether to allow the pressure in the pot to come down naturally, or if it needs a quick release. The book also includes detailed reference charts for cooking legumes, rice, grains and vegetables.

"Baked" Beans with hot dogs and 'tato chips.

Here's what I've made so far, but I'll definitely be making lots more:

Simple Vegetable Stock--This was a great basic recipe using odds and ends I pulled out of the fridge and pantry. I poured it into a pitcher and used it all week. I need to get in the habit of keeping this around, because it took practically no work.

French Green Lentils--French lentils are really easy to overcook, so I followed the cooking time for a lentil salad in the book, and they came out perfectly al dente.

"Baked" Beans--These made me ridiculously happy, because they're sweetened with dates and blackstrap molasses and came together in a snap. I'm also always looking for new bean recipes, and these are nothing like what I already had in my repertoire.

Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens) over cheesie grits. This combo was soOOo good.

Gomen (Ethiopian Collard Greens)--There are several Ethiopian inspired recipes in VUP, but the gomen caught my eye first, because they're cooked with berbere, which I'd never done before. These were faboo served over cheese grits (I used Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds). These will stay in our regular rotation--they were awesome.

Peanut butter chia-oats, topped with coconut flakes and Apple Berry Crisp

Apple Berry Crisp or Not-So Crisp--Pressure cooking a fruit crisp definitely didn't save me any time, but it is pretty awesome, because you can let it go without babysitting, and it won't burn or heat up your house. I loved the fruit part of this dessert, but didn't love the not so crisp topping, until I scooped it onto some chia-oats. I'd definitely make this again, but for breakfasts instead of dessert.

Straightforward Cashew Lemon Cheezecake--I find the idea of pressure cooking cheesecake titillating, so this was one of the first recipes I tried.  Again, you don't really save time by pressure cooking this, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. Jill and her publisher are letting me share this recipe, so you'll find it below--I've already made three! The first iteration I made as written with a blueberry-ginger chia jam on top, the second had orange blossom water, cinnamon and cardamon added with an orange mixed-berry chia jam topping, and the third is chocolate-crusted peanut butter cheesecake. Stay tuned for results on the last one, since it needs to set up in the fridge overnight before we can slice it. One thing for certain, these cheesecakes taste best after a few days in the fridge. I liked them the most after the second day, which makes them awesome for parties!