New Orlean’s style white beans from fatfreevegan.com

  • 1 pound great northern beans dried
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 ribs celery
  • 1 small green bell pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon Tabasco or to taste
  • hickory smoked salt optional, but good, to taste
  1. Soak the beans overnight. (Or do a quick-soak by putting them into the pressure cooker with enough water to cover them by three inches. Bring to high pressure and cook for 1 minute. Allow pressure to come down naturally before opening the cooker.)
  2. Drain the soaking liquid. Put the beans into the pressure cooker with 5 cups water and start heating, uncovered (use the Saute or Brown setting on electric cookers).
  3. Meanwhile, chop all vegetables fine, by hand or in a food processor. As you chop each one, add it to the pressure cooker. Add remaining ingredients except Tabasco and hickory smoked salt. Check water level in cooker and add another cup if there isn’t sufficient water to cover all ingredients by 1 inch.
  4. Seal the pressure cooker and set the timer for 12 minutes (electric) or bring to high pressure and cook for 12 minutes once pressure is reached. Remove from heat (or turn off electric cooker) and allow pressure to come down naturally.
  5. If pressure is not down in 20 minutes, quick-release the pressure. Check beans for doneness. They should be tender, and most should be starting to fall apart. If your beans are still tough, return them to high pressure for a few minutes. If beans are tender, add Tabasco and smoked salt and cook uncovered until liquid reduces and the cooking water starts to become more like a sauce.(Use the Saute or Brown function in electric cookers, on low, if possible.) Stir often to make sure they are not burning on the bottom and to incorporate any dried beans on the sides of the pot. After about 20 minutes, if the liquid still seems watery rather than creamy, you can take an immersion blender and blend part of the beans (be sure to remove bay leaves first).
  6. Add additional salt to taste. Serve over hot rice with hot sauce on the table.

Instant Pot French Onion Soup from pressureluckcooking.com

  • 3 tablespoons (1/4 stick) of salted butter
  • 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons of light brown sugar
  • 4 big onions (I used 1 of each: Vidalia/Sweet, Red, Yellow and Spanish)
  • 4 cups of veggie broth
  • 1 teaspoon dry thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (not shown in the video but I do add this)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  • Croutons (you can buy a small bag of your flavor choice in any market or make your own)
  • Provolone and Swiss/Gruyere Slices
  • Paprika for presentation
  1. Cut the onions so they are halved and then slice into strips (don’t dice!) and set aside in a bowl.
  2. Put the Instant Pot on Sauté and melt the butter and oil until it sizzles.
  3. Add the onions and brown sugar and stir regularly for about 10-15 minutes or until the onions have cooked down by about half and have become translucent and have a pasta-like consistency. Make sure they aren’t too firm or too mushy!
  4. Add the broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give it a stir and secure the lid. Hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” for 8 minutes. Quick release when done. Preheat your oven to broil while quick releasing. Taste the soup (but be careful – It’ll be hot!) and feel free to add additional salt and pepper as you see fit. But I think it’s perfect as is!
  5. Ladle the soup into the crocks until it’s just below the brim. Layer the croutons on top of the soup so that it serves as a foundation for the cheese. Seal with 1-2 slices of provolone (depending on how wide your crock is. Mine needs 2 to cover it properly but many will only need 1). And then layer a slice of Swiss or some shredded Gruyere. Leave some a little over the edges so when it bakes, it coats some of the side of the crock. Peeling the cheese off while eating is one of the best parts of the french onion soup experience! Sprinkle lightly with some paprika.
  6. Place the crock on a baking tray lined with tin foil and pop into the oven for 5 mins or until the top begins to bubble, turns slightly brown and forms a cheese-like crust.

Cabbage Roll Soup from spendwithpennies.com

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb fake meat
  • ½ lb lean ground pork
  • ¾ cup uncooked long grain rice
  • 1 medium head cabbage, chopped (core removed)
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 1½ cups V8 or other vegetable juice
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  1. In a large pot, brown onion, garlic, pork and beef. Drain any fat.
  2. Stir in chopped cabbage and let cook until slightly softened (about 3 minutes).
  3. Add all remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and reduced heat to medium low. Cover and simmer on low until rice is fully cooked (about 25-30 minutes)
  4. Remove bay leaf and serve.