Sweet Sesame Dressing (for sushi bowl)

• 1 

  lime, juiced
• 2 Tbsp (30 mL) 

  sodium-reduced soy sauce 
• 2 tsp (10 mL) 

  sesame oil
• 2 tsp (10 mL) 

  agave syrup 
• 1 tsp (3 g) 

  garlic powder 
• 1 tsp (2 g) 

  onion powder

Mix it all together and use it in your Sushi Bowl. 

Note: I did not have agave syrup so I used coconut sugar (whatever sweetener you have should work).

Sushi Rice

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (“sushi rice”)
• 2 cups water
• 4-inch square of kombu (optional) (Ieft this out)
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 4 teaspoons sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rinse the rice. Rinse the rice with cold water in a large fine mesh strainer for 1-2 minutes, or until the water runs very clear.  Drain well.
2. Cook the rice. See details in the notes below for how to cook the rice either on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
3. Make the sushi vinegar. While the rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, sugar and sea salt together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture nearly reaches a simmer.  Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.  (Alternately, you can just heat the mixture in the microwave if you prefer.)
4. Season the rice. Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Use a spatula to very gently fold the rice — more of a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing — until the vinegar is evenly mixed into the rice.
5. Cool. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel so that it is touching the surface of the rice, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter (or in the refrigerator) until it reaches room temperature.
6. Serve. Use the rice immediately in a recipe, or transfer to an airtight food storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Lemon Infused Couscous pearls

 Ingredients:

1 cup Israeli couscous

1 tbsp of butter

1 small shallot (finely diced)

zest of half a lemon (plus more for garnish)

1 1/4 cup chicken stock or water

1/4 Parmesan (shredded plus more for garnish)

1 tbsp of parsley finely chopped as a garnish (I used dried)

1. Instructions:
2. Heat small pot with a tablespoon of butter, 1 shallot and the zest of half a lemon.
3. Over medium heat, we are going to melt the butter and let the butter get infused with the flavors of the shallot and the lemon zest. Give this about 3 minutes. Again, you are sweating the aromatics not browning them.
4. Throw in a cup of your Israel couscous and toss everything together, ensuring your couscous is covered by the shallot and butter mixture. Essentially you are toasting them a bit. Do this for about 2 minutes.
5. Pour in 1 and 1/4 cups of chicken broth, stock or water. I find the chicken stocks and broths give it a more savory flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 10 minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork. This will ensure you have light and fluffy individual grains. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and mix with a fork. Taste for seasoning.
7. Serve in a bowl with some more lemon zest, chopped parsley and nice shredding of Parmesan cheese on top.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound small red or white skinned potatoes (I used cut up russet potatoes)

2 Tbs Olive Oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbs minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 Tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning. 

3. Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve. 

Seasoned precooked potatoes.

Seasonings

Simple Cucumber Salad

• 
  
  
  
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 2 long English cucumbers, sliced
• ▢1 medium onion, sliced
• ▢1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• ▢1/4 cup water
• ▢1 Tablespoon sugar , (or coconut sugar or sweetener of choice)
• ▢1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped (I used dried dill)
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

• Mix cucumber and onions in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• Mix white wine vinegar, water, sugar in a small bowl. Pour over the cucumbers and onions, and toss to coat.
• Sprinkle some fresh chopped dill and toss salad.

Herb butter

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine butter, rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Use a spatula to combine all of the ingredients well.
2. Scoop the mixture onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper. Roll into a log and twist the ends shut.
3. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until the butter is firm. 
4. You can use this on corn, other vegetables, meats and bread.

Baba Ganoush (Instant pot)

 This was amazing!! Best spread/dip and a wonderful way to use those eggplants. 

Ingredients

• ▢1 (1 ) Eggplant, peeled, cut in half, and then sliced lengthwise
• ▢1/3 cup (72.67 g) Vegetable Oil
• ▢5 cloves (5 cloves) Garlic, minced
• ▢1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
• ▢1/4 cup (62.5 g) Water

For Finishing

• ▢2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Tahini, (sesame paste)
• ▢1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Liquid Smoke
• ▢2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Chopped Parsley, chopped
• ▢1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) olive oil
• ▢1 sprinkle (1 sprinkle) Smoked Paprika, if desired

Instructions

• Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it's hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil.
• Once the oil is hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices. This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won't get the smoky taste you need. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.
• Once the eggplant is charred and somewhat soft, add the garlic, salt, and water.
• Pressure cook on High for 3 minutes, and release pressure quickly.
• If you have too much water at the bottom when you open it, turn your Instant Pot on sauté and let some of it cook off.
• Tilt the pot up slightly, and using an immersion blender, roughly purée the eggplant mix, taking care not to make baby food out of it (I mean unless you DO plan to feed it to a baby).
• Add the Tahini and liquid smoke, taste and adjust as needed.
• Pour into a bowl, top with parsley and the olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika.
• Serve with pita bread or raw veggies as a dip.

Credit: https://twosleevers.com/pressure-cooker-baba-ghanoush-greek-eggplant-dip/