I came to veganism later in life, the year I turned 45, and I needed some serious help. My husband did most of the cooking in our home during the first years of our marriage because he loved it and because I traveled so much. When I went vegetarian, he handled it with ease. He became a pro at pressing tofu and all things meatless. Eight years later – when I proclaimed, “I’m a vegan!” – well, he suggested I step up my game in the kitchen.
I was a little lost but found my way by reading vegan blogs and cookbooks. And then I discovered the pressure cooker. Game changer.
Here are three reasons to consider vegan pressure cooking:
- Fast food.
Beans and grains, two delicious and important foods in a vegan diet, can be made in a matter of minutes. Yes, minutes. Soak black beans, chickpeas or whole dry green peas overnight and those legumes will cook up in anywhere from seven to 15 minutes. Brown rice cooks up in 22 minutes and quinoa in just one minute.
Many fruits and vegetables cook in less than five minutes; potatoes in just six minutes means mashed potatoes in under 15 minutes!
One-pot meals like this Chik’n Lentil Noodle Soup, filled with vegetables, legumes, and soba noodles, can cook in as little as eight minutes.
Photo: Kate Lewis
Chik’n Lentil Noodle Soup
This soup is a reader favorite on my blog, I suspect because it is reminiscent of a childhood favorite for many of us—and because it’s incredibly easy to prepare and delicious! The “chicken” flavoring is simply seasoning. I use Butler Chik-Style seasoning, though your favorite brand of dry seasoning will do just fine. This is rich in protein and packed with healthy vegetables.
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cups (200 g) green beans (fresh or frozen), snapped into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup (130 g) chopped carrots
- 1 cup (120 g) chopped celery
- 2 teaspoons vegan chicken flavored seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 cup (200 g) dried brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces (112 g) soba noodles
- 4 cups (940 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 to 1 1⁄2 cups (235 to 355 ml) water
In an uncovered pressure cooker, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the garlic, onions, green beans, carrots, and celery and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken-flavored seasoning, bay leaf, and sage and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils, noodles, and vegetable both. Stir to combine. Cover and to bring to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Use a quick release. Sample both the lentils and the noodles. If they are not cooked through, simmer on low in the uncovered pressure cooker until done. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Recipe Notes
- You can find vegan chicken-style seasoning or Bouillon cubes at most grocery stores.
- To deepen the flavor further, use vegan chicken broth instead of vegetable broth.
Recipe: Vegan Pressure Cooking: Beans, Grains, and One-Pot Meals in Minutes (Fair Winds Press, January 2015) by JL Fields
- Save money.
In a cost-per-serving analysis of dried beans versus canned beans, you save roughly twice as much by purchasing dried and cooking them on your own. And I would venture to guess that as you begin to pressure cook you might begin to experiment with new types of beans and grains. The perfect way to do this is to visit the bulk section of your favorite grocery store. Simply buy a cup or two of a new-to-you grain or bean. This will cost much less than buying a full box or bag.
- Eat more whole foods.
Many of my coaching clients want to eat more whole foods but feel they don’t have the time. The pressure cooker is an obvious way to overcome the time barrier (see #1). Bulk cooking—making food in large batches— is another way. Spending just a few hours in the kitchen can result in food that you can reheat and eat in minutes throughout the week. Make one batch of beans and one batch of grains and throughout the week enjoy soups, “hippie bowls,” bean dip sandwiches, and breakfast grains.
Merging whole foods and convenience foods in the pressure cooker is also possible and great for those of you who are transitioning to a vegan diet or live in a multivore home with family members who crave familiar foods, like this vegan Swiss steak.
Photo: Kate Lewis
Finally, the one thing that stops many people from pressure cooking is fear. I’ll let my fellow vegan lifestyle coach and educator Barbara, who tested recipes for my book, take this one:
I most of all want to thank you for introducing me to a form of cooking that previously was totally intimidating to me. When I tell people I am pressure cooking I get the same response from each one of them: ‘My mother had one but I’m too afraid of it.’ And my answer to them is always the same: ‘If I can do it, you can do it!’ My pressure cooker is now a permanent fixture on my stove top, and I plan on happily using it carefree for many years to come.—Barbara Ravid, VLCE
If you feel like you’re a busy non-cook and need some help, I think pressure cooking is the answer. And if you’re still a little nervous about using a pressure cooker, check out my vegan pressure cooking basics tutorial on this YouTube video.
I originally wrote this piece for the Main Street Vegan blog.
