The new fast food : the Veggie Queen pressure cooks whole food meals in less than 30 minutes

252 Pages·2012·4.84 MB·English

by  Nussinow

The New Fast Food™
The Veggie Queen™ Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less Than 30 Minutes
© 2012, Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
FIRST EDITION
ISBN: 978-0-9767085-1-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011918250
Cover Design: Tony Monaco, Media94.com
Book Design: Phyllis J. Beaty, MagnoliaStudio.com
Photography: ThisLittleBlog.com: Jenna Henderson, front cover, pages 30, 38, 62, 132, 152, 166, 204, and 224
AlanBartlPhoto.com: Alan Bartl, back cover, pages 28 and 40
FoodFotoBank.com: Kenzie Stevens, page 112; James Weaver and Anne Nester, page 123;
Anne Nester, pages 138 and 154; Mary Sue Stevens, page 162
All other photographs by Jill Nussinow, MS, RD
Illustrations: Josef Sorenson and Emily Horstman
This book is printed in the United States on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper.
Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty.
The author and publisher of this book and the associated materials have used their best efforts in preparing
this material. The author and publisher make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy,
applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents of this material. They disclaim any warranties expressed
or implied, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The author and publisher shall in no event be
held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other
damages. If you have any doubts about anything, the advice of a competent professional should be sought.
This material contains elements protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and treaties.
Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.
Vegetarian Connection Press
PO Box 6042, Santa Rosa, CA 95406-0042
vegetarianconnection.com
To everyone who cooks under pressure.
A Special Bonus for You
I

hope that you like the recipes that you find in this book. To make pressure cooking even more
enticing, I have put together a bonus ebook that you can also download.
All you have to do is click here:
www.theveggiequeen.com/bonus
And you’ll be taken to a page where you can enter your name and email. You’ll receive a link and
get the eBook right away.
I hope that you’ll find pressure cooking as exciting as I have and pass on the word to your friends
and family. Together we can change the world — saving time, money and energy while eating great
tasting “real” food, The New Fast Food™.
iv
The New Fast Food™ A Special Bonus for You
About the Author
J
ill Nussinow is a Registered Dietitian and Culinary
Educator who has been teaching people about eat-
ing whole, plant-based foods since 1985. She’s successfully
been teaching people how to use a pressure cooker
since 1996.
Jill says that the pressure cooker changed her cooking
life and hopes that it will do the same for you.
She’s been on the culinary faculty at Santa Rosa Junior
College since 1991. Jill has been teaching the McDougall
program in Santa Rosa since 2002. She’s the author of
The Veggie Queen™: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment
cookbook and stars in the DVD, Pressure Cooking:
A Fresh Look, Delicious Dishes in Minutes.
Jill has three websites:
www.theveggiequeen.com
www.pressurecookingonline.com
www.vegetarianconnection.com
You can watch her pressure cooking, and other videos at: www.youtube.com/TheVQ
You can read her blog posts at: www.theveggiequeen.com/blog
You can reach Jill Nussinow at: [email protected]
Jill is active on Twitter and Facebook
Discounts are available for book orders of 10 or more copies.
Jill is available to speak, do a cooking class or cooking demonstration near you. Just ask.
1-800-919-1VEG (834)
v
The New Fast Food™ About the Author
Acknowledgments
The making of a book takes many hands and sharp minds. My family deserves thanks for putting
up with me while I’ve had my head down at the computer, been busily cooking three different
dishes at once or madly snapping photos before they got a chance to eat the food. They’ve also
been the lucky recipients of my pressure cooker mania. My son Shane’s love for lentil soup started
me on this journey and “Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup” is still a most loved, and requested, recipe.
There are other people for whom I am most grateful. My good friend Laurie Reaume, now an avid
pressure cooker user, wrote the wonderfully witty “Ode to The Pressure Cooker” just for me. My
angel proofreaders came to me when I most needed them: Linda Hopkins and Sigrid Trombley.
Sigrid also blessed me with her assistance in editing the manuscript. She jumped in rather late in
the process, so if you have any editorial bones to pick, please do so with me.
My artistic team includes Jenna Henderson of thislittleblog.com who took more photos than I’d ever
have the patience for, with grace and unwavering attention to detail. The cover wouldn’t be what it
is without Jenna’s photograph. Many of her photos appear throughout the book. Kyra Pincheira of
Pollin8r.com also came through with additional vegetable shots that I needed.
I am amazed at the talent provided by my two young illustrators: Josef Sorenson, who also illus-
trated The Veggie Queen™: Vegetables Get the Royal Treatment, and Emily Horstman who eagerly
and quickly shared her work.
I’d also like to thank Phyllis J. Beaty of MagnoliaStudio.com for her perseverance while working on
this book’s interior design and Tony Monaco of Media94.com for the spectacular cover design.
Certainly, I’d be nothing without the farmers that grow my food and my pressure cookers. I want
to thank the following pressure cooker manufacturers for their generosity, and wisdom, in letting
me try out, or cook with, their products: B/R/K, Fagor America, Fissler and Magefesa.
My friend and cooking assistant, Ellen Horstman, has helped keep me organized at more classes
than I can count (and done a great job of pot scrubbing, too). I must thank the thousands of stu-
dents who have let me share my pressure cooking zeal with them over the years. My students
have helped me test and retest recipes as part of their classes. Without them, I would not be as
successful as I am today.
I would be remiss without extending my gratitude to my fellow cookbook authors, cooking teach-
ers and bloggers who have joined me on the pressure cooking journey. I am especially grateful for
all of them, and others, who took the time to read my book and make such wonderful comments.
I am appreciative of all my social media connections on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn who have
provided useful feedback and pressure cooking information, helping to spread the word.
This book has been a labor of love, and I’ve had lots of support along the way. I want to thank you
all from the top, sides and bottom of my heart…
“I love my pressure cooker! I don’t use it every day, but there are certain things
I always use it for, like making applesauce. When I’m pressed for time,
like when I need a good soup in 15 minutes, I wouldn’t want to be without one.
And today’s pressure cookers are so safe there’s no reason to fear them
or hold back from exploring their many possibilities.”
—Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone
“Pressure cooking is the most under-rated form of cooking in my view.
A pressure cooker is a “must have” item in any kitchen due to its even heat,
the fact that it cooks food in a shorter time with less loss of nutrients to
steam and that it cooks at a higher temperature than boiling, which is
great for tougher foods like whole grains, beans and harder veggies.
Pressure cooking produces food that is as tender and delicious
as if it were roasted in the oven, but in many cases, the
resulting dish is more moist and delicious. Get one...now!”
—Christina Pirello, author of
This Crazy Vegan Life: A Prescription for an Endangered Species

Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Ode to the Pressure Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx
CHAPTER ONE: Benefits of Pressure Cooking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Bit of Pressure Cooker History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Old versus New Pressure Cookers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Why Use a Pressure Cooker Instead of a Slow Cooker? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Your Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What Your Pressure Cooker Can Do For You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How the Pressure Cooker Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Choosing a Pressure Cooker or Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The New, Second Generation Quiet and Safe Cookers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Size Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Meeting Your Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Electric Pressure Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Your Heat Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
When You Really Might Want to Have a Pressure Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Need for Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Caring for Your Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Gasket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Pot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
I’d like to introduce you to my “boyfriends” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
CHAPTER TWO: It’s All About the Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using the Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Liquid Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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Here’s what you CAN do in your pressure cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Here’s what you CANNOT do in your pressure cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
General Pressure Cooking Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
High Altitude Cooking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
How to Release Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Quick Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Running Water Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Natural Pressure Release (NPR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Pressure Cooker Rules and Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Oh, No, I Have a Problem! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Adapting Regular Recipes for the Pressure Cooker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Converting Crockpot Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
“Bowl in Pot” or “Pan in Pot” Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Why Use the “Bowl in Pot” Method? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Ready, Set, Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
CHAPTER THREE: Timing is Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cooking Whole Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cooking Whole Grains Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cooking Beans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Cooking Beans Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Cooking Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cooking Vegetables Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cooking Fruit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Pressure Cooking Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
CHAPTER FOUR: Grains for All Occasions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Grain Cooking Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Perfect Grains Every Time: Grain Cooking Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Whole Grain Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Amaranth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Buckwheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Farro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
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