Instant Pot Pumpkin Dal

You may have had pumpkin soup… but what about pumpkin dal?

It’s officially pumpkin season and while I love a good pumpkin-themed dessert (hint hint: Pumpkin Spice Donuts from my new e-book that you can get right here!), I don’t want y’all to sleep on the world of savory possibilities with pumpkin. Pumpkin actually has a pretty mild flavor so it’s the perfect way to seamlessly thicken up dals, curries, and even pasta sauces.

Buuut if you actually want to bring out the flavor of pumpkin, you can incorporate lots of warming spices like ginger, clove, and nutmeg right into your savory dishes. As a shortcut, I just like to use some combination of pumpkin pie spice and garam masala. I promise it won’t make your food taste like a spicy pumpkin pie! Trust the process.

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Instant Pot

Entree

Indian

Yield: 6

Author: Alisha Vavilakolanu

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Instant Pot Pumpkin Dal (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal (aka split pigeon peas), rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 3 cups vegetable broth or water (I like to do 1 1/2 cups each)
• neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.)
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Select the Sauté function on your Instant Pot and set the timer for 4 minutes. Heat up some oil and add mustard seeds and diced onions. Sauté the onions for 2 - 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
2. Once the onions and garlic are cooked through and fragrant, cancel the Sauté function. Add pumpkin, curry powder, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, and red chili powder and mix well with a spatula to break down the pumpkin and incorporate flavors.
3. Add toor dal and vegetable broth or water to the Pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Seal the Instant Pot, ensure the pressure valve is turned to 'Sealing' and select the Pressure Cook function. Pressure cook on High for 9 minutes.
5. After 9 minutes, allow the pressure to naturally release for an additional 5 - 6 minutes.
6. Using a dishtowel or oven mitt, carefully turn the pressure valve from 'Sealing' to 'Venting.' Once you see the metal rod click back down, open the Instant Pot and give the dal a stir.
7. *At this point the lentils should be cooked all the way through and the mixture should be fairly thick and uniform. If you think the dal is undercooked and/or too dry, add more water and repeat step (4) for an additional 3 - 4 minutes.
8. Salt to taste and serve dal warm as a soup or over basmati rice.

https://thelishlife.com/blog/instant-pot-pumpkin-dal

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Instant Pot Spinach & Tomato Dal

When you say ‘lentils’ or ‘lentil soup’, I say ‘dal’! Dal has been a staple in my kitchen for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I used to eat some type of dal at almost every meal (yes, there are several types and each has its own flavor and nutrition profile). So it never really struck me as a comfort food until after I went off to college and could no longer have it twice a day.

Eventually, I moved into my own place and bought an Instant Pot so I could cook up a big batch of dal at the start of each week. In fact, dal has become such an essential part of my meal prep routine that it never even struck me to share a recipe with y’all until my mom asked me about it.

Like I said before, dal itself is a pretty generic term (kind of like curry). There are hundreds of thousands of ways to prepare dal depending on the actual lentils you use, how you season them, and which veggies (if any) you add. This Spinach & Tomato Dal is one I prepare frequently because it reminds me of my childhood and it’s an easy way to get in some veggies with your meal. So let’s make it!

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Instant Pot

Entree

Indian

Yield: 6

Author: Alisha Vavilakolanu

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Spinach and Tomato Dal (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients

• 1 cup toor dal (aka split pigeon peas), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 cup spinach, tightly packed
• 3 medium tomatoes (about 2 cups), diced
• 2 vegetable broth or water (I like to do 1 cup each)
• neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.)
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Select the Sauté function on your Instant Pot and set the timer for 4 minutes. Heat up some oil and add, cumin, mustard, and diced onions. Sauté the onions for 2 - 3 minutes, or until translucent.
2. Once the onions are cooked through, cancel the Sauté function. Add crushed red pepper, garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric, spinach, and tomato and mix with a spatula.
3. Add toor dal and vegetable broth or water to the Pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Seal the Instant Pot, ensure the pressure valve is turned to 'Sealing' and select the Pressure Cook function. Pressure cook on High for 9 minutes.
5. After 9 minutes, allow the pressure to naturally release for an additional 5 - 6 minutes. 
6. Using a dishtowel or oven mitt, carefully turn the pressure valve from 'Sealing' to 'Venting.' Once you see the metal rod click back down, open the Instant Pot and give the dal a stir.
7. *At this point the lentils should be cooked all the way through and the mixture should be fairly thick and uniform. If you think the dal is undercooked and/or too dry, add more water and repeat step (4) for an additional 3 - 4 minutes.
8. Serve dal warm over basmati rice or with a side of flatbread.

https://thelishlife.com/blog/instant-pot-spinach-and-tomato-dal

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Tag @lish_life on instagram and hashtag it #thelishlife

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Pineapple Fried Rice

I know pineapple screams summer and the beach but what can I say? I’m not ready for pumpkin spice season yet. I promise you I’ll come around to it before Halloween but for now, let me pretend I’m on a beach enjoying this incredible and incredibly beautiful Pineapple Fried Rice with a piña colada on the side.

Traditional PFR recipes call for eggs and ham or pork but we don’t do that here. To make this dish 100% plant-based, we’re going to use scrambled tofu and jackfruit for our protein. With all the other spices and flavors that go into this, you won’t be missing out on a thing!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A whole pineapple (if you’re going for the aesthetic pineapple bowls) or just a cup pineapple chunks (if you just wanna EAT already!),

• cooked jasmine rice (or your rice of choice),

• onion,

• garlic,

• carrots,

• green beans,

• tofu,

• young green jackfruit,

• soy sauce or tamari,

• curry powder,

• salt and pepper,

• and oil or vegetable broth or water.

Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Entree

Thai

Yield: 6

Author: Alisha Vavilakolanu

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Pineapple Fried Rice (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-large pineapple or 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• 3 cups cooked jasmine rice (or rice of choice)
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots (about 3/4 cup), diced
• 1/2 cup diced green beans
• 8 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 15 oz can of young green jackfruit, drained
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari, divided
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• salt and pepper, to taste
• oil, vegetable broth, or water, to cook
• optional: sriracha

Instructions:

1. Optional: To make the pineapple bowls, cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. For each half of the pineapple, cut along the inner edge, leaving about 1/4 inch of space between your knife and the peel. Cut the pineapple into chunks and carefully scoop out, leaving a hollow center. Reserve 1 cup of pineapple chunks for this recipe.
2. Prep the jackfruit. Scoop out the seeds and cut off the tough cores.
3. Transfer the jackfruit to a clean bowl and season with paprika, liquid smoke, and 2 tsp of soy sauce (or tamari). Toss to combine and set aside.
4. Preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an oven-safe dish or air fryer basket with cooking spray and add the seasoned jackfruit. Bake for 22 minutes or air fry for 10, or until edges are crispy and browned.
5. Add a few teaspoons of oil or vegetable broth to large skillet on medium high heat. Sauté the onion for about two minutes, or until translucent.
6. Add the garlic, carrots, and green beans and sauté for an additional two to three minutes, adding more oil or broth as needed to prevent vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 
7. Crumble in the tofu and cook for about five minutes, or until tofu begins to crisp up.
8. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the curry powder, remaining soy sauce, and cooked rice. Pan fry for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to low. Add the pineapple and baked or air fried jackfruit. Stir for two minutes.
10. Drizzle with sriracha if you'd like and serve warm in pineapple bowls!

https://thelishlife.com/blog/pineapple-fried-rice

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @lish_life on instagram and hashtag it #thelishlife

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