Instant Pot Potato & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 a very large red onion, diced
• 2/3 pkg of TJ's bacon ends & pieces, rough chopped
• 4 long thin carrots, chopped
• garlic powder
• red potatoes - about 3 pounds, quartered
• bag of fresh broccoli
• 2 medium-large zucchini
• salt & pepper
• chicken broth paste
• water

Directions:

1. Turn IP on to saute, add a couple of swirls of olive oil
2. add onion and cook until it is fragrent
3. add bacon and cook together with onion until bacon begins to brown
4. add all other ingredients
5. seal lid, turn to high pressure for 15 minutes with QR 
6. mash with potato masher
7. top with chopped tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, or more bacon - or eat as it.  It isn't pretty but it is good stuff.

Pina Colada Pineapple Upside Down Cake

• can of pineapple rings in juice (save juice)
• small jar of maraschino cherries
• butter or butter substitute 
• brown sugar
• coconut oil
• white cake mix
• egg 

in a large cast iron skillet:
coat with coconut oil
pour butter (or sub) in to pan
sprinkle with a hefty amount of brown sugar
stir together
arrange pineapple rings and cherries on top of brown sugar slurry

prepare cake mix replacing the water with the reserved pineapple juice and the oil with melted coconut oil and eggs as noted in cake mix directions

cook at 325 for about 35 minutes

Hot Crab & Artichoke Dip

4 cans TJ's crab meat, drained
small jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped fine
can artichoke hearts, chopped
~1/4 cup mayo
~1/4 cup sour cream (tofutti)
1.5 containers TJ's not-cream-cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup very finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon each very finely chopped red, orange, yellow peppers
dash of Tabasco

mix all together in a oven-safe dish
bake at 375 until hot & bubbly (or eat at room temp)

serve with club crackers, veggie strips, bread, etc.

Ham & Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• ham bone with lots of ham left on it
• 2-3 chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 2 bags of Hamm's bean soup bean mix (seasoning packet removed and trashed)
• chicken broth paste 
• water

 Directions:

1. soak beans overnight. drain and rinse.
2. throw first 4 ingredients in to crockpot(s) - I used a 6 quart and a 3 quart (just not enough space in the 1 crockpot!)
3. add a big glob of chicken broth paste and water to cover
4. cook on low for 10+ hours
   

Avocado Hummus

4 avocados
2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
2 big garlic cloves (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2+ tablespoons lemon juice (more to taste)
1 can white beans, drained
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Blend all together in the food processor until smooth and creamy.

Pantry Peanut Sauce

natural peanut butter (about 1 cup)
1-2 large garlic cloves
about 1 inch of fresh ginger
big splash of fish sauce
big splash of GF soy sauce
splash of rice vinegar
rooster sauce to taste
pinch of brown sugar
splash of EVOO
chicken broth to thin

Put all in Vitamix. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Clean Out the Fridge Fiesta Soup

William is just amazed that I made soup without a recipe and insists that I share my "recipe" on the internet. So here it goes...  CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE FIESTA SOUP!

In to a large soup pot add:

• frozen uncooked back bone and wings from a chicken that was previously butchered
• 2 boxes of TJ's organic chicken broth
• water to cover

Simmer for 2+ hours

Drain broth in to a large bowl and set chicken/bones aside to cool.

Put pot back on medium heat and add:

• a couple of tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large chopped red onion
• almost a whole package of wilty TJ's green onions, chopped in to rather large pieces by an eager 8 year old helper
• 4 large kind of bendy sad carrots, chopped
• 1 wilty celery heart, chopped, including the leaves
• 2 containers of salsa that need to be used

Cook until onions are starting to soften and add:

• the strained broth
• chicken picked from the bones
• a couple of slices of cooked chicken breast, chopped up small
• 3 different partially full bags of frozen corn that were unearthed from the freezer
• about 1 cup of frozen spinach
• a can of tomatoes
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• a can of black beans
• leftover roasted broccoli from lunch
• 4 chopped zucchini
• the bottom of a bag of stale tortilla chips

Simmer for at least an hour. Eat.