Vegan Pressure Cooking by JL Fields

After completing my certificate at the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, I bought a huge pressure cooker. I was so impressed with the speed at which you could cook beans and grains that I immediately began cooking everything in the pressure cooker. But, like with many things, my enthusiasm died off as I ran out of creative ideas for innovative food to cook in the pressure cooker. As I went looking for inspiration, there were limited resources for vegan cooking, which is what makes me so excited about JL Fields' new book called Vegan Pressure Cooking.

For those who are intimidated by the high-pressure pressure cooking device, have no fear, JL is here. As a vegan lifestyle coach and educator she demystifies pressure cooking in the first twenty pages by starting with the "why" and ending with the "how." The pressure cooker is a way to make great one-pot meals like stews, soups, and more. She provides interesting tips such as avoiding cooking vegetables in an electric pressure cooker and why one should use oil when cooking beans.

The rest of the book is filled with amazing recipes and beautiful, professional pictures. The photography is inspiring as you can almost taste the dishes through the close-up photography. I had such a hard time choosing which meals to make, but ultimately settled on two to start with.

The first one I tried was her Chik'n Lentil Noodle Soup. This is not your mother's chicken soup. In fact, there isn't even faux chicken in it, which makes me happy because I'm really getting away from the faux meats. This is vegan udon noodle soup with green beans, carrots, and celery all wrapped up in brown lentils and seasoned with poultry seasoning. It's all the goodness of a brothy noodle soup with the heartiness of lentils. No faux chik'n needed!

The other recipe I tried was the Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Green Chili. Why? Because I love beans, tomatoes, and greens so...how could I go wrong? It turned out to be scrumptious!  Black-eyed peas are engulfed with fire-roasted tomatoes and surrounded by crunchy carrots and celery all while taking in the unique spice mix featuring chili powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and oregano. It is a warm, happy party in your mouth that will likely please the most discerning palates. And, best of all, it is colorful, protein-packed, and calcium-rich.

Other recipes that look amazing include Apple Pie Steel-Cut Oats, White Beans and Greens Soup, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew, Korean Kongbap, Soy Curl Mac 'n Cheese, and Mashed Peas and Potatoes. I'm super excited about this new cookbook and will continue to post other recipes I make from it. It is currently being sold for ~$18 on Amazon here. Come one, come all, to the wonderful 

world of vegan pressure cooking!

Full Disclosure: Although the book was provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.