Instant Pot Carrot Apple Ginger Soup (6 Ingredients & Easy)

When the temperatures drop and everyone starts talking about snowstorms, all I want is a warm, cozy bowl of soup. Even though there’s no snow here in sunny Florida, my family in Pennsylvania and New York has been sending blizzard photos — and let’s just say, it’s serious soup weather up there!

Chunky Chickpea Vegetable Spread- Healthy Doesn't Need to Be Boring

Healthy recipes don't have to be boring this 4th of July 🎆🇺🇸
I'll be making my easy Chunky Vegetable Chickpea Dip -a fresh, creamy, and totally plant-based dip—made with chickpeas, veggies, and zingy Dijon mustard for a bold, satisfying bite. 

This recipe has no mayo, cream cheese or sour cream which would be way to heavy in fat to actually be healthy in my opinion!!

I will serve it with crudités instead of chips, and I'll be very happy! Truthfully, so will everyone else. I've served it before and it was a hit with the crowd!! It's perfect for those watching their weight.

Simple Tofu Scramble

Do you ever cook with tofu?

This versatile, plant-based protein has long been a staple in Asian cuisine. You might’ve come across it in miso soup or served atop stir-fried vegetables at your favorite Chinese restaurant.

Today, I’m sharing a super simple tofu scramble recipe. 

Savory Banana Soup - Savor the Unexpected

Bananas in your soup? Savor the unexpected. 

I am really excited about this absolutely unique soup. I've never made, tasted, or even heard of anything like it before. 

Carrot Ginger Soup Made Easy

If you love fall soups, you will love this super quick and easy carrot ginger soup that I make I my Instant Pot in literally minutes (of course it is totally adaptable for the stove top too). 

Got carrots? Make soup!!!

Irresistible Vegan and Gluten-Free Apple Crisp Breakfast

I'm welcoming fall (it's almost here) with an easy to make and tasty apple crisp breakfast idea that is healthy enough to eat for breakfast but delicious enough to adapt for dessert.

Roasted Carrot Appetizer With Cumin Seeds and Tahini Maple Dip

I am truly excited about this roasted carrot appetizer recipe and you should be too! Why? Because it is not only absolutely easy to make, it is absolutely crazy delicious. 

If you are a reader of my blog, you will know that the last week I made a delicious dip (link)with tahini, maple syrup, and lemon juice. 

Yesterday I was shopping in Costco and I noticed an interesting bag of little bag of multi colored carrots. They were from Guatemala and were hand picked and shaped. They looked so cute, I decided to buy them and make them for an appetizer for the dinner party I was having. 

At first, I thought I would serve them as a vegetable side dish drizzled with the tahini sauce which would have been great ! 

But then I realized that they would also make an amazing appetizer as well, and I needed an appetizer for a party I was giving. (I forgot to take a good photo) 

All of my guests raved about the carrot appetizer. These beautiful looking roasted carrots with cumin seeds were the BIG hit!

I served the roasted carrots as an appetizer along with my maple tahini sauce for dipping which totally enhanced the flavors of the carrots! 

Ingredients: 

1 bag of cocktail carrots (as seen above)

1/2 cup of acquafaba (the liquid from cooking chickpeas or from canned chickpeas- I use it in place of olive oil) 

2 tablespoon of cumin seeds 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cover a large cookie sheet with parchment paper 

Wash and dry the carrots 

Brush carrots with acquafaba ( If you use oil, spray with olive oil spray) 

Sprinkle on the cumin seeds and salt

Place in the oven and roast for  20 -25 minutes until carrots are soft.

Remove from oven. 

My Notes: 

• For a side dish, arrange carrots in a serving dish and drizzle with the tahini maple syrup sauce. 
• For an appetizer, arrange the carrots on a flat serving dish and put the tahini maple syrup dip in a small bowl for a dip.

Carrot Soup With Cilantro and Ginger

Are you a cilantro lover or hater? This easy carrot soup is for cilantro lovers because it does contain a noticeable amount of this tasty herb. The soup is simple to make, full of protective health giving antioxidants, and delicious. (you can substitute parsley for the cilantro).

Vegetables With Crushed Roasted Peanuts -Delish

This colorful vegetable dish takes only 10 minutes to prep and 5 minutes to cook. You will be delighted with the delicious flavors  in a dish that lends itself to many variations! I love it.

Carrot Apple Breakfast Slaw- Vegan

Grated carrots, apples, and pomegranates- oh my!! A deliciously sweet juicy slaw loaded with valuable antioxidants and nutrients. 

Sushi In A Bowl- A Perfect Summer Meal

It's summer, it's hot, and I want easy light meals. 

One of our easy favorites? It looks like a salad but it is actually 

Sushi in a bowl -

Why a bowl of sushi verses sushi rolls?  

Carrot Tahini Soup In The Instant Pot

Carrot soup is easy to make, nutrient-rich, and delicious. Adding tahini to carrot soup turns it into something unusual and amazing!! 

It's a perfect recipe to eat at on a week night for a family dinner or to serve as an interesting soup for special company. Cooking for one or two? Cut the recipe in half. 

Fresh carrots are a staple that I always stock in my refrigerator just in case I want to make soup. Sometimes to add a few carrots to a hearty lentil soup recipe (link to recipe) or sometimes to use in a simple carrot soup, such as this wonderful carrot tahini soup.

I use this organic tahini paste in a glass jar from Trader Joe's 

Are you familiar with tahini paste?

It is a paste made from sesame seeds and very popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. It is frequently added to chickpeas to make hummus or baba ganooj spread (link to recipe). It provides calcium, iron, copper as well as other valuable minerals and vitamins. Tahini has a unique pleasing flavor and helps make this carrot recipe slightly exotic. 

This vegan gluten-free soup calls for just a few basic ingredients plus some flavorful spices.

Are you aware that spices are an excellent source of valuable antioxidants. We need antioxidants to help protect our cells from cell damage that may lead to disease. 

Keeps in refrigerator 2-3 days or Freezes well

This soup can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It can be frozen for 2 months, but I would freeze before adding the tahini paste and then add the tahini paste prior to serving. 

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, or pumpkin seeds which all add some extra protein to this pretty vegetable soup. 

I do love carrots and have made other carrot recipes in the past which you may also like such as Roasted Tomato Carrot Soup (link to recipe) or Carrot Ginger Soup With Lime (link to recipe).

I initially saw the idea for this soup recipe on a blog called Havoc In The Kitchen (link to Ben's recipe and blog) and then discovered other similar recipes on a variety of other blogs. Ben's photography and presentation are exquisite - you gotta go take a look -

After looking at a number of recipes, I decided to use one of my own basic Instant Pot carrot soup recipes and just added tahini and some za'atar. It came out great! Thanks Ben for the idea!!

Personally, I like to make all my soups in the Instant Pot, but of course this easy recipe could just as easily be made on the stove top if you prefer.

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped 

8-10 large organic carrots, cleaned and sliced

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder or 4 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed

3 cups of vegetable broth 

4 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric 

4 teaspoons of tahini (or more to taste) 

1/2 tsp of cumin, coriander, or za'atar (pick one not all)

Cracked black pepper to taste 

Garnish: seeds of choice (sesame, pumpkin, almonds) or fresh greens

Directions:

Add the onion, carrots, garlic powder or garlic, broth and water to the insert liner of the Instant Pot. Set to pressure cook for 4 minutes. When done manually release steam according to the manufacturers directions.  Add remainder of ingredients except garnish. Using an immersion blender blend until smooth and creamy. Serve and garnish. * before serving adjust seasoning- add more salt, pepper, and garlic powder if needed. 

My Notes: 

1. Za'atar is a natural spice to go with this soup 

2.This soup pairs well with avocado toast (GF of course) for a light lunch. If you feel you want more protein top the avocado toast with mashed chickpeas. 

3. This soup is kosher parve and may be suitable to use for a Sephardic Passover recipe.

4. This soup is vegan, oil-free, and gluten-free

5. Tahini separates in the jar. You will need to mix the paste and the oil together before using. I usually like to pour off and discard some of the oil from the jar before mixing to somewhat reduce the high oil content of tahini paste. 

6. Organic carrots are readily available in most markets. I think they taste better and are better for you!

7. Tahini paste does not need refrigeration unless indicated on jar.

Three Salads and One Dressing

Salads are a healthy source of nutrients and enzymes. What better way to get those nutrients and enzymes than in a delicious daily salad? 

Eating a variety of colorful salad vegetables such as greens, reds, purples, and whites contain a variety of antioxidants may be anti-aging and may protect against cell damage.

 I am sharing three of my favorites salads and one delicious salad dressing in this post today. 

Instant Pot Steamed Carrots- Moroccan Style

Steamed carrots made in the Instant Pot taste exceptionally good, especially when tossed in some Moroccan style herbs and spices before serving. Sometimes simple food is best. Carrots are delicious and healthy for you.

Steam them in the Instant Pot

I pressure cook sliced carrots for just 2 minutes in the Instant Pot and then quick release the steam so the carrots don't overcook and get mushy. (of course if you are familiar with the Instant Pot you know that you must allow time for the pot to "pre-heat" before it actually begins cooking- similarly to baking cookies in the oven- it needs to preheat- so it might add 10 minutes to the final time.

1. Steam the carrots

2. Make the dressing of lemon juice and herbs

3. Toss together 

4. Allow to sit and mingle unrefrigerated

Healthy Side Dish- Oil-free Version

It's a quick and easy side dish that is delicious and healthy and is perfect for any week night or even to serve to company. The aromatic flavors of the minced fresh garlic and the ground cumin are guarnateed to permeate the air bringing everyone to the kitchen to see what's cooking. 

In fact, when I was making this recipe, a contractor came by to fix something at our condo and upon walking in the front door he said, "wow- you are cooking something that smells really good."

Benefits of Ingredients

Carrots contain beta-carotene and vitamin A which are really good for the eyes (your mom may have told you that) as well as calcium and vitamin k for strong bones. In addition carrots provide essential fiber and antioxidants to help protect cell damage.

Garlic- Great for immune defense, is anti-inflammatory, good for the heart and circulatory system.

Cumin- High in antioxidants and provides iron

There are many ways to make Moroccan carrot salad. I've shared two recipes in the past. 

This recipe is a little different because this recipe is oil-free and much lower in calories. I also added chopped sweet red pepper and it made it in the Instant Pot. 

Ingredients: 

5 cups of sliced carrots 

4 fat pieces of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of cumin powder (or more to taste)

1 cup of diced red sweet pepper

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)

Juice of 2 lemons or limes, freshly squeezed

Salt and cracked pepper to taste 

--------------------------------------------

Optional: Hot pepper flakes to taste

Optional: 1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions:

Using an Instant Pot, place the steamer basket in the Instant Pot liner. Add 4 cups of water. Place sliced carrots into the steamer basket, secure the lid, set to pressure cook for 2 minutes. When done, release steam manually according to the manufacturers directions. When all steam in released, carefully remove the lid and remove the sliced steamed carrots and place into a large glass bowl. Mix with the remainder of ingredients, toss well and allow to marinate for 1 hour on the counter top covered.

Notes: 

1. This side dish tastes best at room temperature. Flavors will increase with time. 

2. This dish is gluten-free, oil-free, and vegan.

Sharing this post on Weekend Cooking at the Intrepid Reader and Baker where anyone can share a food related post.

Turkish Shredded Carrot Salad

Salad is a good choice for the holidays. Since holiday meals often mean heavier richer food, we need some tasty lighter foods for the mix. One interesting low in calories but rich in taste salad is a family favorite- Turkish shredded carrot salad.

Vegetable Corn Chowder - Vegan and Oil-Free

Do you love corn? Corn chowder is one of my favorites, especially when I use fresh sweet farmer's market corn right off the cob. 

You are going to love this flavorful high fiber, low fat easy Instant Pot soup that of course can also be made in a regular pot too. The bonus is that not only does it taste good hot, the next day, leftovers taste really good chilled as well. 

I grew up in New Jersey. the Garden State, and during the summer the local farmer's market supplied us with lots of ripe delicious produce all season long. 

  

When I got married, we moved 10 minutes away across the bridge to Pennsylvania where we still seem to have lots of farmer's markets and fresh beautiful produce.

Mid July begins corn season in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and our corn is sweet and plentiful. We can't get enough of it and eat it a few times a week until the season is over. A local farm grows non-GMO corn which is a big plus!

I usually get to the local farm stand about once a week to purchase a dozen ears of corn that last us throughout the week. 

In addition to eating the corn on the cob raw or lightly cooked, I like to try to find other recipes to enjoy it. 

This week I made a delicious and very easy vegetable corn chowder.

I used a variety of vegetables including carrots, cabbage, parsley, celery, potatoes and the fresh corn. 

In addition to cooking corn in the soup, I topped each bowl with fresh corn kernels (uncooked) that I cut directly off the cob. They were crunchy and sweet.

Eating raw kernels right off the cob without cooking them is like eating fruit.

In the past, I've also used raw corn kernels in salads such as my recipe link: black bean and corn salad with artichokes and tomatoes.

Do you like corn on the cob? How do you eat it? Do you get it fresh and locally grown?

Ingredients:

1 cup of chopped onions 

2 cups of sliced or diced carrots

3 cups of sliced green cabbage

1 cup of sliced or diced celery

1/2 cup of parsley

2 cups of corn kernels (freshly cut off the cob tastes great) 

4 cups of vegetable broth (or more to cover vegetables)

1 cup of water

1/8 teaspoon of cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of onion powder

Optional: nut milk of choice for blending to add creaminess to the soup. 

Directions:

Add the onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, parsley, corn, broth, water, and seasoning to the Instant Pot. Set to pressure cook for 5 minutes. When done, allow steam to release naturally for 5 minutes and then release steam manually according to the manufacturers instructions When all steam is released, carefully remove the lid. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until almost creamy but leaving some

chunkiness. If desired, blend in nut milk (1 cup) for a creamier texture.

Mashed Potato and Carrots with Rosemary

...

Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. This combination of steamed yellow gold potatoes and carrots are mashed and then topped with fragrant fresh rosemary (or dill). This quick and easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

 I cubed and steamed the two vegetables until soft and then used an immersion blender to mash them till smooth and creamy. It literally took seconds to blend with the immersion blender. 

This is a delicious yet simple side dish that everyone will love. Personally, I dd not feel it needed any milk to make it creamy. However, if you do like it creamier, you can use a little nut milk such as almond milk before blending. 

Don't Eat Carbs? Read This-

If you have given up eating carbs and potatoes, you may be interested in watching some of Dr. McDougall's Youtube videos explaining the importance of starch in our diet for weight loss.

In addition, there are a variety of individuals who have followed his starch oriented diet for weight loss and have had AMAZING results in weight loss and improved health in every aspect. 

It convinced me. 6 weeks ago, I started his diet. After years on a low carb diet and giving up my favorite foods such as potatoes and rice, I now eat them in quantity and enjoy them every day. 

Lost 12 pounds

Did I mention that in the last 6 weeks of changing nothing else but my diet (I always have walked 4 miles a day every morning), I am now down 12 pounds and LOVING my meals. I'm eating healthier than ever, feel satiated, and have tons of energy. It's a plant-based diet without oil (but does include fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds)

If you have difficulty understanding this idea and think that starch is bad (which by the way that concept was promoted by business and  industry not science,) Plentiful Kiki ( link), who lost 70 pounds on this diet has a number of Youtube videos that follow her journey with ideas and recipes. 

Another inspring individual is on a Youtube channel called, The Jaroudi Family. Brittany, who publishes the channel, also lost 70 on the Starch Solution diet. Both look terrific and have been following a higher carb  vegan non-inflammatory diet for years now. I've also read testimonials from hundreds of people of all ages and genders on the plant-based Forks Over Knives website. 

Of 

Of course the diet includes lots of beans, vegetables, fruits, etc. 

Some examples of my meals 

Breakfast: 

Steel-cut oatmeal, with cinnamon, 2 chopped walnuts, and 1/2 sliced banana

Other meals: 

• I eat baked potatoes stuffed with black beans and salsa, a big salad, and a side of broccoli. 

1. Another example is vegetable chow mein(recipe link) with blanched almonds and a big portion of rice. 

• Or I might eat a big bowl of vegetarian chili with rice and vegetable soup. 
• Or I might eat a bowl of lentil soup, lentil flatbreads(recipe link) with oil-free hummus. 

I will continue to report my weight loss and how I feel. 

After 6 months I plan to redo my bloodwork to see if my high cholesterol (232) and high blood sugar (110) have come down on this diet. I have been a vegan for two years and a vegetarian for 39 or more years, but I ate a lot of vegan convenience food and desserts.

There is a book called Managing Diabetes that documents many diabetics who have eliminated or controlled their type 2 diabetes on a similar higher starch diet. 

Anyway for those who just want a simple delicious mashed potato recipe - this is delicious and easy. 

I added steamed carrot for extra nutrients, color, and appeal. -you can leave out the carrots if you want. 

Ingredients: 

6 yellow gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered (with skin) 

2 carrots, sliced thick 

2 cups of water for steaming

1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary or fresh dill 

Directions: 

Steam the potatoes and carrots in a steamer basket in a pot on the stove or in the Instant Pot.  ( I steam in the IP for 5 minutes). 

When done, pour off water and using an immersion blender, blend the potatoes and carrots until smooth and creamy about 30 seconds. 

Sprinkle with fresh rosemary. 

Peek at My Week 6/28 - Books, Netflix, Cooking

Yes, it's been 3 months and I'm still staying at home. We have done some socializing on our deck, but with just one friend at a time or with my kids and grandkids and 6 feet distance. I do grocery shop as well, but that's it.

Mah Jong tiles (these are flowers)

This post has book reviews, 2 recipes, and Netflix review: 

Savory Indian Vegetable Pancakes

Savory Indian Vegetable Pancakes are delicious and very easy to make. It's been over 77 days since I've been "staying in." (Although I have been taking daily walks with a mask, and I have been doing my own grocery shopping, but not too often)

Since we are not eating or ordering out, I am doing a significant amount of daily cooking. I've been experimenting with recipes that I wouldn't ordinarily make. We do really like Indian and Asian food, so out of desperation, I've started to give some recipes a try! Two weeks ago, I made an Asian recipe called Mongolian Mushrooms and Tofu that was fabulous. This week I thought I would try an Indian pancake.

Chilled Sweet Carrot Soup

This isn't just any ordinary carrot soup! It's fragrant, captivating, delicious and refreshing- perfect for a very hot humid day- the kind of days that we are experiencing in Florida right now.

Roasted carrots are the perfect base for this 5 ingredient easy to make soup.  The carrots pair beautifully with the freshly squeezed orange juice and some warming sweet spices!