I have to say, this blog series is so much fun to put together each week. Even though I reply to your comments and questions a couple of times each day on the blog, making this round-up inspires me to dig a bit deeper and try new things to help troubleshoot. I also learn so many interesting things from you all, and absolutely love sharing your tips for others to read! Let’s dive in, shall we?!
Q1. Hey Angela! With how popular superfood powders are, I’m curious if you consume any on a regular basis?
Hi Monika, I can’t say that I use many superfood powders! They tend to be expensive and I’d personally rather spend that money on quality produce. I also want my recipes to be accessible. That said, there are a couple I like to use: DoMatcha Organic Green Tea Powder (I make green tea lattes with it and add it to smoothies) and Sprout Living Broccoli & Kale Sprout Mix. The latter is a powder made from broccoli and kale sprouts that have been gently dried and milled—I also add this to smoothies for a plant-powered boost!
Q2. Your coffee always looks so delicious on Insta Stories! Do you mind sharing exactly how you make it (including the proportions used)? My track record isn’t that good when I “wing” a recipe!
That’s too funny, Susan—I’ve definitely had my own fair share of “winging it” disasters! I love to start my day with French press coffee, and have a couple different ways of making it. I’m not a coffee expert by any means, but I’m happy to share both ways that I prepare it!
Basic French press coffee:
I start by grinding coffee beans—I like the “Mug Shot” organic coffee from Toronto-based brand 23 Degrees Roastery, and find grinding the beans morning-of makes them extra fresh and flavourful. I scoop two heaping tablespoons of ground coffee into my small (2-cup/500 mL) French press (from Ikea). Next, I bring a small pot of water to a boil before turning off the heat to let the water sit for 15 seconds or so. Then I pour just enough water into the French press to saturate my coffee grounds before giving the mixture a stir. After this pre-soak, I add the rest of the hot water to the French press, filling to about a 1/2-inch below the top of the vessel. I secure the lid of the French press and set my timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I press the coffee with the plunger and pour it into my mug before stirring in a mix of Nutpods French Vanilla Creamer and Califia Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.
Blender coffee:
I follow all of the basic French press coffee-making steps above except for adding the creamer, and instead I pour the steeped coffee into my blender. Then I add 1/2 tablespoon of Nutiva’s MCT (Medium-chain triglyceride) oil along with a tablespoon of Nutpods French vanilla creamer. Finally, I secure the lid and blend the coffee for about 20 to 30 seconds (tip: make sure your blender lid is vented as it can explode if it’s not!). After blending, I pour into a mug and enjoy!
Full disclosure: When I need coffee yesterday (which is pretty much 98% of the time), I skip both the 15-second water resting and pre-soak periods, simply filling the French press with boiled water (this is technically a “no-no” as you can burn the coffee, but trust me when I say I’ve compared both methods and my sleepy taste buds tell me they’re virtually the same, lol). Then I follow the rest of the procedure as listed. On the average day, I like to have one of these in the morning, one in the afternoon (my caffeine cut-off is 3pm!), and a mild Matcha green tea thrown in between. #dontjudge ;)
Q3. Hi Angela, I want to make your new Easy Vegan Sugar Cookies as a surprise for my vegan husband. :) Instead of electric beaters, do you think I can blend the pink frosting in a food processor? Thanks!
Hi Nathalie, what a cute surprise for your husband! I wouldn’t have thought to make frosting in the food processor…such a fun idea! Your question made me super curious, so I just had to test it out in my food processor to see. I’m happy to report that the frosting came together quite well with this method. I tried adding the vegan butter first to “whip” it, but I found the butter just stuck to the sides of the processor bowl, so I’d recommend adding all of the ingredients into the processor at the same time. I also found that I needed to add a bit more almond milk than usual and had to stop to scrape the bowl down a few times throughout. I hope this helps you have pink frosting success!
Q4. Hi, is tomato paste the same as tomato purée?
Hey cb, Great question! Tomato purée and tomato paste are made using different methods, which accounts for their distinct flavours and textures. Tomato paste is made by cooking tomatoes slowly until they become thick and pasty, resulting in tomato paste’s sweet, rich, and intense flavour (similar to sundried tomatoes). Tomato paste tends to be sold in small cans or jars, whereas I find tomato purée is mostly sold in larger quantities. Tomato purée is made more quickly, cooking tomatoes briefly to soften before processing into purée, resulting in a thinner consistency and flavour more like that of fresh tomatoes. In the photo above, tomato paste is on the left and tomato purée is on the right. (A special thanks to Livestrong for the distinction.) With all this talk of tomato sauce, I’m now craving spaghetti squash with marinara! lol.
Q5. Hi! Your Roasted Carrot and Dill Hummus recipe sounds amazing!! Just wondering if it’s best made the day you want to eat it or just as good made the night before?
Hey Larissa, My recipe tester and I found the flavours were a bit better the day of, but it’ll still keep well in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Homemade hummus thickens when chilling, so it’s probably best to let it come to room temperature before serving so your dip can soften (if you can wait that long!). :)
Q6. Hi Angela! I love the rebranding of the Friday FAQs series to “Ask Angela”—I think that’s a great idea! I’ve wanted to ask you for ages whether you have an Instant Pot and whether any of your recipes would be suited for it? What with this Instant Pot craze going on now, I’d love to be able to make your delicious recipes quickly in this new gadget!
Hey Sandra, ohh you know what? I’ve been asked this question a lot lately and it’s making me super curious about Instant Pots! I don’t have one as I’ve been trying to avoid purchasing another small appliance, but I have considered it. I’d love to hear about your own experience, though!
I’m also curious how many OSG readers use an Instant Pot these days, and would love to hear from you all in the comments!
Do you have one and would you recommend it (if so, which version/model do you have)? Have you tried any of my recipes in the Instant Pot successfully, and if so, which ones worked best? Would you like to see new Oh She Glows recipes developed specifically for use in an Instant Pot? Thank you so much for chiming in! I’ve been wanting to ask about this for a while. I may also do a poll on Insta Stories soon too. :)
“I love your 10-Spice Vegetable Soup! I found this recipe a year ago and make it about twice a month. It is so versatile. I can make it very spicy for our family or less spicy for those who do not love spicy food. I shared it with some co-workers and they love it too! Thanks so much for the amazing work you put into your site and recipes. We are paying attention and the world is getting healthier one recipe at a time thanks to you Angela! Keep up the great work!”
Hey Lyne, It really means the world to me to read this! I agree about how easy it is to customize the spice level in the 10-Spice Soup. I always add a lot more to my own portion (I’ve been known to dump it on!) because I can’t get enough of that intense flavour. Getting healthier one recipe at a time…I LOVE that!! Thank you.
We have an instantpot and have used it twice in two years and the number one reason we’ve only used it twice is because there are no instantpot recipes on your blog. 90% of our meals come from you! The couple times I have used it, it’s been easy (one was a soup recipe and one was chilli).
Aww haha that’s sad (but sweet all at the same time!!). Thanks Rachel :)
I have an Instant pot and use it for specific recipes but I love my dutch oven too. I would love to see recipes here for the Instant pot.
Don’t have an instant pot but I do love my Dutch Oven. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth the investment to buy one!! Don’t want to store anything that won’t get used a ton…..not enough space =)
I have the instant pot duo 6 quart bought in June of 2016…it took me awhile, maybe 6 months or so, to get into the habit of using it but now it’s part of my weekly cooking routine. To prevent small appliance overload, I passed on my slow cooker to a friend and now use the instant potato slow cooker function.
I love it! My favorite thing to make might be “not roasted” whole sweet potatoes. They cook seamlessly with little attention. I found two vegan cookbooks that are good references: Vegan Under Pressure by Jill Nussinow and The Ultimate Vegan Colkbook for your Instant Pot by Kathy Hester.
I think it would be great to see you develop some recipes for the pot. Right now, as far as your recipes go, I’ll use the pot for the grains and beans in recipes from your cookbooks.
I have had the Duo Plus for about a year and love, love, love it for preparing beans and grains. Like Kate, I gave my slow cooker away, but instead, I have had no success at all using it as a slow cooker. I get home at the end of the day and everything is just barely warm. I must be doing something wrong, so would love some tips (Kate? ?). Yes Angela, I would love some of your recipes, especially those that would help me get meals ready for my teenage boys fast after a long day of work.
I live and love to camp and got a 3 quart instapot cause it’s just me! After 2 months of taking it out of the box and looking at it and putting it straight back in the box feeling overwhelmed I took to Pinterest and learned how to use it. It is my “go to” now. I love it. I am a pescatarian but try to use mainly vegetables! It makes the BEST bean soup from dried beans, my favorite is 15 bean mix. It’s a one pot wonder cause I sauté my onions and garlic in the pot first. I got a second insert and make the BEST brown rice or my new favorite Quinoa. And I’ve got food for the week and store in the insert pots. I’ve been hoping and hoping you would come up with some amazing recipes to use with the instapot! I love your images and extra hints and how you describe how to get proper nutrition while eating vegan! You could name it “Oh She Glows One Pot Wonders”!
I do have an Instant Pot. I got it about two (maybe three) years ago and it’s a total game changer. I have four kids (now teenagers) and I cook nearly every night. I haven’t made any of your recipes in it but use it for cooking beans and broth, etc. for your recipes. Not buying canned beans is a big savings in my food budget. I know that many of the soups would be adaptable being careful with some of the more delicate vegetables which need less pressure to be cooked fully. I have loved using my Instant Pot to cook the potatoes and carrots used for your amazing “cheese” sauce for your broccoli cheese soup–so quick and simple! I think you’d love having one. I have the 6qt Duo model. You could replace your crock pot and rice maker with the Instant Pot AND you can use it to make your own dairy-free yogurt!!
Hey Jennifer, Oh I love that you use it to make the cheese sauce. Great idea. Quick question: Does the Instant Pot have to “pre-heat” first before the cooking begins?
My instant pot has a sauté function I use on my onions, garlic, etc before adding the other ingredients and pressure cooking. Most of the recipes I use call for sautéing first, then pressure cooking. I’m new-ish to pressure-cooking, but my instant pot is so incredibly useful that I been wanting to try to adapt your recipes as best I can.
Regarding your Instant Pot question… I spent a LONG time considering getting one as I have very little storage space. I decided since I’m retired (i.e. all the time in the world to cook), I’d have to learn to cook in a different way, my lack of storage, AND the added expense that I don’t need one. I’m thinking it’s a bit of a “fad” and another year or so I’ll be seeing them showing up at thrift stores.
Beth, the Instant Pot isn’t for everybody and their way of cooking and that’s understandable. But, I really don’t think it’s going away any time soon. If they are in thrift stores it’s most likely because people don’t know how to use them or it just doesn’t work for them.
I have made my favourite Indian Lentil Cauliflower soup in the IP. It was not as good as stove top. It cooks everything so well, that there was no slight crunch left in the veggies. My husband described it as “mushy” :P. Of course the flavour was still great for me I ate it, but texture was off.
That’s good to know, thanks Tatijana! :)
I’ve had an IP for two years now and it’s hands down my most used kitchen appliance, I cook in it at least two or three times a week and often more.
I use it to cook batches of beans to freeze in portions, soups, curries, chillies, rice, potatoes, stews and dhal. No it doesn’t do everything as well as stovetop or oven, but I’d say if you’re careful with your timings and amount of liquid – two things which are absolutely key – it does a lot of things better. And yes you can get crunchy veg from an IP, just use the manual timer.
I tend to do some of my seasoning at the beginning and some at the end if it’s a proper recipe and not just batch beans. I can’t imagine having to live without it now, it is so useful and a total blessing for days when I want healthy food and too tired or short on time to spend ages at the stove.
I would love to see you bring out recipes for the IP. It’s worth it’s countertop space and then some as far as I’m concerned. I have the 6 quart size.
Yes I have an instant pot and would love if some of your recipes were modified for it, or even better new recipes for it!
Hi Angela. I received an instant pot for Christmas last year and I have to admit I’ve only used it 2-3 times – mainly because I don’t know what to cook in it!! All of your recipes are super yummy and I would love to see some instant pot/slow cooker ones from you as I’m sure they’d be just as delicious ?
I have a Instant Pot duo 7in1, 6 Qt size. I love it and want to get a second one, the 8qt size. I would love to see if you would make recipes for one. It has a small learning curve, but once you get it, you get it. There is a vegan pressure cooker Facebook group that gives wonderful recipes, ideas and you can ask questions and get good information. I have done one of your soups in it. I don’t remember which one and I did a few substitutes as I didn’t have all the ingredients. Thanks for your site.
Hi! I have (and love) my Instant Pot – and would love to see some recipes added to your site that I could use in it. I will try the 8 min pantry dahl as I think it could be a good contender! The only issue is that I make all of my grains in the IP, so while one thing is cooking on the stove, the other is in the IP. With long grain brown rice only needing 15 mins in the IP and quinoa only 1min, it would be hard to go back to making this on the stove. Maybe one pot recipes would be better. :( Thanks, Jane from Ottawa.
The pantry dahl works really well in an Instant Pot. But to prevent scorching add the lentils and tomatoes last. Here’s how I make it:
Add the vegetables, spices, and coconut milk to the bottom of the pot and stir. Then add the tomatoes and the lentils on top. Do not stir. Set to Manual, High Pressure for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (5 – 10 minutes). When you open the lid, give everything a good stir.
Thanks so much Valerie!
Thank You Valerie!
The pantry Dahl was a recipe I was wondering if I could make in my Instant Pot!
Thanks to you ….I will be making it tonight :)
I have been using my 3qt Instant Pot almost every day since I got it and I am the first surprised by it…I make soups,chilies ,banana bread , dairy free yogourt etc…
So to answer your survey Angela…
Yes ,I would love Instant Pot recipes on your blog or a little *at the end of your recipes that gives the directions to adapt them for the IP. :)
I love my IP even though I use it mostly to make beans. It takes the stress out of, “Did I remember to set the crockpot before I left?”, “I need chana masala in my life now, but I haven’t soaked any beans!”, or cooking kidney beans which has to be done on the stove top or in a pressure cooker. True I can just buy canned, but its not the same and is more $$$. My IP has also made cooking long cooking grains like sorgum way less of a pain.
Beans aside I’ve made a few forays into other IP cookery with mixed results. A lot of recipes from listicals like “10 things to make with your Instant Pot” are sort of stupid. For example many say that IP popcorn is awesome, but when you make it you’re more like, “wait, this is the same as stovetop popcorn, but without fire…” That being said sweet potatoes steamed in your IP are super convenient, ditto beets. I imagine the IP might get more of a workout in the summer when it is too hot to bear the thought of turning on the oven.
I just wanted to make a comment about the Out The Door Chia Seed Donuts! I have your book and love it and have been making these for some time. I always double the recipe and think I should quadruple it because they are gone in two days with just me and my hubby. Anyway, mine always seem to be a tad dry and crumbly. Today I decided to add a mashed banana to it. For a doubled recipe, I added one mashed banana and use my immersion blender to mix it with the coconut milk then added to rest of the wet ingredients. I baked them in muffin tins, not sure how much bulk it would add. It made 12 full muffins and added the exact amount of moisture and firmness I was looking for! Thanks for all you do! Kathleen
Hey Kathleen, Thank you so much for the cookbook love! :) Oh I’m so sorry that your chia power doughnuts have been a bit crumbly…I wonder why! I haven’t heard that happening before. I wonder if it’s the doubling of the recipes (sometimes baked goods can be a bit temperamental when doubling?). I love the idea of adding mashed banana though! Such a great way to use up spotty bananas. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Angela! Just thought I’d chime in regarding instant pots and the like – I don’t have one as I don’t own hardly any kitchen devices and don’t plan to (we’re minimalists, essentially) so needing special things (even a food processor, which I also don’t own…) to make your recipes would lead me elsewhere…. but of course if there were instant pot modifications recommended for those people, I think it could be fine.
Hey Cynthia, Oh that’s a good point! My thought was that I would be posting the regular stovetop version along with an Instant Pot version. :)
Angela, the InstantPot needs no “pre-heating” BUT it does have to “come to pressure” first before cooking. If cooking a pot of dried beans, which requires a lot of liquid, it takes longer to come up to pressure before the timer starts counting down. The InstantPot does it all automatically and effortlessly. An entire pot of beans can be completely cooked in 40 minutes. You can sauté veggies in it first, then put the lid on and cook whatever you are wanting to cook. I’ve cooked an entire packed out pot of kale, collards in 30 minutes. I was intimidated a little to begin with, but that didn’t last long. I think it’s fun, and very safe.
Hi Angela,
I was told not to have saturated fats due to familial high cholesterol. Many of your recipes include coconut oil. There is a debate whether coconut is actually a saturated fat because of its health benefits. I often substitute olive oil in your recipes but I would like to hear your perspective on this debate!
Thank you so much for al of your healthy recipes! My family loves them!
I love my Instant Pot. I have the Duo 8 quart (we are family of six, plus I cook for my dog). Being vegan was a game changer in my cooking and buying the instant pot made a huge difference. I use it at least once a day. I no longer buy canned beans, I use the IP for all my bean preparation. Same with all the delicious dal recipes out there (Vegan Richa has tons of IP recipes for when you need inspiration). I use the saute function prior to pressure cooking for onions / garlic and its fabulous. I also use it to make my dairy-free yogurt three times a week. My kids love oatmeal, so I use it to make steel cut oats every couple of days. I also steam small potatoes the kids love to eat with guacamole, steam my sweet potatoes & zucchini, broccoli, etc.
There’s a ton of recipes out there that make life easier. I love that with the hectic life we have, I throw in all the ingredients, press a button and voila! So much easier with kids and activities, no need to watch the stove. And because it is 8 qt I can batch cook and freeze leftovers for office / school lunches. I got rid of my stovetop pressure cooker, slow cooker and rice cooker and the IP is always on my counter ready for me to use it! Hope to see pressure cooking recipes from you soon!
Just chiming in, we don’t have an Instant Pot since space is valuable real estate in our kitchen and we make do with a kitchen stove and slow cooker. :) Plus I’m one of those people who likes to constantly stir, poke and taste-test my food while it’s cooking to make sure that the spices and seasonings are just right. I hear that can be difficult to do with an Instant Pot, haha.
haha I hear you Jessica…that would be my biggest worry (giving up the control of the tasting process). But perhaps with
pre-approved recipes the risk would be lower!
What model coffee grinder do you have?
Hey Lauren! I have a Kitchenaid coffee grinder (I think it’s this one, or at least looks the same! https://www.amazon.ca/KitchenAid-BCG111OB-Coffee-Grinder-Black/dp/B003WIZ5PC) I have a couple complaints with it…it only works when pushing down on the top (I’d like to be able to press a button and walk away while I prep my coffee stuff) and also, I can’t specify the grind level.
Thank you!!
I have an instapot- I just bought it during Black Friday sales and since then I’d say I use it on average once a week. I didn’t have a slow cooker beforehand, so there was no overlap of appliances for me. I mostly make soups/stews/chillis in the instapot- though I haven’t tried to make any of your recipes in it (probably laziness and not wanting to figure out how to adapt the recipe myself!).