Notes about Recipes in this book

• Twelve-bean soup

  • jaelsne on October 02, 2012

    This recipe is for a somewhat-standard twelve-bean soup, uplifted by Lorna Sass' touch. The spices add a layer of complexity to the dish. Don't skip the mint and balsamic vinegar that is added at the end. This will be a family standard through the upcoming winter season!

• Chickpea soup Italiano

  • oddkitchen on January 31, 2013

    Wonderful, simple, easy, fast! It's a humble but incredibly satisfying dish, and it would probably freeze well. The chickpeas were fully, creamily cooked per the instructions. I'll definitely make this again.

• Armenian red lentil soup with apricots

  • zorra on October 22, 2017

    This combination of flavors was new to me, but apparently a classic from that region. Makes a very tasty soup.

• New Mexican pinto bean soup

  • Magpie365 on August 06, 2012

    Added more beans than stated to make it more substantial. Placed chopped avocado on top and served lime wedges on the side.

  • oddkitchen on December 07, 2012

    Loved this one "straight out of the box".

  • jaelsne on November 05, 2013

    My husband loved this recipe (gave it an "8 out of 10"), but I thought it was just okay. I think it was the texture rather than the taste that made me less enamored. Perhaps I'll try it again, adding a little garnish of tortilla chips to give it something to chew on.

  • MsMonsoon on March 31, 2026

    Quite good, and easy and healthy. Used a full pound of dried, soaked beans instead of 1.5 cups. Used 2 small frozen ice cubes of puréed chipotle in adobo but will cut down to 1 next time. Added extra lime juice, and the cilantro at the end is key. I used an Instant Pot and think I did 12 minutes and then 4 extra minutes when I noticed some beans were a little firm.

• Tarragon-scented white bean soup

  • oddkitchen on February 03, 2013

    Another solid soup from this cookbook that takes 1/2 an hour to make from start to finish. Dead easy. I used cannellinis and substituted broth for water.

• Quinoa vegetable soup

  • radishseed on January 12, 2012

    A fairly quick, nutritious soup, not too interesting but certainly not bad. I added a little soy sauce and red wine vinegar, some leftover spaghetti sauce, and a few cooked mushrooms that were in the fridge.

• Herbed cauliflower-tomato soup

  • oddkitchen on December 07, 2012

    Liked, but did not love this soup. I believe it would be terrific as a starting course, but if you're looking for a meal in a bowl (as I was) you may find this soup unsubstantial on its own.

  • Krisage on February 01, 2019

    Subbed 1 T Sriracha for both tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Worked out nicely. Chipotle paste would also do the trick.

• Red flannel hash

  • Hawley on January 14, 2017

    Thought this was tasty and would make again. More of a mash than a hash, though. Used red cabbage so was very, very red. Served with flavorful veggie sausage by field roast.

• Tarragon cabbage and potatoes

  • Hawley on February 07, 2014

    Family liked this dish. Served it with farro.

  • lorloff on April 16, 2022

    This came together quickly after chopping all of the ingredients. Used canned tomatoes and their juice, a whole leek and 5 cloves of garlic after the leek started to soften. I thought the time pressure cooking on high would not be enough but it worked perfectly and it was delicious.

• Southwest succotash

  • Wlow on January 02, 2023

    Can use kabocha instead of butternut. Dried chipotle recommended over of jalapeños “if you enjoy a smoky resonance in food.”

• Garlicky wakame with potatoes

  • radishseed on November 08, 2013

    This is a unique side dish for a Japanese meal.

• Basic casserole brown rice

  • rionafaith on August 12, 2018

    p. 121 -- Good method. I don't have a 1-1/2 qt or bigger dish that will fit in the IP, so I used a 7" springform (wrapped in foil), that I think has a capacity of just over 1 quart and prayed it would be big enough... and it was! No overflowing at all. Will get the recommended dish eventually, but that works for now. Use this timing and ratio for PIP.

• Basic brown rice

  • lizwinn on January 01, 2011

    Pressure cooked brown rice is the best! Although I have a great rice cooker, the whole family prefers this recipe prepared in the pressure cooker. It has a more satisfying bite.

  • ellabee on November 18, 2012

    The pressure cooker has revived brown rice as a regular ingredient here, partly because it comes out right every time, and partly because it's possible to do a weekend cooking of rice and beans and stock in the time it used to take to do stock alone. For this two-person household the 4-qt cooker is right for the amount needed: 1.5 c rice, 2.5 c water, 25 minutes at pressure, natural release. Cook timer on induction unit makes this fully attention free.

  • rionafaith on October 15, 2017

    p. 122 -- Used this to make Wehani rice in the IP -- used the smaller amount of water, high pressure for 25 mins + 10 min natural release before quick release. Came out a touch soupy and very sticky, so I could maybe reduce the liquid just a hair or cook for a few more mins next time, but the excess moisture would also cook off rather quickly after opening the cooker. (I just left it, as I'm portioning out this rice for lunches this week, and the excess water will keep it moist in the microwave.) I'd like to also try her pot-in-pot casserole method for rice.

• Tamari brown rice with barley

  • rionafaith on December 16, 2018

    p. 127 -- Nice change from plain brown rice. I used long-grain brown rice instead of short to no ill effect. The tamari flavor is pretty subtle, could add more next time.

• Caribbean rice and beans

  • radishseed on June 20, 2011

    Try serving it with mango salsa.

• Mexican green rice with corn

  • Krisage on June 08, 2021

    Inspired by this recipe, we added pre-made green chili salsa + herb pesto + corn + Manzanilla & Castelvetrano olives and for a tasty result. Topped with guacamole, it was green, green, green!

• Paella vegetariana

  • lizwinn on January 01, 2011

    Light and tasty, since the fats are fairly low, but quite filling.

• Risotto with winter squash

  • Krisage on October 08, 2019

    Yum! Used brown rice and cooked for 20 minutes.

• Green risotto

  • LFL on October 29, 2022

    4.5 stars. Very simple and very delicious. What I love about her risottos—is that pressure cooking saves me the constant liquid adding and stirring, and they are just as wonderful a comfort food. I really loved this at dinner, although the leftovers don’t hold up as well. I tried it with two kinds of vegan parmesans but I’m not sure the parmesan was needed at all; it was also excellent by itself. I didn’t try the lemon juice option. We had sun-dried tomatoes not in oil on the side and I didn’t like it as much that way—they overwhelmed the other, more delicate flavors. Recommended.

• Squash couscous with dates

  • lizwinn on January 01, 2011

    I go light with the ground caraway, otherwise it overwhelms the other flavors.

• Polenta with dried mushrooms and olives

  • Wlow on February 21, 2026

    Very good but burned in Instant Pot so would need to try PIP. Did not like brown color from mushrooms: flecks of gold polenta looked undercooked against brown liquid even though tender. Maybe keep mushrooms separate? Olives good, roasted piquillo peppers (variation) pretty but too tangy. Lovely with “cacio e pepe” sautéed cabbage and TJ’s sweet chicken apple sausages.

• Basic quinoa

  • rionafaith on August 02, 2018

    p. 172 -- Super fast, not that cooking quinoa on the stovetop takes very long either. 1 min high pressure, 10 min manual quick release. Was on the very soft side so could maybe reduce the rest before quick release slightly -- try 8 min next time?

• Quinoa corn chili

  • lesliepolk on May 18, 2011

    I add black beans to this for more of a "meal" feeling... don't be afraid to up/add to the spice... but otherwise very good and so good for you.

• Gingered adzuki-squash stew

  • radishseed on January 25, 2013

    This was serviceable, but a little bland. It might taste better eaten straight as a stew, instead of served over rice.

• Black bean chili

  • mfto on June 10, 2011

    This recipe did not work for me. I am suspicious that it was my canned tomatoes. Perhaps they were too acidic. I think canned tomato sauce would have been better. Also if you are not a fan of Cinnicinati chili, don't add the cinnamon. Anyway I will not be making the recipe again.

  • LFL on August 10, 2020

    3 stars. Pretty good chili. I used the quick soaking method she suggests instead of soaking overnight and that turned out well. I didn’t have red pepper so at the very end (after the pressure cooking) I threw in a cup of frozen corn as a substitution. I used regular canned chopped tomatoes, not finely chopped ones. I had no canned chipotles on hand but I did have chipotle pepper powder so I used that. I was out of fennel seeds so I omitted them. As the author says, the chili doesn’t thicken until it’s had a chance to cool. We wanted to eat it immediately so I followed her suggestion for thickening it by blending some. But I didn’t feel like getting my Vitamix dirty so I used a hand blender. Next time I’ll only put it in there for a few seconds—that’s enough. I over-blended and so the chili turned out smoother than chili should be; my guess is that less than half of the beans were left whole. I’d make again w/ red pepper and fresh tomatoes. Not sure about the fennel, seems odd.

  • MsMonsoon on December 17, 2025

    This was interesting! I roughly doubled the recipe, didn’t have red pepper and didn’t add the tomatoes at the end, so it was like a black bean soup instead. 20 min high pressure with manual release. Unique flavor with fennel seed and cinnamon, along with the cumin seed, oregano, and chipotle (I used 2 frozen cubes of blended chipotle in adobo). Needed some acidity at the end so I garnished with some red onion in vinegar.

• Chickpea stew with sweet onions

  • jaelsne on September 30, 2012

    This recipe was perfectly seasoned. We all enjoyed it. However, some found that the sweetness of the onions detracted from the flavor of the dish.

• Lentil stew with spicy greens

  • Wlow on December 13, 2016

    3/2004 "First Rate!" from G. Used 4 C. kale, balsamic vinegar option

• Louisiana red beans

  • deboChicago on September 10, 2019

    This had excellent flavor. A bit soupier than I expected, but still very delicious. Will certainly make it again. Goes great with the Creole brown rice casserole in Sass' Complete Vegetarian Kitchen. And the Creole mushroom and pepper stew from Annie Somerville's Fields of Greens cookbook.

• Split pea dal with apple and coconut

  • bloodking on October 27, 2013

    Use two jalapeño next time

• Mint-pickled beets

  • vikingcook on December 15, 2016

    Used regular yellow onion & tossed in a few baby carrots sliced in half the long way. Cooked for specified time in my Cuisinart electric, then turned off keep warm & released pressure after 5 minutes. These are delicious. Making for Christmas Eve appetizers.

• Brown rice pudding with apples

  • GatorUA on September 11, 2014

    Very easy and quick with an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.