Burn Those Cookbooks !

(Homeschooling page has been updated.)


It's an inciting headline, I know. But I couldn't come up with something catchier on the spur of the moment.

I'm enthralled with my two recent cookbook purchases: Cooking Under Pressure (20th anniversary edition) and Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure, both by Lorna Sass. To date, my (picky) family has loved every single recipe we've made, and that's saying something. The only "problem" has been that my family isn't used to "something new" or different every night <grin> so it's thrown them a little off balance.

It has been thrilling to watch my grocery budget slash slash slash down to nothing...I have most of the ingredients in these books on hand, or grow them, or they are relatively inexpensive. We are eating healthier too. Even my "meat and potatoes" DH has enjoyed them. We recently made Chickpea Chili...sure, I threw in a pound of browned ground beef "just because" I had it, but it wasn't necessary, and I doubt my family would have noticed it wasn't there. 

Cost without beef? $2.05. With beef? $3.85. Ok, sure, I had vegetables out of my garden. If you don't, add another $2. I had all the spices on hand as well. But I digress.

Here's how many cookbooks I'm getting rid of this morning:

Eventually I'll get rid of more, but these were the ones I had in my kitchen shelving which were easy to reach. The two on the right are the Lorna Sass books. It's a double blessing to declutter and eat well.

The recipe for Chickpea Chili is:

2 T oil
1 T whole cumin seeds
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Lg onions, coarsely chopped
1 Lg green pepper, chopped
3 C water
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 C dried chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
1 T chili powder
1 teas Oregano (I couldn't find mine, so I used Italian Seasoning)
1 28oz can diced or crushed tomatoes  (I used two 14oz)
2 med zucchini, chopped
1/2 c finely minced cilantro (I forgot to add, tasted just fine)
(salt and chipotle powder to taste. I left it out)

Heat oil in cooker. Add cumin seeds, stir for 10 seconds. Add garlic, onions, green pepper, stir til onions are soft. Stir in water, carrots, chickpeas, chili powder, oregano, chipotle (if using). Mix well. Add/layer tomatoes to top, but DO NOT MIX in. 

Bring to high pressure and cook for 35 minutes. Release naturally 15 minutes. Then add zucchini, cilantro, (pre-cooked ground beef), bring to high for another 10 minutes. Release quick or natural.