Hearty Spices

Peel and cube a large (3 lb) Butternut squash into 1-inch pieces and keep aside. Turn Instantpot to "Saute" and add 1/2 tbsp of Olive Oil to it. Add a chopped small Onion and saute till soft for 3 minutes. Add 2 minced Garlic Cloves and saute for another minute. Add 2 cups of Vegetable Broth and mix well. Add the butternut squash pieces, 3 cups of Apple Juice / Cider (not apple cider vinegar!), a tsp of Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of Curry Powder, 1/4 tsp of ground Nutmeg, 1/2 tsp grated fresh Ginger, a tsp of Salt and 1/2 tsp of Black Pepper . Combine well and seal the lid on the Instantpot with the vent sealed. Cook on "high pressure" for 15 minutes. Once the pressure is released, allow for 10 minutes before manually releasing the pressure. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add in 1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt and mix well. Serve Warm.

Set the instant pot setting to "Saute". Add a tbsp of Olive oil, 3 peeled and diced Carrots, 3 chopped Celery, 1/4 tsp of Salt and cook for 8-10 minutes. Add a tsp of Cumin Powder, a tsp of Red Chilli Powder, a tbsp of Tomato Paste and stir well. cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add 6 cups of Water, a cup of Red Lentils and a Bay Leaf and stir well. Close the lid, seal the valve and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to naturally release the pressure. You can use an immersion blender to blend the soup to smooth consistency or leave it chunky as-is. Stir in 2 tbsp of Lemon Juice  and mix well. Serve with a dollop of Yogurt, lemon wedges and some chopped Cilantro leaves .

To the Instantpot, add 2 cups of Chicken Broth / Water, 16 oz of Frozen Corn, 2 1/2 cups of peeled, chopped Red Potatoes, a chopped Yellow / White Onion, 3 crushed Garlic Cloves, Salt and Pepper as needed and stir well. Cover the lid and set the valve to sealing position. Select "Manual" and adjust the pressure to high. Set the time for 15 minutes. When finished cooking, quick release the pressure and select "Saute" setting. In a small bowl, mix in a cup of Heavy Whipping Cream, 2 tbsp of Cornstarch . Add this mixture to the chowder and stir-cook for 3-5 minutes. Add a cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and stir to combine. Switch off the instant pot and serve. Garnish with Red pepper flakes, green onions and bacon bits.

Wash, peel and cube 3 Carrots and keep aside.  Heat a tbsp of Ghee in a pan, add and saute a sliced Onion, a tsp of Ginger Green Chilli paste for 2-3 minutes. Add the cubed carrots and saute for another 7-8 minutes. Add 6 1/2 cups of Water along with an inch of Cinnamon stick and 4-5 Cloves . Cook till the carrot turn tender, approx 25-30 minutes and then allow to cool. Strain and puree the carrot-onion mixture. Add  ¼ cup of Coconut  Milk to the pureed mixture, the left over strained stock and a tsp of Jaggery and let it simmer on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add Salt to taste and combine. Serve hot with croutons.

Chop a Carrot, 8-10 French Beans, a cup of roughly chopped Cabbage and a medium Potato into fine pieces.  Heat a tbsp of Butter in a saucepan, add and saute a finely sliced Onion till golden brown. Add the finely chopped Vegetables and saute for 5-6 minutes. Add 3 cups of Water and cook till the vegetables are soft. In a bowl, mix 1½ tbsp of Corn Flour / All purpose Flour with a cup of Milk to a smooth paste.   Add this mixture, Salt to taste  to the vegetables and cook for 5-6 minutes. Serve hot garnished with 2 tbsp of Grated Cheddar Cheese .

Rinse and soak ½ cup of Green / Brown Lentils in water for 20 minutes. Drain and keep aside.  Heat 1 tsp of Olive Oil in a sauce pan, add and saute ½ cup of chopped Onion for 4 minutes. Add and cook a cup of cubed Carrots for 6 minutes until they are soft. Add a clove of minced Garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the  drained lentils , ½ cup of Barley, ¾ cup of chopped Tomatoes, 1 tsp of Cumin Powder, 2 cups of Vegetable Broth and   2 cups of Water . Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for atleast 25-30 mins or until tender. Finally add a cup of Fresh or Frozen Spinach and cook for 5- 6 minutes. Season with Salt, Pepper and 1 tbsp of Lime Juice. Garnish with Cilantro and/or serve with a dollop of yogurt .

Heat 2 tbsp of Oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add 3 large cleaned, thinly sliced Leeks (only white part) and 4-5 peeled and roughly chopped Medium Potatoes . Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have begun to soften and brown slightly, about 8-12 minutes. Add 6 cups of Vegetable Stock / Water , and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Blend until smooth either using an immersion blender, or by carefully transferring to a blender in batches. Add   ½ cup of Heavy Cream , and season to taste with Salt and a tbsp of Lemon Juice . Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of  ½ cup of Sour Cream , and a tsp of 1/3 cup of minced parsley .

Heat 1 tbsp of Olive Oil in a stockpot; add a chopped medium Onion, chopped 2 medium Celery Stalks, chopped 1 big / 2 small Carrots and a peeled and chopepd small Potato . Sauté until the onions soften and then add 2-3 cups of chopped Broccoli and 1 tsp of Red Chilli Flakes , saute for few minutes before adding 2 cups of Vegetable Broth and a cup of Water . Let it come to a boil, cover and simmer until the vegetables are cooked. Remove from heat and allow cooling a bit. Reserve a few tbsp of the vegetables and keep aside. Puree the remaining with a cup of Milk . Return to the pan with the reserved vegetables to the heat and add Salt and Black Pepper to taste . Add more water/milk, if required, to adjust consistency. When hot enough add 2 tbsp of Sour Cream / Whipping Cream (optional) and stir. Serve hot.

2 large Red Bell Peppers 2 large Tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 tbsp minced Garlic 1½ cups Water or stock ½ cup Milk ½ cup sliced Onions 1 tsp Red Chili Powder ¼ tsp Curry Powder Salt and Pepper to taste 1 tsp olive oil 1 tbsp fresh Lemon Juice For the garnish: Thinly sliced Green Onions Garlic Croutons Cream Grill the bell peppers turning them on and off till the skin starts to turn black for about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Peel, remove the seeds and chop. Heat oil in a large enough saucepan and add the onions and garlic. Cook till the onions start to soften. Add the chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, red chilli powder, curry powder and cook for about 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add the water/stock and milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and grind into a smooth liquid. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve hot and garnish with garlic croutons, sliced green onio...

2 medium Potatoes 1 medium Onion 3 or 4 Celery stalks with leaves 1 Bay leaf 2 tbsp Butter 2 cups Milk Salt to taste ½ tbsp Oil Wash, peel and cube potatoes. Chop onion and celery. Heat oil in pan; saute onion, potatoes, and celery for 5 minutes. Add water to it, until the vegetables are covered. Then add bay leaf and salt to it, boil until they are tender. Drain the excess water, reserve it and allow it to cool for few minutes. Mash vegetables in a mixer nicely, add it to the reserved stock. In a pan, heat butter and add this to it. Thin the soup by slowly adding milk. Keep stirring for few minutes, but do not boil. Serve hot with salt & pepper.

1 medium Onion, finely chopped 3-4 ripe red Tomatoes, chopped 1 tender Carrot, grated 2 Bay Leaves 1 tbsp Butter 2 tsp Corn Flour ¼ cup Milk Salt, as needed 1 tsp Pepper 1 tsp Sugar Heat butter in a pan and add bay leaf and chopped onions. Fry them for 2-3 minutes and add grated carrots. Stir for a minute or two and then add chopped tomatoes. Add enough water to cover the pieces and cook till tomatoes become tender. Take the pan from heat and cool down the mixture and blend it in a blender and strain well. Heat the soup back in the pan. Add ½ cup water and salt & sugar till boiling point in reduced flame stirring in between. Take a bowl, and mix milk and corn flour. Add this mixture slowly while stirring the soup. Cook in reduced flame for few more minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with pepper along with bread.