Robust and Nutritious Pressure Cooker Vegetable Soup Recipe

As I sit to share this recipe with you, winter has wrapped most of us in its cold embrace. Cold and flu season is upon us. There is no better time to whip up a quick and easy, robust and nutritious pressure cooker vegetable soup packed full of vitamins to boost your immune system and warm your bones. I don't limit it's use to winter months, though. It's good any time of the year.

This vegetarian soup includes: tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, peas, cauliflower, onions, bell pepper, chili peppers, ginger and garlic. You can add stew meat for a non-vegetarian version if that suits you. Cubed squash is also a good addition; so are kidney and/or navy beans. The sky's the limit, but what I've included here is the basic recipe.

I make this soup in my pressure cooker. It shortens the cooking time exponentially and keeps that nutritious vitamin-packed steam sealed in for optimum flavor impact. If you don't have a pressure cooker, no problem! This can be cooked in a covered pot as well, it will just take a bit longer.

Preparation time is approximately 30 minutes (not including cool-down). This will feed 2 to 4 people.

• 4 cups water
• 1 Tb oil
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded
• 2 medium onions
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup peas
• 4 chili peppers, chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, cut into thin straws
• 5 or 6 cloves of garlic cut into large pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper corns
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves (optional)

On medium high heat oil in bottom of pressure cooker pan and add onions, ginger, garlic and chilies. Stir often so the garlic doesn’t burn. Cook until onions are semi-transparent. Add the diced tomatoes and the salt and continue cooking, stirring regularly. As the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juice, add the rest of the spices and the cabbage. Keep stirring often until the cabbage’s color intensifies and it begins to go limp. Add the remaining vegetables and keep tossing until their color brightens.

Now you can add the water and lock the cover on your cooker. I heat on high. Once it’s whistled 5 times I turn the heat off and let it sit until the steam has died down. Once it’s safely cooled, pop the lip, serve and enjoy with biscuits or a hearty crusty bread. Don’t you just love when nutrition tastes so good?

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Copyright © Jean Mishra 2011