Meal Plan: March 8th- March 12th- Kidney Bean and Butternut Jamba Stew

This week's recipe was the Kidney Bean and Butternut Jamba Stew. Apparently, it's meant to be a riff on a jambalaya but growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I never had any. I do love me some butternut squash and beans so I figured it was a good fit. (This recipe was supposed to be in a couple of weeks but because Im going to be away for the weekend and I thought I should put some more time between me and my tofu, I made this now. Also, the weather is getting delightful here. Hot stew during a heat wave? Not fun!)

Enough babbling. This week's supermarket run cost me only 67 shekel. 67.44 to be exact. What did I buy? Let's see... I picked up peppers (yellow this week but 1 green one for the stew), a few cucumbers, corn, a few onions, a butternut squash, corn, rice, bay leaves, celery (so expensive!) and 1 can of whole tomatoes. Not bad at all.

I made this stew in the Instant Pot. I started by sauteing the onion, pepper and celery. (Left out the oil!) Add some spices, broth, tomatoes and a bunch of other stuff and pressure cooked it for about 9 minutes. Initially, I thought to leave the rice out but then I realized it wouldn't have any thickener in it so I kept it in. When I opened the pot, I was happy to see that everything was perfectly cooked but saddened to see that it was nothing like the thick stews I like and very much on the thin side. I ate this over fresh Basmati rice (also made in the IP) and I thought it was yummy. Thankfully, this baby thickened up into more of a stew-like texture overnight in the fridge- that made me very happy, indeed. The butternut squash is so sweet and the green pepper really gives it that jambalaya flavor. I really liked this and how hearty it is; a perfect meal for a cold night and another winner from Isa.

Update: I'm realizing that I must decrease the amount of liquid when using the IP as the liquid doesn't evaporate as it would using a regular pot. I will learn my lesson eventually!

Meal Plan- Feb 22nd- Feb 26th: Butternut Apple Soup

I wanted February's meal plan to include a soup recipe to enjoy on these winter nights. My timing seems to have been right on the mark as the snow from a huge snowstorm (huge for us Jerusalemites!) has all but melted and I am recovering from a nasty cold. Butternut Apple Soup by Isa Chandra was on the menu and it would be the Instant Pot's inaugural dish. Super exciting!

I took the day off from work to get some R&R and decided to get to the supermarket early. My total this week came to 150 shekels! That is the most I've spent on groceries since I started keeping track. 60 shekels went to purchasing ten pounds of oats which takes me through a good few months. I came home with the usual salad suspects, apples, apple juice,  dried rosemary, sweet potatoes (no butternut squash!), a couple of onions, a sack of potatoes, and a hot water bottle. This brought my total spent on food (including six pounds of frozen berries) for the month of February to 650 shekels. Not bad at all and that is significant savings from previous months!

Anyway, back to the soup.