I’ve eaten a lot of food that can fairly be categorized as good for you, but that was not actually satisfying, like it was just missing any sort of depth. I’ve also eaten a lot of food that was incredibly tasty, but was also not really, genuinely satisfying, like it was all fluff and no real substance.

Once in a while, I eat something that gave my body proper nutrition while also giving my soul something to rejoice. I realized this past week that foods like this, the ones that I know are good for me but also feel elated to be eating are genuinely, truly nourishing. And that’s what I want to eat more of…genuinely, truly nourishing meals, like this Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Mushrooms, which, if you serve it up with an arugula salad topped with Lemon, Manuka Honey and Fresh Herb Salad Dressing will…

As I worked this week to get refined sugars and grains out of my diet, I pulled out an old favorite cookbook of mine to help me get back to basics. The Zen Monastery Cookbook features simple, nourishing vegetarian dishes that area good fit for a lower refined sugar eating plan, and it was a pleasure to bring this old friend out and make some amazing food from it once again.

Last night I riffed off of one of the recipes in the book to make a warming and wonderful rice and lentil dish in my Instant Pot. The Mjeddrah (page 113 in my copy of the book) is a basic Middle Eastern dish that was a little thin on the fats and seasonings, so I updated it by adding healthy fats, some spices, and an Instant Pot. The result was wonderful, and I wanted to share it with you.

I’m not lying when I say that this recipe is super speedy. You will be able to have this hearty dish on the table in less than 30mins from start to finish- perfect for those chilly midweek evenings when you get home late from work and just need food, fast.

I’ve served the recipe here with a butter bean mash and you can find the recipe for that on my Instagram @happyhealthyeveryday. You can also serve it up with regular potato mash, sweet potato mash or even just some crusty bread.

Right, let’s dive into the recipe!

Mushroom bourguignon with spinach

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

1tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large carrot, sliced

250g mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size

1tbsp plain flour

187ml red wine

1tbsp tomato ketchup

2tsp mixed dried herbs

1tbsp instant gravy granules

300ml hot water

2 large…