Instant Pot Roasted Sweet Potato Black-Eyed Pea Curry (Vegan)

Recipe from Sweet Potato Soul

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Make -6 generous servings

Well, I could eat this every day.  If you are a black-eyed pea and sweet potato fan, you’re going to love this wholesome vegan dish.

2 teaspoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Garam masala

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch knob fresh ginger, minced (I cheated and used 1 Tablespoon jarred minced ginger.)

1 red or yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 (14 oz.) cans fire roasted tomatoes

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, soaked 6 hours or overnight

1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk

2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed

 2 teaspoons olive oil

1-1  ½ teaspoons kosher salt

Garnish: Freshly ground black pepper, lime wedges, fresh cilantro and/or Quick Pickled Onions*

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté on High and add the coconut oil.  Add the spices and garlic and toast for about 30 seconds, or until the garlic is fragrant.  Stir in the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook until the onions are translucent.  Add the diced tomatoes, black-eyed peas, coconut milk, and salt.  Cancel the sauté setting and set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High for 25 minutes.  While the beans are cooking, roast the sweet potatoes.  Toss the cubed sweet potatoes with 2 teaspoons olive oil.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt.  Roast for 35 minutes or until tender.  Once the beans have cooked for 25 minutes, allow them to Natural Release fully.  When the Instant Pot lid is safe to open (pin will have dropped) remove the lid and stir in the roasted sweet potatoes.  Season to taste with more salt and black pepper, if needed. Serve with Brown Basmati Rice.

Instant Pot Rosemary and Garlic White Beans (Vegan)

Instant Pot Rosemary & Garlic White Beans served along with
Farro Salad with Beets & Carrots; Sauteed Broccolini with Garlic & Pine Nuts;
Cherry Tomatoes & Cucumbers drizzled with brown rice vinegar 

Recipe from The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook by Nisha Vora

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes about 7 cups

I’ve been told that it’s rude to lick your plate, but golly gee!  These beans are THAT good! This recipe makes a big batch and ½ cup is considered a serving size, so you’ll have plenty to go around. 

1 lb. dried cannellini beans (2¼ to 2½ cups) (I used dried lima beans because I couldn’t find dried cannellini beans.)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup diced shallots

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

10 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

3½ to 5½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth (Use the larger quantity if using un-soaked beans.)

2 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

½ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)

If you have time to soak the beans, place them in a large bowl and cover with 8 cups cold water along with 1 Tablespoon kosher salt.  Swish around until the salt is dissolved.  Soak for 8 hours or overnight.  Drain and rinse the beans with fresh water.

Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot and after a few minutes, add the olive oil, followed by the shallots.  Cook until the shallots are staring to brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the rosemary and garlic and stir occasionally until the garlic is soft and lightly golden, about 1 – 1 ½ minutes.  Select the Cancel setting.

Add the drained beans, 3 ½ cups broth (5 ½ cups for un-soaked beans), bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper, stirring well to combine.

Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing.  Select the Bean/Chili setting at High Pressure and set the cook time to 9 minutes** for soaked beans (or 55 minutes for un-soaked beans.)

Once the timer has completed and beeps, allow a Natural Pressure Release.  Open the pot, stir the beans, and discard the bay leaves.  Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.  Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.  Once cooled, store leftovers in a glass container or airtight storage container for 1 week.

**When making this again using lima beans instead of cannellini beans, I will set the timer for 7-8 minutes because mine came out just a bit on the too soft side.

Slow Cooker Red Beans with Rice

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Brown Rice served along with Beer Bread

Serves 8

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is economical, easy to prepare, loaded with fiber and protein and tasty too.  Plan to make this and then freeze some for later. 

1 pound (about 2 ¾ cups) dried red kidney beans (No need to soak the beans!)

1 leek, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, and washed

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

4 slices bacon (or 6 oz. salt pork)  (I used a couple of thin slices of local ham, chopped.)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

6 cups water

1 bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cooked brown rice for serving

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, pork, leek, celery, thyme, and water.  Cover; cook on high setting until beans are tender, about 4 hours (do not uncover while cooking!)  Stir in bell pepper; season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper.  Cover; continue cooking until the bell pepper is tender, about 20 minutes more.  To serve, discard bacon, if desired.  (I left the ham bits in the beans.) Serve with brown rice.

How to Prepare Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker

Makes approximately 2 cups/4 servings

Recipe from The Healthy Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is such a convenient and economical way to prepare this high fiber, nutritional food. Prepared beans can be chilled for up to 5 days and frozen for 6 months.  This recipe may be doubled or tripled. You can follow this method to prepare other beans, such as kidney beans, navy beans, and chickpeas. 

Equipment:  You will need a bowl, a sieve or colander, measuring cup, and a 3½ to 6 quart slow cooker.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried pinto beans (or other dried beans)

Water

Kosher salt (optional)

*Aromatics such as fresh herbs, peppercorns, garlic, onion, carrot, celery, etc.… (Optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain the dried beans in water.  Place the beans in a bowl.  Add water to cover 1 cup beans at least by 1 inch because the beans will expand as they soak.  (See photo.)
2. Allow the beans to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.   
3. Drain the beans.  Place them in the slow cooker.  Add 3 cups of water to the slow cooker.
4. (If you wish, you may add fresh herbs, garlic, onion, and/or kosher salt, etc.… to flavor the beans.)
5. Cover and turn the slow cooker on LOW for 10-12 hours or overnight.  (You can cook the beans on HIGH for 5-6 hours.) 
6. Drain and rinse the beans. 
7. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate.   

You can also freeze the beans.

Here is a photo of a batch of pinto beans ready
to eat or use in a recipe.

Notes: 

• If you are watching your sodium intake, it’s a good idea to prepare dried beans from scratch.  A half-cup serving of regular canned beans is likely to contain about 300 milligrams of sodium. 
• All beans/legumes are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, potassium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, zinc and calcium.  They are a low calorie, low fat vegetable protein.  They are a natural appetite suppressant; because they are digested slowly and cause a low, sustained increase in blood sugar, eating beans/legumes can delay the onset of hunger and make it easier to control appetite.

Nutritional Information for ½ cup serving:  154 Calories; 10.5 grams Protein; 27.6 grams Carbohydrates; 0.6 grams Fat; 8 grams Fiber; 2 mg. Sodium; 0 mg. Cholesterol

Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

Serves 6

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is so easy to make, but really has lots of flavor and is packed with a whopping 13 grams of fiber per serving.  For this memorable fix-and-forget chicken stew, use a high-quality salsa to save time without skimping on flavor; choose a jar with a short ingredient list.  I used "Green Mountain Gringo Salsa" medium heat which is found at Lost River Market & Deli.  It also comes in mild heat for those who shy away from anything spicy.  This salsa has no preservatives in it; it's all natural.  Chipotle Chilies in Abobo Sauce are smoked jalapeño peppers.  A little goes a long way.  You'll only need a small amount, so put the leftover from the can in the freezer in 1 Tablespoon dollops for when you make this dish again.  Serve this chicken stew on its own or over Easy Brown Rice or even tortilla chips.  Make a batch of homemade Guacamole and it’s a party!  Add a crisp salad for a complete meal!

1 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed

1 jar (11 ounces) mild or medium salsa (1½ cups)

2 Tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used whole-wheat flour.)

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), chopped

¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream, for serving (You can also use plain Greek yogurt.)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together beans, salsa, chilies, flour, and 1 cup water. Season chicken with salt and pepper; arrange on top of bean mixture. Scatter onion and bell pepper on top of chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7½ to 8 hours. (Do not open lid or stir.) (I've made this a few times and when I got a new slow cooker recently, I noticed that the beans began to stick at 7 1/2 hours, so I turned off the cooker at that point.)

Using two forks, shred into large pieces. Serve topped with sour cream and cilantro.