Easy Instant Pot Vegan Chili (using dried beans)

Recipe from Evergreen Kitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

The easiest Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili ever! With dried beans, veggies, and chipotle peppers, this “dump and go” recipe skips the soaking and sautéing. You'll love this delicious, healthy, slightly smoky chili that tastes like it's been simmering all day. A crowd pleaser, perfect for busy weeknights or freezing. 

1 cup dried black beans, rinsed
¾ cup dried pinto beans, rinsed
1 large diced yellow onion (about 2 cups)
1 medium diced sweet potato, peeled or left unpeeled
1 diced red bell pepper
1 large diced carrot
3 cloves minced garlic
1 chipotle pepper, minced + 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce (reduce amount or omit if you’re sensitive to spicy foods)
3 Tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3½ cups vegetable broth
1 (28 fl. oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 
2 cups frozen corn

Toppings (optional—avocado, scallions, tortilla chips, vegan cheese, or vegan yogurt)

Combine: In an Instant Pot, combine 1 cup dried black beans, ¾ cup dried pinto beans, 1 large diced yellow onion, 1 medium diced sweet potato, 1 diced red bell pepper, 1 large diced carrot, 3 cloves minced garlic, the chipotle with adobo sauce(if using), 3 Tablespoons tamari, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 3½ cups vegetable broth, and 1 (28 fl. oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes Stir well to mix.

Pressure cook: Seal, adjust setting to “high pressure” and pressure cook for 45 minutes. Once done, allow a natural slow release.

Finish chili: Stir in 2 cups frozen corn. If you wish to thicken the chili, scoop out about 2 cups of the chili and transfer to the blender. Blend until the mixture breaks down (stop just before it’s a complete puree). Pour mixture back into Instant Pot and stir well to combine. Ladle into bowls and serve with toppings of your choice (optional.)

Nutrition: Calories: 327kcal; Carbohydrates: 65g; Protein: 17g; Fat: 2g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Sodium: 875mg; Potassium: 1365mg; Fiber: 14g; Sugars: 6g; Vitamin A: 8204IU; Vitamin C: 36mg; Calcium: 116mg; Iron: 5mg

Salsa Verde Bean & Rice Soup (Vegan)

Recipe from This Savory Vegan

Husband Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Serves 6

This yummy comfort food quick vegan dish is the thing to make on a busy week day.  

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons oil OR water sauté

1 yellow onion diced

1 red bell pepper diced

3 cloves garlic diced

1 jalapeño diced, optional

1 packet taco seasoning OR 1-2 Tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning

½ block firm tofu drained & pressed

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

12 ounces salsa verde homemade or store bought

3 cups low sodium broth

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans drained & rinsed

2 Tablespoons cilantro chopped, plus more for serving

1 lime juiced, plus more for serving

2 cups cooked brown or white rice for serving (Other grains will work as well.)

Pickled Onions, optional, for serving

Scallions, corn chips, non-dairy yogurt, sliced radishes, optional, for serving

Instructions

Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño and taco seasoning. Cook down for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.

Crumble up the tofu and add it to the pot. Pour in the tomato paste, salsa verde, broth and pinto beans. Bring to a boil, lower the heat & simmer for 10-15 minutes - stirring every couple minutes.

Before serving add cilantro & lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

To serve, add rice to each bowl and ladle the soup over. Serve with any of the optional toppings.

For Leftovers: Allow the soup to cool completely before transferring to individual containers. Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or on the stove until bubbling & hot.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 1299mg | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g | Iron: 3mg

Instant Pot Frijoles (Vegan)

Recipe from The Vegan Instant Pot by Nisha Vora

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes about 7 cups

These are very good, perfect for meal prep. There's only a 15 minute quick soak of the dried beans.  This short soak will result in more evenly cooked beans with few split skins. They can be eaten in a nourish bowl along with brown rice, your favorite veggies, greens and 1-Minute Sauce for a delicious healthful dinner or serve the Frijoles in tacos or burritos.  The beans can be frozen for later.  

1 pound dried pinto beans (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 Tablespoon olive oil* (I used about 1/4 cup veggie broth instead for sautéing.)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 bay leaves

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro (optional)

Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with a generous amount of cold water.  Soak for 15 minutes.  Drain the beans in a colander and rinse with fresh water.

Select the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot.  When the pot has preheated, add the olive oil (or 2 Tablespoons veggie broth)  and sauté the onions and bell pepper.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Add a bit more veggie broth (if using) to prevent the vegetables from sticking.  Add the jalapeños and garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Select the Cancel setting.  

Add the soaked and drained pinto beans, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt and black pepper to taste.  Stir well to combine.  

Top the mixture with the crushed tomatoes but do not stir, but allow the tomatoes to sit on top.  (This prevents the tomatoes from blocking the Instant Pot's heat sensor and burning.) 

Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot pressure release to Sealing. Select the Bean/Chili  setting at High pressure and set the cook time to 50 minutes. 

Once the 50-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a Natural Pressure Release. 

Open the pot, stir the beans, and discard the bay leaves.  Add the cilantro, if using, and taste for seasoning, adding more salt as needed.  

Nutritional Information: (1/2 cup serving) 132 calories; 0.7 g fat (0.1 g sat. fat); 0 mg cholesterol; 389 mg sodium; 23.7 carbohydrates; 5.9 g fiber; 2 g sugars; 7.9 g protein; 49 mg calcium; 2 mg iron; 512 mg potassium

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.

Slow Cooker "Refried" Beans

Here are the Slow Cooker "Refried" Beans served on a whole-wheat lavash
with a scrambled egg, brown rice, an avocado and drizzled with
hot sauce.

Recipe from 100 Days of Real Food

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This took all of five minutes to prep.  It’s pretty mild and the beans do turn out a bit watery at first, but if you mash them and then pop them in the fridge, the texture becomes more “refried” like. So, I would make these in advance and store them in the fridge for a later meal.  Make a batch of these beans and put some in the freezer for another meal. 

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, peeled and halved

2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed

½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

One big pinch of cumin

6 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.

Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid, if desired. (See my comments above.) If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).

Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.

Simplest Spicy Sweet Potato Chili

Recipe from Janet Kennedy

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is really tasty.  If you like things a bit hot and spicy, then you will love this autumn/winter soup featuring good-for-you sweet potatoes.

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 sweet potatoes peeled (1 ½ pounds) cut into ¾ inch cubes
• 2 small cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes (I used one can of 14.5 oz. Red Gold Petite Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies.)
• 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the onions and chili powder.  Sauté until the onions are translucent.  Add the broth, sweet potatoes, the tomatoes, and the pinto beans.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender.  Add the cilantro and then serve.