Beans with Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan (vegetarian/can be vegan)

Here we have the lovely, tasty
Beans with Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan served with
a salad of roasted beets, arugula tossed with fresh lemon juice,
 shredded cabbage, shallot, vegan feta, toasted pecans,
and Lazy Good No-Oil Tahini Dressing. 

Recipe from Milk Street Fast and Slow
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 6 servings

Oh, mama!  These beans are A-1 in my book!  It’s always a treat to test a recipe with just a few simple ingredients and have it make your tastebuds happy. It calls for Parmesan rind, but if you wish this dish to be vegan, it’s totally optional.  Many supermarkets and specialty stores give away Parmesan rinds in small quantities. I get a portion when I see them and then put them in the freezer to add to soups and, in this case, beans. The recipe is done in the Instant Pot with two options, Pressure Cook or Slow Cook feature. I did the Pressure Cook method, but I’ve included the Slow Cook directions as well. There’s no need to soak the beans. The recipe calls for cannellini beans, but I only had navy beans which don’t take as long to cook. (You can also use great northern beans.) I’ve included times for the three bean types.

Ingredients
1 pound (2½ cups) dried cannellini beans (or navy beans or great northern beans), rinsed and drained 
Kosher salt 
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 cups water
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoons fennel seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
14½ ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups water* (I used No-Chicken Better Than Bouillon for extra flavor.)
1 piece Parmesan cheese rind (optional) 
½ cup lightly packed fresh basil, torn (I didn’t have any, so I used 2 heaping Tablespoons basil pesto. You can also use vegan pesto.)

In a 6-quart Instant Pot, stir together the rinsed and drained beans, 2 teaspoons salt, the baking soda and 6 cups water. Lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook. Make sure the pressure level is High. Set the cooking time to 5 minutes.  When the pressure cooking is complete, set it to Quick Release/Venting. When the pin has dropped, hit the Cancel button and then carefully open the lid.  Drain the beans in a colander and rinse under cool water.  Set aside the beans.
Return the insert to the Instant Pot. Select Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, garlic, fennel seeds, pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with their juices and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated, 6-7 minutes.  Add the beans back into the pot along with the Parmesan rind (if using), then stir in 3 cups water*.  Stir until well combined.  Choose the method below and follow the directions.

Fast Method:
Press cancel.  Lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook. Set the cooking time to 16 minutes for cannellini beans OR 12 minutes for navy beans or great northern beans.  When the pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to Natural Release for 20 minutes. If after 20 minutes the pin is still up, move the pressure valve to Venting.  Press Cancel, then carefully open the lid.  Now, skip to the Finish Directions.

Slow Cook Method:
With the pot still on Sauté, bring the mixture to a boil.  Press cancel.  Lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Venting.  Select Slow Cook and set the temperature to More/High.  Set the cooking time for 6½ to 7 hours. The beans are done when they are fully tender, but still hold their shape.  Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.  Now, on to the Finish Directions.

Finish Directions:
Let the beans stand for 15 minutes, then remove and discard the Parmesan rind (if used). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Stir in half of the basil (or all of the basil pesto.)  Serve topped with the remaining basil, shaved Parmesan (if you wish), and more black pepper.

Instant Pot Bean Soup (vegan and gluten free)

Recipe from Evergreen Kitchen 

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 6 servings

This healthy Instant Pot Bean Soup is made with navy beans, fresh veggies, Italian seasoning, and lemon. The flavors are bright and delicious. You won’t even need to soak the beans. Serve this delicious soup with some garlic toast and fresh seasonal fruit for a perfect meal.

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (Use less oil or water sauté if you wish.)

1 large yellow onion, diced (2 cups)

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 medium yellow potato, diced (1½ cups)

1 cup dried navy beans* (not soaked)

⅔ cup chopped roasted red peppers (2 peppers, from a jar)

6 cups vegetable broth

4 cups fresh baby spinach

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Sauté onions: Add olive oil and onions to an Instant Pot. Turn on the sauté setting for 10 minutes, and cook, stirring only occasionally, to allow the onions to brown around the edges.

Add aromatics: Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt. Sauté for 1 more minute, or until garlic is fragrant.

Pressure cook: Add carrots, celery, potato, beans, roasted red peppers, and vegetable stock. Stir well to mix. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to natural release for 15 minutes, then release all pressure.

Finish seasoning: Stir in spinach and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings (more salt and/or lemon juice, if needed). Ladle into bowls.

*Bean Option: Use dried, unsoaked navy beans for this recipe. You could instead substitute an equal amount of dried cannellini beans. If using dried cannellini beans, increase the cook time in step 3 to 35 minutes (high pressure), and continue with the same 15 minute natural pressure release afterwards.

A note on bean cooking time:  The original recipe stated 25 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Pressure Release, however, when I pressure cooked the soup for that length of time, the beans were still too hard.  So, I added 5 more minutes.  

Storage tips: This soup can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or transfer cooled soup to a freezer-safe container and freeze for longer storage.

**Garlic Toast: Lay slices of whole-grain bread on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Place the cookie sheet under the broiler.  Broil the bread until it’s toasty brown. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and rub the raw garlic over the surface of the toast. Sprinkle with kosher salt (or sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper.  Flip the toast over to the other side and repeat the process.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 6 servings) 269 calories; 37 g carbohydrates; 11 g protein; 10 g fat (1 g saturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 7 g monounsaturated fat) 1138 mg sodium; 804 mg potassium; 13 g fiber; 5 g sugars; 5409 IU vitamin A; 23 mg vitamin C; 126 mg calcium; 4 mg iron

Quick Minestrone

Quick Minestrone served with a pimento cheese sandwich and an apple.

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is just the simplest soup to make and takes just a few minutes to prepare.  I served it with pimento cheese sandwiches and some apples picked at the orchard.  Make a batch of Banana Chip Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies and then pack a couple along with this soup and a sandwich for a grand lunchbox meal.

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed) cut into ½-inch pieces

8 ounces fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/3 whole-wheat couscous

2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth

2 Tablespoons tomato paste*

2 cups cooked navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup water

Kosher salt, to taste

2 Tablespoons basil pesto, optional

Flat leaf parsley, optional

Parmesan cheese, optional

Add the oil to a hot soup pot.  Add the carrots, bell pepper, green beans and garlic to the pot. Season with some salt, to taste.  Stir a bit and let the mixture cook for 2 minutes.  Add the couscous, broth, tomato paste, navy beans and water.  Season the soup with ½ teaspoon salt.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and allow the soup to set for about 10 minutes.  Stir in a couple of tablespoons of pesto, if you like.  Serve the soup with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired.

Tip:  After opening the jar or can of tomato paste, scoop out what you need for this recipe.  Then scoop out the remaining tomato paste using a 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon and put the tomato paste in an ice cube tray.  Place the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Then, remove the tray from the freezer and pop out the tomato paste “cubes.”  Place them in a freezer bag, label and then pop the bag in the freezer.  Now, you’ll have tomato paste ready to go into future dishes.

Basic Ham and Bean Soup

Here's a photo of Basic Ham and Bean Soup (with tomatoes) served with
cold fresh grapes and whole-grain toast spread with pimento cheese.

Recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This past Christmas, my buddy, Debbie, and I split a large ham, which we purchased from Lost River Market & Deli.  Our favorite community-owned grocery store carries local meats and we knew the family who raised the pigs.  I don’t know what Debbie did with her half, but I’ve been making soups.  Of course, one of the soups had to be just a good basic bean soup such as this one served along with MeMe’s Cornbread.

Other great Husband-Tested Recipes using ham are: Sherried Mushroom and Ham Soup, Sweet Potato Hash, and Black Bean Pumpkin Soup.

2 cups dry navy beans

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1 ham hock or ham bone

2 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

½ large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns or 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 bay leaves

2 cups chopped ham
1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes, undrained (optional)

Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones.  Cover the beans with water so that the water is a good 2 inches above the top of the beans. Allow the beans to soak over night.  In the morning, drain and discard the water off of the beans.

Place the beans in a large soup pot.  Add the remaining ingredients except the chopped ham.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Turn the heat to a simmer.  Simmer for an hour.  Remove the ham bone and discard. 

Using an immersion blender, blend just enough so that the soup looks a bit creamy, leaving some of the beans whole.  (This can also be done by placing a couple of cups of the soup to a blender or food processor to blend and then return that to the soup pot.)

Add the chopped ham and tomatoes (if using) and continue to simmer for 30 minutes until the beans are tender and the ham is heated through.  Season the soup with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.