Skip to main content

Tex Mex Beans! Great to have around for those quick vegan bean bowls...

In this vegan journey over the last one and a half years, I have created some go-to dishes and spice mixtures that I make on a regular basis for those workday lunches that you are trying to prepare at 6 or 7 in the morning. The first one here is a Tex-Mex Pinto Bean pot that I cook up once every couple of weeks. It is a start to finish dish in my 6 Quart Presto Pressure Cooker.

The Spices

The spice mixture is the key, I make it in batches and store it in a container in the freezer and use 2 tablespoons per pot. It goes like this:

Salt3.5Tbsp
Cumin4Tbsp
Chili Powder2Tbsp
Garlic Powder2Tbsp
Onion Powder2Tbsp
Paprika2Tbsp
Cayenne1tsp
Thyme4tsp
Oregano4tsp
Sugar2tsp

Buy good beans and give 'em a soaking bath

The day before you plan to prepare this dish, soak 2 cups of dry pinto beans in 6 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. I source my organic pinto beans from a local healthy grocer, Ellwood Thompson's Supermarket in Richmond, Va. They have a great selection of bilk organic beans and grains and the prices are fair. Could I get off the web? Maybe, but I trust these folks and know that I am getting what's stated on the bin/package and that means a lot to me.

Cook' Em' Up and Enjoy

On the day or night of cooking the beans, saute 1 chopped onion in the pressure cooker over medium heat for about 5 minutes. If it starts to stick just add a little water and it will let go real quick and add a bit of flavor. To this add 1 chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper and saute for an additional couple of minutes. Just a note, I have used chipotle chilies in adobo sauce in place of the jalapeno and it is very good, adding a kick of heat and a nice smoky flavor. Give it a go when you get a chance!

Once the vegetables have softened, add the soaked and rinsed beans to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mixture and 4-5 cups of water or vegetable stock. Watch the sodium on the vegetable stock as some are quite heavy. That's it! Seal it up and let it go for four to five minutes with the top rocking gently, then let the pressure drop on its own. Then when you hear it release, grab a 1/2 cup of rice or oats, maybe a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and you have a bowl of goodness coming your way. I have also added cooked chopped kale or other leafy green in there and it's a great addition to this hearty dish that is both healthy and satisfying!

Enjoy! Maybe I'll add some fancy photos later!


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Bush League and The Michael Clark Band Light Up the Capital Ale House in Richmond, VA

It was a Friday night, the first night in about three weeks that my wife and I had felt even anywhere near well enough to venture past our front door. When we left the house, Denise and I had agreed that we wouldn't push it and probably would turn in a little early. I was feeling well, but Denise was marginal as we headed to the Brews and Blues function at the Capital Ale House . This is a weekly event sponsored by the River City Blues Society  and features great local and live blues. This night it was The Bush League and, having heard them a couple times before, they did not disappoint. With Gwen Frederick (drums) and Royce Folks (bass) holding a strong and steady line on the back end, it allows John Jay (vocals) and Shane Parch (guitar) to play to their hearts' content. There were joined by a few guest musicians, especially Geo Jacopec on guitar. When he takes the stage with anybody, you know something special is going to happen. It has been three times now that I have bee
1 comment
Read more

Second try at Mujaddara is a charm...

Our family has been vacationing in the Myrtle Beach, SC area for about 55 years or so. During that time we have stayed in cottages, small hotels, big motels, resorts and rental homes. This year (2018) w hile visiting    Garden City, SC  , I had made it a point to get to two restaurants that interested me while planning the trip. On of them was   Pacino's  Mediterranean Grille , in a strip mall just prior to the entrance into the community of Murrel's Inlet . I realized, just an hour prior to creating the appetite, that a reservation was recommended. I called and they offered a 7:30 - 8:00pm time slot, being already hungry I asked was there anywhere where we could sit and sample some of their more interesting menu items. They offered a seat in the kitchen area and I immediately replied "We'll be there in 10 minutes!" and off we went. The very first dish that we tried was the Mujaddara. Not even knowing how to pronounce it, we ordered it to give it a try and we were
Post a Comment
Read more

Designing A Mobile Chicken Coop and a Software Epiphany

I had, what I call, a software epiphany on Sunday morning and it goes like this. As a part of my suburban homesteading project, I want to add a few chickens. Therefore I have been Googling chicken tractors, chicken coops, chicken houses, and practically chicken anything in order to come up with some plans to build a somewhat mobile chicken coop. My searches were not too successful as most people are trying to monetize every idea possible. They seem to be less willing to share info on these types of things or maybe some are just not capable of creating the drawings or plans necessary to present a project such as this in any meaningful way. So, I awoke on Sunday morning with this idea in my head and no way to get it out and it was driving me crazy. Once again sitting in front of the monitor I was reminded of Google SketchUp . Having a bit of experience in 2D AutoCAD and Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer , I decided to install it for a second time, after having installed it months a
Post a Comment
Read more