Pinto Beans ...YUM

I grew up on pinto beans and cornbread. That was a staple of our diet up in the hills of West Virginia. My mother made them in the pressure cooker with fat back and they were to die for if you like beans. I wanted to do beans today and bring back those memories. Instead of fatback I used about three slices of bacon. Normally it would be turkey bacon because we try not to eat anything smarter than our dogs and pigs are very smart animals.

I used a one pound bag of pintos with the three slices of bacon chopped up and of course 1/8 cup of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pot to make sure that they didn't stick and to keep them from foaming. Foam can get into the pressure mechanism and gum it up as well.

For spices I added a dash of Everglade Seasoning, 1/2 tsp of cumin, and about 1/2 tsp. of salt. That was enough for flavor and there are other seasonings like pepper and maybe some more salt if needed when I serve them. Then I added about 5 Cups of water. Usually they call for 4 Cups but I like a bit more soup in my beans. Set the pressure cooker for 35 minutes or the bean/chili setting. I found that in the Instapot I needed to add about 10 more minutes to get them soft enough.

You can also add some cut up potatoes if you want more interest in your beans and let them cook on top of the beans. This time I just wanted the beans.

So the recipe goes like this:

1 pound of dry pinto beans
1/8 Cup of vegetable oil
3 slices of chopped up bacon or turkey bacon (you can be daring and use fatback or smoked turkey necks) If you do use fatback don't add salt
dash of Everglades Seasoning ( this is optional or if you can't get in your area use Adobo)
1/2 tsp of cumin (cumin goes great with everything but it is to your taste)
1/2 tsp of salt
5 Cups of water (4 Cups if you don't like a lot of soup)

35 to 45 minutes according to your pressure cooker...start with the least number of minutes and then add as needed.

I chopped up some onion to add to mine and.....

YUM!!

Chicken and Veggies Stew

While doing some deep Spring cleaning we suddenly found ourselves hungry. So I went through the fridge to see what could go into the pressure cooker. So here is what you are seeing below:

Six boneless, skinless Tyson chicken thighs and one large onion sauted in about a 1/4 cup of oil. Then you add 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1/8 a tsp of course black pepper, 1/8 tsp of paprika, a splash of sea salt. As the seasonings are searing into the chicken and onion I chopped a half a head of cabbage and threw with about a half bag of baby carrots. For the final seasoning I added  one envelope of Lipton's Onion  Mushroom Recipe Secrets then three cups of water. I popped the top on the pressure cooker and set it for meats and stews. This is usually about 35 minutes on the Instapot. 

6 boneless skinless Tyson chicken thighs

One large onion

1/4 cup of oil ( your fav)

1 tablespoon of cumin (if you don't like cumin exchange if for Adobo or Everglade's Seasoning)

1/8 tsp of course black pepper

1/8 tsp. of paprika

splash of sea salt 

1/2 small head of cabbage

1/2 a pound of baby carrots

1 envelop of Lipton's Onion Mushroom Recipe Secrets (you can use Lipton soup or chicken base)

3 Cups of water 

Set pressure cooker at meat/stew and then wait  I served this over noodles to give it a bit more body. Also added more pepper and salt for my taste. Hope you like...BTW the cumin is an excellent addition to any meat.