Grace Under Pressure:Â A Vegan Single-Pot meal.
Soak 1 pound dry beans 8 hours or so, any kind of beans—chickpeas, pintos, black, red, cranberry, great northern, navy, etc. Rinse and put in pressure cooker. I use a 4-Qt. stainless steel Presto. If you love beans, a pressure cooker will save hours of your cooking life.
Add a 15 oz. can of cooked diced tomatoes, juice included. I use no-salt organic Muir Glen. You may use Rotel or similar or add your own diced peppers. I use a lot of jalapeños and roasted red peppers.
Add three cups liquid. This can be water, broth, a mix of water with some soymilk or coffee or fruit juice or whatever suits your beans and spices and imagination. A little low-sodium tamari, liquid smoke, your favorite hot sauce.
Add spices. Go ahead. Stir them in. You can use chili powders, curry powders, etc. 2+ tablespoons to taste. You’ll have the chance to adjust the spices.
Add crushed cloves of garlic, lemon zest, fresh ginger, etc.
Chop up 12-16 ounces of greens—spinach, collard, kale—or use a bag of frozen (no thawing necessary). Pack the chopped greens on top of the bean and liquid mixture.
Peel and cut an onion (I prefer red, but any kind is fine) and cut it into eighths, so that you make onion “shingles” to lay over the top of everything. The arrangement is important because it keeps anything from flying up and blocking the vents on the pressure cooker.
Bring to pressure and allow to cook for 18 minutes, and let pressure fall of its own accord.
When you open the pressure cooker, adjust liquid and spices, cooking a little to allow to thicken. Serve with brown rice or quinoa or by itself.
If the beans aren’t cooked after 18 minutes, close it up and cook a few more minutes. Time and liquid amounts can vary with equipment and beans, etc.
It’s even better the second day. Divine on the third.
Hey, Dennis. Here’s a quick and easy recipe that has been one of my standbys for years.
Like all good recipes, it begins by sauteeing a few cloves of garlic (finely chopped), a chopped onion (I use half a yellow onion) and a chopped celery stalk in a tablespoon of olive oil. However, in a good non-stick pan, you can skip the oil and just use water.
Place that in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water and add one cup of dried red lentils. Simmer for about five minutes, then add chopped fresh or frozen greens of your choice (I like to use the Russian kale from my garden, but chard, sorrel or spinach also are options) and spices (I use a commercial masala that includes coriander, chili, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger).
Simmer another five minutes and it should be thick and ready. Like your beans, this lentil concoction is even better after spending the night in the refrigerator.