Pressure Cooker Chili Beans

You CAN cook beans without soaking them first! 

Adapted from Weelicious.com

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bunch cilantro stems, tied together with butcher's twine

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

7 cups water

Salt

Pinto bean seasoning (chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder)

1 lb. hamburger

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Sort and rinse beans. Combine beans, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, cumin and water in a pressure cooker. Following the manufacturer’s directions, cover and lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown hamburger, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain and season with pinto bean seasoning as desired.

Allow the steam to release completely (again, following manufacturer’s directions) before opening the pressure cooker lid. Test beans for tenderness - if they still are hard, you can lock the lid back in place and cook the beans for additional time. Stir in tomato paste, browned hamburger, and season with salt (about 1 ½ tsp) and spices. 

Note: If your beans are old, I would recommend using more water.

Mexicali Chicken

My friend Kacee is a master at making delicious meals in the crockpot! Here's one of her recipes- which our family loves.

-Kacee Carlson

4 chicken breasts (frozen)
2 c salsa (I used Herdez Medium)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 t. salt
½ t. oregano
¼ t. minced onion
¼ t. minced garlic
1 envelope taco seasoning
2 T. lemon or lime juice (if desired)
2 c. shredded cheese (any variety)

Mix all other ingredients together, except cheese, and pour over chicken breasts. Cook in a crock pot on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours (My crockpot runs hot, so I reduce these times to about 7 hours on low and 3 to 3 1/2 on high). Just before serving, break chicken breasts into large chunks – about three per chicken breast. Stir in the cheese until melted. Serve over rice.

Stacked Burrito Pie

Another reason I love Family Fun Magazine - yummy family-friendly recipes! This is a Mexican take on lasagna and was easy to serve in pie-like wedges after being baked in a springform pan.

-Family Fun, August 2009

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound lean ground beef
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
8 ounces Cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated

1. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

2. Increase the heat to medium, then add the ground beef, chili powder, and cumin. Cook the mixture until the beef is browned and no longer pink, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add the salt, water, black beans, and corn, and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 350°. Using the rim of a 9-inch springform pan as a template, trim 3 of the tortillas to the size of the pan. Leave the fourth tortilla untrimmed. Note: You can also bake this dish in a 9-inch round cake pan and serve it like a lasagna.

4. Butter the bottom and the sides of the pan. Press the untrimmed tortilla evenly into the pan's bottom. Spread 2 tablespoons of the sour cream over the tortilla, followed by 1/4 cup of the salsa. Spoon and spread a quarter of the beef mixture over the salsa, then sprinkle a quarter of the grated cheese evenly over the top.

5. Place one of the trimmed tortillas on top of the cheese, then repeat the layering of the sour cream, salsa, beef, and cheese. Continue this way until the ingredients and tortillas are used up. You should end up with four layers, topped with the final sprinkling of cheese.

6. Bake the pie until heated through, about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the rim from the springform pan, if you used one. Slice the pie into wedges using a sharp knife.

Creamy White Chili

This is quite spicy, but we like it that way. I'd recommend decreasing the cayenne or omitting it if you don't like really hot chili or will be serving it to children.

-Taste of Home and Thomalee Abraham

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2-3 (15 1/2 oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can chicken broth
1-2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 c. (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 c. whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately. Serves 7.
(To keep them from curdling, temper sour cream and cream by stirring in a little broth from the chili before adding them to the pot.)

Easy Baked Beans

-Anna Hampton

3 slices bacon
½ c. chopped onion
1 31 ounce can pork and beans (Van Camps)
¼ c. catsup
2 T. brown sugar
2 t. mustard
1 t. Worcestershire

1. In a skillet, cook bacon till crisp. Remove bacon, reserving drippings. Drain and crumble bacon and set aside.
2. Cook onion in reserved drippings until tender.
3. Add pork and beans, catsup, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
4. Bake in a 350 oven for about 1 hour or cook on low in Crock Pot.

BBQ Beans

-Annie Earl, Dry Creek Ward Cookbook, 35

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large (appx 53 oz.) can pork and beans
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 c. Ketchup
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Brown ground beef with onion, salt, and pepper. Add the other ingredients and simmer. Serve right away or place in casserole dish and simmer in oven at 325 for 30 minutes. Tastes better if ingredients have some time to blend.

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

This is one of our family favorites for a light dinner.


-Hot out of the Oven, Jessica Davis

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce

Marinate chicken in barbeque sauce, then grill. Chop into pieces.

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Combine chicken in large salad bowl with salad ingredients and toss. Serve with Ranch Dressing, additional BBQ sauce, and tortilla chips.

Taco Soup

-Mom Roberts

1 lb. lean hamburger
1 lg. diced onion
3 cans beans (pinto, kidney, black, etc)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can water (2 cups)
1- 4 oz. can diced chile
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 pkg. taco seasoning

Brown hamburger with onion, drain. Add all other ingredients. Simmer 1/2 hr.

Navajo Tacos

Navajo Tacos are definitely one of my childhood favorites, and something my family enjoys now. While in high school, the majority of our games and meets were played on the Indian reservations in northeast Arizona. Fry bread and these tacos are a staple there and are often found among nachos and other game-time fare at the concessions. I'll never forget the kindness shown to us by some sweet women who made our whole volleyball team a dinner of these delicious tacos, knowing that there wasn't any fast food close, and we would be hungry after our games. I use a white bread dough to fry, but it doesn't even come close to their light and tender fry bread.

Bread dough, after one rise, roll into small ovals and deef fry
Pinto beans

Browned ground beef seasoned with onion, taco seasoning/chili powder & cumin
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Onion
Sour Cream
Salsa

Black Bean Chili with Rice

My Uncle Stuart, Aunt Marjie, and family lived in Puerto Rico for 5 years. I believe this recipe came from their time there. We like to use a beef sausage instead of the ground beef.

-Aunt Marjorie

1/2 lb. lean ground beef (or diced summer or beef sausage - we like Aidell's)
1-1/3 cup cooked black beans (I use 2 -15 oz cans black beans, rinsed)
1/2 cup diced green pepper (or any color)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 tsp. chili powder
1 clove minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
1-1/2 cups vegetable or tomato juice (V8 or 1 small can tomato sauce + 1/2 can water)
1-1/3 cups hot cooked rice

Cook beef in saucepan over medium heat, stirring to crumble. Add all ingredients except rice. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered 20-25 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 servings.