How I Make Vegan Beans In My Instant Pot Mini

Dry Beans

Cooking dry beans, the thought of it seemed daunting and time-consuming. The thought that I would have to wait for hours while the beans soaked was just too frustrating to process. I want to be able to cook dinner in less than thirty minutes with the least amount of mess or effort. I mean, who has time to stand in the kitchen for hours? Am I right? 

Pressure Cookers

Pressure cookers are no longer as complicated and dangerous as they used to be. Used correctly, they give us the quick-cooking option that we all long for. In this fast-paced world we live in, where time seems to be limited and there never seems to be enough to get everything done, they are a valuable tool.

Enter the Instant Pot Mini

Fortunately, pressure cookers have changed a lot since I was a kid. (Yes, I am old!) I absolutely love my Instant Pot Mini! The beans are not daunting to me anymore. The Instant Pot Mini is probably the easiest appliance in my kitchen. There are new safety features that were not offered on conventional pressure cookers which make cooking with them so much easier and safer.

Vegan Or Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet

In November of 2018, my doctor was giving me a hard time about my cholesterol. Even though I thought I was eating healthy, my cholesterol was a scary 262. The first thing to come out of her mouth was about medications. The second was a healthy diet which included the things I was already doing. It wasn't working. I asked her to give me a few months while I tried to take care of it on my own. Up until February of the following year, I continued to try to get control of my diet while eating meat and dairy. I started to experience a lot of headaches, backaches, shoulder issues, knee pain, and this strange pain in my side that I couldn't shake. I was frustrated, to say the least. I was looking on Youtube one day to find a solution or at least a reason for my aches and pains, the doctors couldn't find any, and stumbled upon a video by Dr. Michael Gregor about the health values of a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet. I figured, what the heck, it can't hurt to try. I didn't want to take medication for the rest of my life so, why not?

2 Months To Lower Cholesterol

After two weeks, my body stopped hurting. The headaches went away. No more pain in my side, knee pain, backaches, shoulder pains, and I started losing weight. My cholesterol was checked on April 29. I was so happy that I cried right there in the doctor's office. It had dropped from 262 to 191. I was stunned, the doctor was stunned. She asked me what I had done to change it so drastically. I told her that I had adopted a WFPB diet. I honestly can't wait to go back for the next cholesterol check. I will let you know how that goes.

On To The Beans

My WFPB diet includes a lot of beans which I include with a lot of other veggies in various recipes. They have a great deal of nutritional value on their own but I like to throw in herbs and spices that add different flavors to them. Here is how I make beans in the Instant Pot Mini.

Step one is to put your dry beans in the stainless steel pot that is included in your Instant Pot. Any kind of dried beans will do.  Next, check your beans for rocks, debris, or any beans that you may not think look right. Rinse your beans at least twice and drain them. Now, cover your beans with twice as much water as you have beans. (One cup of beans, two cups of water.)

 Place the pot with the beans and water into your Instant Pot Mini. Plug it in and make sure the pressure release valve is set to the center as indicated in the picture below for pressure cooking.

Turn the lid clockwise to lock it in place. The machine will make an ascending noise to indicate it is locked.  Press the Rice button to the right side. It will display that it is on.

When the Instant Pot reaches the proper pressure for cooking, the timer will begin. Don't worry about setting the time, the Rice function will do it for you. When the time is up, it will beep at you. This starts the slow pressure release time.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN!

You have two options here. You can turn off the pressure cooker and use the manual release valve on top by turning it to the left or let the pot continue the slow release until the indicator button behind the manual release valve drops on its own.

Release valve to the left for quick release. Watch out for hot steam to come out quickly so you don't get burned.

The slow-release option.

Either way, do not attempt to open it till the pressure indicator button drops. Mine is silver.

Only after the indicator has dropped may you open your Instant Pot by turning the lid counterclockwise. It will make a descending noise to indicate that it is open. Now you should have perfectly tasty, too hot to eat, beans. After a little cooling, add the herbs and spices of your choosing and enjoy them.

See, that wasn't so hard! Enjoy your easy to make beans!!


Disclaimer: Always read the instructions of your machine to make sure you are familiar with the safety and cooking instructions. Don't just follow my or anyone else's instructions. Always go by manufacturer's instructions.

Whole Food Plant-Based Recipe #1: Tofu Spinach Scramble

Idea #1 if you are starting a plant-based lifestyle:

Tofu Spinach Scramble

In a nonstick pan on medium/high heat, sauté onions, bell peppers, purple cabbage (cut in small pieces), add sliced mushrooms. Sauté further until onions are translucent. Crumble Extra firm drained tofu into mixture and cook further until tofu is thoroughly heated.  Add onion powder, garlic powder,  salt, pepper, paprika, and a dash of cayenne pepper.

 Finally, add a handful of fresh spinach. Cook just enough for the spinach to wilt. Done! The cooking portion shouldn’t take longer than fifteen or twenty minutes if your nonstick pan is preheated. No oil is necessary but it can be used. I don’t.

All veggies and spices are optional. Use what you like to eat. I don’t measure anything. Add as much of each ingredient as you like. I make an entire pan and eat it all. You won’t get fat off of veggies! Season to your taste.

This is how I cook. Not always tofu, sometimes O’Brien potatoes. Sometimes add rice or add the mixture to pasta. I mix up the veggies and spices. Add black beans or lentils. Sometimes no potatoes or tofu just veggies! I just don’t cook with oil that much and if I do it is usually just a nonstick spray.

More recipes to come.

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Why 35 Years Ago Matters

This isn't a political issue. Any political comments will be removed without regard to who they came from. I am just telling my story.

I was 17 when I was attacked in pretty much the same way as Dr. Ford except there was no drinking involved. Did I report it? No, I was scared and at that time, little would have been done to him anyway. It was one of the most terrifying moments in my life which lead to weeks of not sleeping and a lifetime of distrust. Woman don't think like men, we never will. When will men get it that they have NO right to lay their hands on ANY woman without her permission? I don't care what she is wearing, saying, doing, or what he thinks she is doing, a man has no right to touch a woman without her permission. Just because he didn't get all the way with her, does not mean that it wasn't a valid attack. NO MEANS NO! There are NO exceptions.

I still remember that day very vividly and, unfortunately, think of it often. I cried for weeks after, late at night, when no one would hear. I did nothing wrong yet I felt like I was the one that should have been ashamed. I never dressed suggestively, said anything suggestive, or even hinted that I would be interested in him in any way. It was just that he felt he had the right to do whatever he wanted to me. There was another male in the room whose name I will not mention that sat and did nothing but watch. This male should have been my protector but did nothing of the sort which hurt even more because of the nature of our relationship. To this day, I am sure that he would deny it. No one would be shocked by that. 

This is the kind of stuff that affects every relationship that comes after it. That is why it is important today. None of my relationships have been untouched by this experience. 

Men don't think like women, they never will. Women are emotional creatures and there is great beauty in that. But when something emotionally traumatic like this happens, rarely can it be fully recovered from without affecting life later down the road. It is a big deal that she was attacked. Maybe not to you, but to her, it was life-altering, just as it was for me.

More women need to share their stories. The men in our lives deserve to know. Maybe if more men realized how messed up events like this make us, they can teach our boys how to be good men and to treat women with the respect they deserve.

Coffee Chat: Where Is Your Happy Place?

I live in a very small rural farm town in the middle of Iowa. Except for the occasional passing car, in the Spring, on a morning such as this, it is so quiet and peaceful. It is the next best thing to living in the country. I get to wake up in the morning and hear all of the sounds of nature. The sweet smell of lilacs fills the crisp morning air as I grab my cup of coffee and head for the back steps outside my home.

I love that I get to wake up to the sounds of birds chirping, roosters crowing, cows mooing, and turkeys gobbling every morning. It's so relaxing to sit on the back step with my coffee and just listen. I'm in my happy place! It puts me in a great frame of mind to start the day. Where is your happy place?