“Three of the most beneficial, longevity promoting, anticancer foods are green vegetables, beans, and onions.”–Joel Fuhrman
Let’s face it, many people, myself included, lead hectic lives. Balancing the demands of our time and energy with the desires of a little bit of comfort and/or down time, while also knowing we need to set aside time for good nutrition, can feel like an impossible task, especially when it comes to our budgets. With the costs of food, fuel, housing, and other living expenses rising, who doesn’t want to save a little money and shave a little time whenever possible? Saving time and money, while maintaining one’s health and sanity, can seem elusive.
Enter the humble bag of dried beans–budget friendly, healthy, and honestly, not labor intensive! With a wide variety of beans from which to choose, dried beans are quite versatile. Even if you choose canned, beans are affordable on just about any budget and can be cooked into numerous recipes. However, with a little bit of know-how, and especially with a pressure cooker–either electric or stove top–dried beans can be super easy to fix and much more economical than their canned counterparts.
“Black beans and soybeans are the cornerstones of longevity diets around the world.”–Dan Buettner
Beans are often one of the most overlooked, and even undervalued, sources of protein. Chock full of iron, antioxidants, fiber and other nutrients, beans are a nutritional powerhouse that can be eaten daily. In fact, regular consumption of beans is often considered an important dietary consideration in many longevity studies, including the popular, “Blue Zones,” coined by author, Dan Buettner, in his National Geographic article, “The Secrets of a Long Life,” and expanded upon in his book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. In fact, regular consumption of beans offers multiple benefits for the body.
A diet filled with regular consumption of beans and legumes can reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 5 percent! In particular, black beans, with a whopping 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber per one cup serving, have a low glycemic effect. Therefore, eating black beans may reduce spikes in blood sugar, which may also lead to a reduction of risk for diabetes. Additionally, the high fiber and high protein count of all beans, but in particular black beans, also keeps you feeling satiated longer which could lead to weight loss, or at the very least, maintenance of a healthy weight without feeling deprived. Black beans are also an excellent source of folate, manganese, magnesium, thiamine, and iron. Talk about a nutritional dynamo!
“Beans are such a nice, neutral canvas, you can make a big basic pot of them and then play around with them differently every day.”–Crescent Dragonwagon
Black beans are versatile too. They are wonderful with almost any rice variation. Stuff beans in tortillas or taco shells, sprinkle them on salads, add them to soup or chili, spoon them over potatoes, chips, or even fries. Black beans can also be made into brownies or added to a pan with a touch of oil and/or broth, heated up, and mashed into refrieds. They can also be blended into fun dips, such as black bean hummus. The choices are nearly limitless, as black beans–also known as turtle beans– have a mild, almost sweet flavor that lends itself well to a variety of spices and condiments as well as other additions, such as avocado, oranges, peppers, onions, tomatoes, spinach, kale, chili powder, cumin, salsa, garlic cilantro, chiles, to name a few.
Come on, don’t be afraid. Cooking beans from scratch isn’t hard, time consuming, or expensive. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can always use a crock pot or cook low and slow on a stove for several hours–freeing your time up to do other tasks while keeping your budget in check.
I encourage you to give this recipe a try. If I can do it, anyone can do it! Let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear from you!
Ninja Foodie or Instant Pot Black Beans
Presoaking (Quick or Overnight)
1 cup dried black beans
3 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
Ninja Foodie or Instant Pot Black Beans
Adjust, eliminate, or add in spices to taste preferences.
1-2 teaspoon olive oil (optional) for those who prefer a little fat added to their beans
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup soaked or dried black beans
1 dried ancho pepper or ½ teaspoon ground ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons reduced sodium taco seasoning
2 cups of water
1 cup vegetable broth
Juice of 1 fresh lime (optional)
Directions for soaking if preferred:
If using a traditional soaking method of 8-10 hours (although beans can be soaked longer–up to 24 hours–if preferred), place beans, water, and salt in a glass bowl.
(Feel free to cover for the sake of cleanliness.)
Allow beans to soak either overnight or during the day while away at work.
When ready to cook, drain in a colander or mesh basket and rinse well.
If using a quick soak method, place dried beans, salt, and water into a pan.
Cover and bring to a boil over medium-heat, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, drain in a colander or mesh basket and rinse well.
OR skip all of the presoak methods and simply measure out dried black beans and rinse well before using.
Ninja Foodie or Instant pot cooking directions:
Swirl oil in the bottom of the pot if using.
Add in minced garlic and onions.
Next add in black beans.
If using a dried ancho pepper, place it on top of beans.
Sprinkle on desired spices–either following my list of ingredients, or go rogue by adding, eliminating, or adjusting the listed spices–they’re your beans after all!
Pour on water.
Fasten the pressure cooker lid and set the nozzle to seal.
Click high pressure, and set time for cooking.
IF beans have soaked, set cooking time for 5 minutes; IF beans have NOT soaked, set cooking time for 25 minutes.
Once the cooking cycle stops, allow the recipe to sit for at least 10 minutes (Do nothing with lid or seal.)
Carefully release the pressure seal, avoiding skin contact with the steam. (Trust me, it can burn!)
Once steam has fully released, carefully remove the lid, stir, and serve.
If you prefer, drain beans; however, I find that the beans store/taste/texture remains best when stored in a bit of their own broth, but it’s really personal preference. We simply use a slotted spoon to ladle beans.
Can be stored up to one week in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Makes approximately 3 cups of cooked beans.
Recipe can be doubled!
Steph Simply 