Chili Pinto Beans

Some people find vegan food unsavory and unsatisfying, but it doesn't have to be that way. These pinto beans are a favorite of my carnivorous mate. He loves them so much, and they are so simple to make, I periodically come home from work to find him making a pot. He cooks batches so often, I should have him write this blog post because I hardly ever get an opportunity to make them before he does and haven't made them myself in a while, lol.

I can't forget to thank my dear friend, Esther, and her family, for passing the recipe and pressure cooker to make them along to me. (Thanks friend!)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans
• 6 cups water
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. mild chili powder
• 2 Tbsp. cumin
• 7 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Rinse beans and add to pressure cooker with remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Cover and seal appropriately, based on the directions for your pressure cooker. Bring pot up to boiling over high heat. Once pressure cooker is releasing constant steam, reduce heat to low or medium low depending upon your stove. Our stove is electric, and we set to medium low. Let cook for one hour. Remove from stove, release pressure from pot, using the manufacturer directions for your pressure cooker.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, use a large, heavy bottomed pot, and cook longer. Seal the pot as tightly as possible. Since I haven't ever used a regular pot, you'll have to experiment with the times and temperatures.

I love eating the beans the way my friend Esther recommends: right out of the pot with chopped white onion and cilantro. It's so good!

If you prefer, these also make great re-fried beans. There is typically a lot of flavorful water left with the beans that adds flavor after cooking. I mash the beans and water together in the pressure cooker with a potato masher or an immersion blender and then cook off extra moisture if they are really runny still. Make sure to constantly scrape the bottom of the pot when reducing the water because the re-fried beans do stick easily and burn. The beans will become less runny when they cool, so leave them a little looser than you want, and the starches from the beans will help your re-fried beans get thicker.

I love to eat these beans simply, as described above, but you can also make burritos, tacos, or enchiladas with these beans. These flavorful beans spice up any plain dish.