Beans

Ingredients 1 pound ground beef (leave out if making vegetarian) 1 russet potato diced small 2 cloves garlic 1 bell pepper diced small 1 poblano diced small 1-3 jalapeno diced small (vary # on heat desired), use seeds if desired but recommended 1 yellow onion diced small 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp chili powder 2 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp garlic salt One 20 oz can of sliced pineapple, only using the juice 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed well 1 can dark red beans, drained and rinsed well 1 can corn One 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes Saltines, shredded cheese, and sour cream for serving Instructions In large pot, use oil and cook the ground beef over medium high heat. When about halfway (few minutes), add the potatoes, garlic, and jalapenos. When beef is nearly done (another 5 minutes or so), add the veggies and all the seasoning. Cook another couple minutes constantly stirring. Note: veggies do not need to be fully cooked at this point. Add juice from pineapple jar, but not the pineapple itself. (slices of pineapple are cook’s appetizer) Simmer 1 minute or so. Add rest of the cans, make sure to rinse the beans well. Bring to simmer, stir once and cook for 30 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, saltines, and sour cream if you have them.

Ingredients 2 tablespoon Olive Oil 1 cup Onion diced 5 cloves Garlic minced 4 fresh roma tomatoes diced 4 Celery Stalks chopped 4 Carrots chopped 2 small Zucchini chopped 1/2 cup elbow macaroni pasta or similar 32 ounces vegetable or chicken Broth 1 can White Kidney Beans 15oz, drained 2 cups Spinach chopped (can substitute kale but leave out the stems) 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated or shredded Parsley chopped, to garnish (optional) 2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, more to taste 1 teaspoon Salt, to taste 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper crushed, to taste 1 teaspoon Paprika, to taste Instructions Start the instant pot in SAUTE mode with olive oil. Add diced onions and minced garlic. Stir and Saute for 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and chopped celery, carrots and zucchini. Add in the italian seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika. Stir another minute or so to mix well. Add in the pasta, vegetable broth and white kidney beans. Stir it all up. Make sure the pasta is under the broth. Press Cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position. Set to SOUP setting (high pressure) for 6 minutes. It will take a while to hit pressure and temp. 6 min starts AFTER that FYI. When 6 minutes are up and instant pot beeps, release the pressure. Stir in the chopped spinach and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir in. Garnish with parmesan cheese (optional) and minestrone soup is ready to serve.

Ingredients 2 lb spicy italian sausage 3 cups diced yellow onion 2.5 cups diced carrot 2 cups diced celery 6 cloves minced garlic 2, 32 oz chicken stock cartons 1, 15-oz can diced tomatoes drained 4 tsp basic sugar 3 tsp dried basil 3 tsp dried oregano 1.5 tsp dried thyme Salt and pepper to taste 2 cup dry ditalini pasta 1, 15-oz can red kidney beans drained and rinsed 1, 15-oz can great northern white beans drained and rinsed Optional 6 tbsp minced fresh parsley Parmesan to serve Instructions Brown meat in huge pot with a couple tbsp olive oil. When ~? cooked or so add all the veggies. Cook until tender or at least mostly there. Add everything through the salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer 10 minutes. Add the pasta and simmer another 15 min. Add beans and parsley and simmer one more minute. Serve in bowls with parmesan to add to taste. Notes It is easy to vary the proportions. More pasta, less. More beans or less. More veggies is what I usually do.

Ingredients 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained very well) 1/2 small can chipotles in adobo sauce 3 large garlic cloves minced 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp salt 3 tbsp lime juice Can of HOT rotel tomatoes (drained very well and rinsed) Instructions With a smidge of olive oil, saute the garlic until fragrant. Add chipotles and adobo sauce (about half a small can). Saute a smidge longer Add rest of ingredients and bring to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes Using an immersion blender (ideally) smooth the beans in the pot. (You can also remove and use a food processor but that is messy… immersion blender is best here) Serve inside a burrito or with your favorite mexican dishes