Dried beans made simpler & a recipe

In my never ending quest to combine frugality with time savings, I have recently discovered how to cook dried beans in a fraction of the time - by using my pressure cooker. No more soaking overnight and then cooking for 45 minutes or more. Now we're talking tender beans in under an hour (sounds like an infomercial!).

Here's how it works:
Wash and sort the dried beans.

Put in the pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches of water.

Check your seals and valves on the lid.

Bring up to pressure and then immediately quick-release the pressure by running the pot under cold water.

Rinse the beans again.

Put them back in the pot and cover with 2 inches of water again.

Add a tablespoon of oil so they don't foam too much.

Cook for about 8 minutes for pinto beans, 10-12 minutes for black beans.

Add some salt after they're cooked.

For my bean measurement information click here.

Go to my recipes page for more ways to use your new found knowledge.

No-Cow Sloppy Joes
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
2 Tbl. olive oil
6 Cups cooked black beans, drained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 C ketchup
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tea. salt
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce

Saute veggies in oil until tender. Add beans and rest of ingredients. Mix well and heat through. Serve on hamburger buns. Serves 12.

Notes: You can add grated carrot to the sauteed veggies and a cup of corn to the mix. I figured my crew would balk at that, so we served them on the side. If you have a favorite sloppy joe sauce, use that instead!