Munchie Monday: Black Beans and Brown Rice. In the Instant Pot!

With the Instant Pot now in the apartment kitchen I can go to town cooking!

The first things I cooked were brown rice and black beans, two of my favorite foods.

Brown Rice

In Instant Pot I put 1 cup rice with 4 cups water and set the rice timer for 15 minutes.  I let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 10 minutes but could not wait any longer and finished it.

I drained the rice in a colander afterwards. It was perfectly cooked.  No more of the 40-minutes-to-cook-brown-rice, ending with glue-y stuck-together rice!  So good.  I mixed it with a box of the Rice-a-Roni Broccoli and Cheese mix.  With a little soy sauce.  It was good.

Black Beans

As soon as the rice was out, I drained some black beans that had been soaking for 24 hours -I had expected the Instant Pot on Wednesday, but with the office closed for Zone Conference...no Instant Pot could be received.  Anyway, I drained and rinsed the beans and tossed them into the pot with 4 cups water, 2 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 Tablespoons minced onions, 1 Tablespoon cumin, and 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic.  I pushed  the Beans/Chili button and let it go.  The beans came out soft and luscious!  And so flavorful.

Dear One had already eaten a bowl of the rice.  I put the black beans on top of my rice.  It was great as is but we had some picante sauce in the refrigerator so I put that on to get some more vegetables in.  I took some for my lunch the next day.  So good.

We also had a salad with spring mix greens mixed with "Sweet Kale Mix" which is finely chopped kale, green cabbage, Brussels sprouts, a little red cabbage, (these last greens sliced so finely as to unrecognizable!!  which is a very desirable thing in our home.) as well as some tasty pumpkin seeds with some poppy seed dressing. Very nice salad.  Dear One enjoyed it.  Ignorance is bliss!