Ok, so what kind of blogger/friend would I be if I posted my homemade Mexican Pinto Bean Spice and then didn’t follow up with a recipe for my Spicy Pinto Beans Instant Pot or Stovetop? So here it is, and you can make these the old-fashioned way by simmering on the stove or the quicker newfangled Instant Pot version. I vote for quicker, but I have an Instant Pot and an issue with delaying gratification.
Spicy Pinto Beans Instant Pot or Stovetop
My favorite way to cook pinto beans is with a ham hock or some bacon, maybe a little broth, but that’s because I just love the flavors of Mexican beans just as they are. They’re like a delicious foil for everything else that probably IS spicy on my plate. But everyone I know seems to like to spice up their beans, so I’ve come up with this fun Mexican Pinto Bean Spice.
Mexican Pinto Bean Spice
A bit of cooked Barley was the “by-product” of my Healthy Lemon Ginger Barley Water recipe awhile back. Well, if you know me, you know I try to waste nothing, and sure didn’t want to waste a morsel of wonderful, chewy, nutty Barley. (I love it, and so should you, btw! It’s really good for you!) And so I went on a quest and that quest ended in this Salad with Smoky Sheet Tray Roasted Vegetables & Barley. It’s a lot to use a cup of Barley, huh?!
Salad with Smoky Sheet Tray Roasted Vegetables & Barley
I know it’s mid-July, but I just had to do Barbecue Chicken Chili in the Instant Pot with some of the Honey Barbecue Pulled Chicken I made the other day. No Instant Pot? No worries. The stovetop instructions are here, too. Options are there if you don’t have leftover pulled chicken (or pork) to start with, too.
Barbecue Chicken Chili
I know I’ve been posting a few “basic” recipes lately (hiya hard-boiled eggs) but I’m fixin’ (sorry) to cook up a big old pot of my Cheer’s Boston Baked Beans & thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how to prepare dried beans to cook them. So here’s Brining Beans Traditional or Instant Pot Methods.
Unsoaked and Uncooked Navy Beans