Quinoa Red Bean Chili

I found the recipe here :).

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

 

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME: 1 HOUR

 

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1 tablespoon oil
•  1/2 cup diced onion
•  1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  2 teaspoons chili powder (see note)
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
•  Pinch of cayenne pepper (plus more for heat, if desired)
•  1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
•  3 cans (15 ounces each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (see note)
•  3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (use the lesser amount for a thicker chili)
•  3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
•  1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Instant Pot: using the saute function, heat the oil until shimmering and add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion starts to turn translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the quinoa, beans, broth, and tomato sauce. Give the mixture a good stir. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal, and select manual or high pressure (depending on the IP model you have) and dial up or down to 5 minutes.
3. When cooking time has finished, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes or so and then quick release the rest of the pressure. Stir in the corn kernels to heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. The chili will thicken as it sits off the heat. Serve the chili with cheese, sour cream, avocados, fresh lime wedges, cilantro, or any other chili topping you desire. It is also delicious served over regular or sweet baked potatoes!
4. For the slow cooker: in a skillet set over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering and add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion starts to turn translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Scrape the mixture into the insert of a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
5. Add the quinoa, beans, broth, and tomato sauce. Give the mixture a good stir. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Stir in the corn kernels to heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. The chili will thicken as it sits. Serve the chili with cheese, sour cream, avocados, fresh lime wedges, cilantro, or any other chili topping you desire. It is also delicious served over regular or sweet baked potatoes!

NOTES

To Add Meat: you can easily add cooked, diced chicken (think: rotisserie chicken!) at the end of cooking to heat through OR cook ground beef at the beginning, drain the grease, and keep in during cooking time or add at the end to heat through. 

Chili Powder: varies widely in flavor and heat, so make sure to use a brand that you already know and love the flavor of. I use either McCormick or Penzeys.This recipe is probably very adaptable to other types of beans if you want to sub

AMAZING INSTANT POT CREAMY "BAKED" ZITI

We LOVE this recipe.  It is so easy, so fast, and so delicious.  Plus, with the Instant Pot, it doesn't heat up the kitchen!  The recipe comes from here.

A single recipe feeds my family of 7 (mostly younger kids), but when I'm cooking for my parents, too, I make a double recipe (in my 8 qt. Instant Pot).

PREP TIME 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME 5 MINUTES

ADDITIONAL TIME 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 35 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  2 cups broth (I use low-sodium chicken broth)
•  2 cups cream (see note for lightened up substitutions - I often make this substitution)
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
•  16 ounces uncooked ziti pasta or other tube-shaped pasta 
•               (I often use penne or rigatoni. Whole grain pasta works great in this recipe.)
•  15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
•  1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
•  1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (My family prefers it without cheese.)
•  Fresh basil, for serving (optional)
• Italian Sausage (See the notes below - if you like meat, Italian sausage adds a yummy dimension.  We regularly make it without meat, though.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 6-quart Instant Pot with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in the broth and cream and add the salt, pepper and garlic.
2. Add the pasta; don't stir, but if it's mounded in the center, arrange into an even layer. Pour the crushed tomatoes evenly over the pasta and sprinkle the oregano and basil over the top. Don't stir.
3. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot, set the valve to seal, and select "manual" or "pressure cook" and dial up or down to the minutes needed --> take the cooking time on the pasta package directions, cut it in half and subtract two more minutes. So for pasta that cooks to al dente in 12 minutes, the IP cooking time would be 4 minutes (add an extra minute if you like your pasta super soft).
4. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly (it's ok if there are some darker, cooked spots on the bottom of the pot/bottom layer of pasta). Serve the ziti immediately with chopped, fresh basil, and additional Parmesan, if desired.

NOTES

Optional: adding a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage is fantastic with this recipe! Cook the meat on the saute function with a little salt and pepper, drain the grease, and proceed with the recipe (just make sure when you add the broth to scrape the bottom of the pot really well before adding the other ingredients).

Lighten it Up: If you want to lighten up the cream a bit, I've had great success making this with 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon cornstarch (whisked together) + 1 cup cream. I haven't tried subbing all the cream for a milk + cornstarch mixture, but you could experiment!

For an Extra Saucy Pasta: add 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra broth, cream or crushed tomatoes. Any variety of tube pasta will work great here! When I can't find ziti, I've used penne or rigatoni. Also, I've subbed in a 15-ounce can diced tomatoes blended with 2 tablespoons tomato paste for the crushed tomatoes with great results.

Instant Pot Cooking Times

Here's a website I found with a table of pressure cooker cooking times for various cuts/types of meat:

Pressure Cooker Cooking Times