You get great flavors in this Cajun dish from the spices. Be sure to smash some of the cooked beans to thicken up your stew. Serve over brown rice, quinoa or sorghum for a change of pace.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4

　　

Sauté ingredients:

1 tbsp (15 ml) mild oil (or dry sauté or add a little water/vegetable broth)

　　1 cup (160 g) minced onion

　　2 cups (300 g) minced bell pepper

　　2 tsp (6 g) minced garlic

　　

Pressure cooker ingredients:

1 cup (237 ml) water

　　1 cup (184 g) dried kidney beans, soaked for 8–12 hours and drained

　　3 bay leaves

　　1 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) dried thyme

　　2 tsp (4 g) smoked paprika

　　2 tsp (2 g) dried marjoram

　　1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (use more if you like things spicy)

　　

Before serving ingredients:

1 (14.5-oz [411-g]) can crushed or diced tomatoes

　　1 tsp dried oregano

　　1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

　　Pinch of ground bay leaf (optional)

　　Salt and pepper, to taste (I used 1 1/2 tsp [9 g] salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper)

　　

Serving ingredients:

Cooked rice of your choice

　　Hot sauce

　　

Step 1

For the sauté, use the sauté setting over normal, or medium heat, and heat the oil or broth. Add the onion and sauté until transparent, 5 minutes. Then add the bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until the bell peppers soften, 5 minutes longer.

　　

Step 2

For the pressure cooker, add the water, beans, bay leaves, thyme, smoked paprika, marjoram and cayenne to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Put the lid on and make sure the steam release handle is set to sealing, or closed; change to the manual setting (the pressure cooking one) and set the timer for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Carefully manually release the pressure. Remove the bay leaves.

　　

Step 4

Before serving, mix in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, liquid smoke and ground bay leaf (if using). Then add salt and pepper to taste. Cook the stew for an additional 3 minutes on high pressure, then release the pressure naturally.

　　

Step 5

Serve over steamed rice with a side of your favorite hot sauce. I love garlic Tabasco myself.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

PER SERVING (not including rice): Calories 154.5

　　protein 6.2 g

　　total fat 4.2 g

　　carbohydrates 25.9 g

　　sodium 356.7 mg

　　fiber 7.6 g

　　Cooks' Note

　　When I soak beans I always put them in a large mixing bowl and fill it as close to the top with water as I can. You can always use any left over to water plants around the house, so there’s really no waste.

　　From The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot: 80 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That You Can Make in Half the Time © 2017 by Kathy Hester. Reprinted with permission from Page Street Publishing.Buy the full book from Amazon.