Tag: vegan

Whenever I return home after visiting my family it takes me a day or two to get back in the routine of cooking and eating well. I needed something easy to get me going. I soaked some black beans overnight and cooked them yesterday morning. Chili sounded good, but I was out of tomatoes, fresh or canned, so I dumped a box of Fantastic Foods taco filling into the pot. Then I added diced potato and a splash (~1/4 c. of red wine) and simmered about an hour. It doesn’t make for very good photos, but it was very satisfying and reminiscent of the beef-potato hash my mother used to make when I was a kid.

[I lost my camera while I was away, so I only have photos from my phone for now.]

Potatoes are one of my favorite things so any dietician/nutritionist that gives me permission, even encourages me to eat potatoes, is a hero in my book.

I nearly always cook potatoes in the pressure cooker. Occassionally I “bake” a potato, sweet or non, in the microwave. I use the pressure cooker partially because boiling takes a long time at 9000 ft. Also, they get steamed in the pressure cooker, rather than boiled, and I think they hold onto more flavor and have better texture.

To prepare I place the steaming plate in the pressure cooker and add some water, not so much that it rises above the steaming plate. I scrub potatoes and cut out any bad spots, then cut into roughly equal pieces. It doesn’t really matter what size as long as they’re not small enough to fall through the holes, into the water. Smaller cook faster. I usually choose a size that’s roughly equivalent to a medium-small red potato. Organic red potatoes are my favorite. I often wrap a salted potato or two in foil to eat during brevets. In that case I peel the potato either before or after cooking.

I bring up the pressure and hold it for 10-15 min. (As I’ve said before, if you live at a lower altitude you’ll need to adjust your cooking time. At sea level you may only need to cook for 5-7 min.) After that I let the pressure release naturally. Then voilà! Perfect (most times) potatoes!

If these weren’t so expensive (about $2 per serving from Vitamin Cottage) they’d be a perfect food. Corn masa “pancake” stuffed with black beans and a little corn. The package recommends cooking with 1 tsp of oil. I just heat them in a non-stick skillet with no oil. They’re particularly good when they’re still hot and crunchy on the edges. The red sauce I posted last week is a good accompaniment. (Note: I’ve only found them at Vitamin Cottage in Pueblo.)

One of the few vegan food options at the Tulsa State Fair.