Instant Pot Refried Beans

 I used to think that making beans from dry beans was SO HARD to get right.  But with the instant pot, it's SO EASY! And way tastier than canned refried beans.  

1 TBS Olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, cored/seeded/chopped 
1/2 cup chopped onion 
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed and picked over 
12 cups water 
1 TBS better than bouillon 
1-1/2 tsp salt 
2 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp paprika 
1/2 tsp cumin 
1/2 tsp onion powder 
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
2 TBS Apple cider vinegar 

Heat oil in the instant pot with saute button.   Add jalapeno, onion and garlic and saute for about 2-3 minutes until softened. 

Add beans, water, bouillon, spices and vinegar. 

Put lid on the instant pot.  Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.  

When it's done, let it naturally release, which is about 20 minutes or so.   

Pour off most of the liquid into a bowl.   Use a stick blender to blend up the beans to the consistency you want (smooth and soft), adding more of the cooking liquid if needed.  You can use a potato masher too, but a stick blender will give a better consistency. 

    

Sourdough Crackers from Discard

 

So tasty and simple!  

3/4 cup sourdough discard (stir it down, can be any temp)
1/8 tsp garlic salt  
2 TBS melted butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.   

Line a 15x10 baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Melt the butter. 
Put discard into a bowl.  Sprinkle with the garlic salt.  Slowly add the butter while mixing with a fork until well combined (no/very little dough should be sticking to the side of the bowl.) 

Pour mixture onto parchment paper and use a rubber spatula to spread evenly and thinly around most of the parchment paper (leaving 1-2" around the edges.)

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and use a pizza cutter to trim the edges, then cut the dough into 1-1.5" square crackers.  

Bake for 10  more minutes, check if they are getting golden around the edges.  After that check every 5 min or so until done.  It could take up to 40-50 minutes total depending on the thickness of the crackers and your oven.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Store in a bag or container for up to a week.