How to cook small red beans in an Instant Pot

My "diet" of choice is whole food, plant-based. Or WFPB. I eat a lot of beans, and like to have them on hand to throw in salads or wrap in burritos. But, beans take a long time to cook, and I prefer cooking them myself rather than buying cans.

I'm working with a variety of different beans here. I just finished up some black beans, so I grabbed the packet closest to me from the cupboard, which happened to be small red beans.

First, let's get something cleared up really quickly. Small Red Beans are a thing. Here's the packet as proof.

I want to say that they are anasazi beans, but who really knows! I just buy them like this, and they taste good. That's the most important thing.

I prefer to cook in my Instant Pot - an electric pressure cooker that's become very popular lately. If you Google "cooking small red beans in the Instant Pot", you get results for red beans and rice, mostly. I don't want red beans and rice, I want to cook my small red beans.

So, I put them in the Instant Pot, and started my search. Because any recipe for cooking small red beans in the Instant Pot should begin with "Put the beans in the Instant Pot". It's only logical.

Here are my small red beans in the Instant Pot. First step accomplished. So pretty.

No, I don't wash my beans before I cook them and remove any small stones. Ain't nobody got time for that, as they say, and I haven't broken a tooth yet. I hope my luck holds out with this batch! I also don't pre-soak them. What's the point of having a fancy schmancy electric pressure cooker if you STILL have to soak your beans for 6 hours?

##Let's Get Cooking!
(I'm not sure that header tag worked. Forgive me, I'm a Steemit Noob)

1. The beans are in the pot. One pound.

2. Add 6 cups of water.

3. Press "Manual" and change the time to 25 minutes.

4. Make sure the vent is sealed!

5. Walk away and go do something else. Don't stress over your beans. They will be fine.

6. When the beans have finished cooking and you hear the beep, leave it alone for another 20 minutes to release most of the pressure naturally.

7. After the 20 minutes is up, flip the release valve to "venting". Be careful! The steam is hot and burns hurt.

8. Voila! The small red beans are ready

You can also add anything you want to flavor the beans with - salt, oil, bay leaf, garlic, onion, or any number of herbs and spices. I prefer to cook mine plain, as I add the other flavorful ingredients in whatever recipe I'm using the beans in.

OK - so why beans?

Beans are so good for you! They are packed with fiber, protein, carbohydrates, folate, and iron. And they're not expensive. They fill you up, and keep you feeling full for a long time.

No wonder beans are a staple in WFPB diets!