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Rich, flavorful, and with just a hint of warmth, these low fat Chili Lime Black Beans are a perfect THM E side dish. They’re great on their own or on top of tacos or taco salad. Best of all, you can make them quickly in your Instant Pot even if you don’t soak them first. However, do try to soak first — they’re even better that way and easier to digest.

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Did you know it’s best to soak your beans? This improves digestibility and makes the nutrients within more accessible to your body.

Another benefit of soaked beans? They cook much more quickly!

However, many people don’t soak beans because of the extra time involved for soaking. Or, they forget (like me sometimes) and then realize they need beans in an hour.

If that’s you, don’t fret! You can still go from dry to delicious in about an hour by using your Instant Pot.

But, please try to soak your beans first if you can! I’ve made them both ways and honestly think they taste better with a long soak first. Not to mention the “musical fruit” is much easier on your digestive system 😉

You can also soak and cook big batches of beans and freeze in 1 or 2 cup portions to use later on.

How To Make Chili Lime Black Beans In The Instant Pot.

Whether you soak them or not, it’s very easy to make chili lime black beans in the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker).

Making Soaked Chili Lime Black Beans.

When I make these using soaked beans, I omit the sauteing step in the recipe below. Honestly, you could do the same for unsoaked if you like. They still turn out tasty!

1. At least 8 hours before you want to cook them, put sorted and rinsed black beans in a bowl and cover with water.
2. After soaking for 8 to 12 hours, drain and rinse the beans well.
3. Put into the liner pot of your pressure cooker and add remaining ingredients (EXCEPT for lime juice and salt).
4. Set vent to SEALING.
5. Set to MANUAL for 12 minutes.
6. After cooking cycle is complete, allow to depressurize naturally.
7. Remove the lid when safe to do so and add salt to taste and lime juice.
8. Adjust seasonings if desired. They are mild, just a slight bit of heat.

Making Chili Lime Black Beans With Unsoaked Beans.

You can throw everything but the lime juice and salt in the pot and cook it, or follow these steps:

1. Set Instant Pot to saute and add fat.
2. When fat is melted, add onions and garlic and saute for a couple minutes.
3. Add beans, water, and seasonings (EXCEPT salt).
4. Secure the lid, turn vent knob to “sealing.”
5. Set to Manual for 50 minutes.
6. Use NPR (Natural Pressure Release) to allow pressure to release.
7. After lid is safe to remove, add juice of one lime and stir well.
8. Salt to taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

I didn’t want my beans to be too “soupy” so I use less water. If you like more liquid in your beans, add another cup of water. Also, the liquid will thicken as the beans cool.

Either way, you end up with delicious black beans!

The Skinny On The Fat.

With THM E meals, we keep our fat low. You have 3 options for fat here:

• Use one or two teaspoons of fat for a low fat dish.
• Use cooking spray for fat-free Chili Lime Black Beans.
• Or, skip the saute step all together and totally omit the fat. They are still amazingly flavorful and that frees up the added fat for something else in your meal.

This made 5 cups of cooked beans. Depending on what you chose to do with the fat, the numbers are:

• 2 teaspoons of fat: each cup has 1.87 grams of fat (might as well call that 2 grams, right?)
• 1 teaspoon of fat: each cup has 0.93 grams of fat (so essentially ONE gram)
• If you used non-stick spray, you’ve got  yourself some fat-free Chili Lime Black Beans.

Loads Of Flavor Means You Won’t Miss The Fat!

Don’t be sad about low (or not) fat in this easy instant pot black beans recipe! I promise you won’t even miss it. That’s because it’s packed with flavor.

Because I like to know what’s in my food, I use my Homemade Chili Powder.

And, let me tell you another secret:  if you have whole cumin seeds, toast them in a dry cast iron skillet for a few minutes until they get very fragrant. Then grind them. It truly brings a new dimension of flavor to any recipe!

I like to use the mortar and pestle that my dear Mother in Law got me one year. You get a little workout, too.

How To Fit My Chili Lime Black Beans Into Your THM Meal Plan.

Since this is a recipe using a starchy fuel, it’s a THM E. This means we keep our added fat in the meal very low.

We also need to make sure we have plenty of protein in our meal to help keep our blood sugar stable.

I love enjoying these beans as part of a chicken taco salad, using my Instant Pot Chicken Taco meat. They add so much flavor!

Since a small amount of beans (1/4 cup or less) on occasion is fine for an S meal, these beans are perfect for a low carb taco or burrito too.

They make a great side dish for grilled lean protein, such as chicken breast.

Or, they’re perfect to take along to a potluck.

Enjoy with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt, chopped onions and peppers, and a dash of hot sauce.

For a meatless meal, enjoy a small serving of beans with a small serving of rice — to keep within the carb guidelines for an E meal.

This combination results in a complete protein combination, ensuring you get enough of the essential amino acids your body needs.

Always include plenty of non-starchies to round out your plate no matter how you eat these delicious beans!