My approach to cooking beans is to make a simple vegetable soup (with no salt) and cook the beans in it. The soup can be simple like just onion and garlic, or you can add a lot of vegetables. This is what I am cooking today:
Pressure cooker beans in a savory broth
3 to 4 servings
Soak 1 cup beans overnight in water (pintos today, others work too)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 slice bacon, sliced
Simmer until browned
Rinse beans and add to pot
Add water to about half the pot (4 qt pressure cooker)
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(substitute 1/2 cup fresh of each if you don't use dehydrated)
2 Tbs dehydrated leeks
2 Tbs dehydrated carrots
2 Tbs dehydrated celery
Soak 15 minutes over low flame (no need to soak for fresh veggies)
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Seal pressure cooker, bring up to pressure
Cook under pressure 12 minutes
Let pressure drop on its own
Add seasonings:
1 tsp salt
ground black pepper
bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
and/or your favorite vegetable soup seasonings (celery seed, etc.)
With top off, bring to a boil for 5 minutes
Salt and season to taste
Serve by pulling out beans with slotted spoon or ladle a bit of soup/sauce along with beans
Leave on stovetop in closed pressure cooker, heating to pressure at least once every day
When beans are gone use broth to make rice
