Refried Beans

“Beans, beans, the magical fruit.  The more you eat em’ them more you…”  I’ll let you finish that one. 🙂  haha!  That was an annoy song my siblings and I liked to sing as children.  Sure beans have a bad rap for their impeccable ability to produce CO2 but they really are a pretty awesome food in that they are super good for you and taste delicious by themselves, in meals, all mashed up…

Beans are SO good for you with 15 grams fiber and 15 grams protein in 1 cup (though you will probably just eat 1/2 cup… but that’s still a lot of fiber & protein)!  The recommendation for fiber (if you’re under 51) is 25 grams for women and 38 for men. The average consumption is only about 15 grams so…we gotta step it up!

Beans can actually be counted as from the vegetable group or protein food group (1/2 cup of beans= 1/2 cup vegetables or 2 ounces of protein foods).  AND they are high in many vitamins and minerals: thiamin, B6, folate (great for those who are pregnant!), iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium… just to mention a few bunch!

These refried beans have no added fat.  It’s just a 2 pound bag of dried beans, onion, garlic and salt thrown in the crock-pot, cooked, and then mashed (with my trusty Immersion Hand Blender).  They’re a great side dish to any Mexican entree (taquitos,  quesadillas, chipotle pork), along side Spanish rice, or even just with chips (one of my husband’s favorite snacks).  And while you might be like “why the heck would I want to make 12 cups of refried beans!?” I’ll have you know they freeze beautifully!  I just put about 2 cups of beans in quart-size freezer bags, get the air out, smash em’ flat and toss them in the freezer.  Then just thaw the beans and heat them up as you need want .

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Refried Beans

You can refrigerate leftovers that will be eaten within the next few days and freeze the rest in quart-size freezer bags. I put about 2 cups in each bag, remove all the air, and smash it flat. To thaw, place the bag of beans in the fridge the night before you are going to eat them or just defrost in the microwave.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes

Servings 12 -14 cups

Author Garnish & Glaze

Ingredients

• 2 pounds dried pinto beans
• 1 medium yellow onion quartered
• 4 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

• Sift through beans, removing any stones and place in a 6 quart slow-cooker pot. Add 12 cups water and allow to soak over night.
• Drain off soaking water and rinse beans about three times.
• Add onion, garlic, salt, and 10 cups of water (about 2 inches above beans), cover, and cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beans are soft.
• Ladle out 6 cups of liquid. Puree the beans in the slow-cooker pot with an immersion hand blender or in batches using a standing blender (I like a little texture so I don't puree it all the way). Serve.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze up to 3 months.

Recipe Source: Garnish & Glaze original recipe

(Sorry for all the links but I just want to you to know it’s from legit sources (see it for your self)… not made up.  Isn’t learning about nutrition fun!?!)