Make your Own Refried Beans

My friends know that I experiment a lot in the kitchen and often they’ll ask questions like, “Someone just gave me (enter strange ingredient here) how do I cook it?” or “I have all this (put overgrowing garden vegetable here) and I need to get rid of it, what should I do?”

Well, a few friends are in the WIC program and their children are either too young for peanut butter or they have an allergy so their WIC checks include a bean allowance – either a 16oz can or a pound of dried beans.  I always tell them to get the dried beans since when cooked they turn into so much more food than a single can but often they don’t know how to cook dried beans or make them taste good.

I always hand out this recipe that I got from www.allrecipes.com for Refried Beans without the Refry. I tell them to pick up a pound of pinto beans with their check and try this recipe in a crockpot.  (Which is something I think every home should have.  Skip the mixer and get a crock pot. Look at the Salvation Army, they go cheap there.)

We’ve modified this recipe to not include the jalapeno pepper.  We sometimes add the cumin, sometimes not.  I like it better without it.  We also sometimes leave out the garlic and it is still good.  We also sometimes use part chicken stock, part water but depending on the stock this can turn out salty.

This recipe makes a lot of beans after you smash them with a masher or a big spoon. (High tech, right?!?) So I save the liquid I drained off the beans for freezing.  I freeze the beans in 1 or 2 cup lumps in a freezer bag and add into it 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of the liquid.  You always have to add liquid when thawing and using the bean liquid gives them more taste.

DO kids eat this?  You bet!  My 16, 2 and 1 year olds go to town on it.  If yours is skeptical try melting a little cheese over it or using it to stretch taco meat in tacos or nachos.

And yes, this is gluten free.  Just check the beans to make sure they are safe.  All beans are now saying they may contain wheat.  We just look them over well and rinse them before cooking and hubby has never had a problem.

This is another make at home alternative to an over processed canned good that you no longer have to buy.  Cook once every month or so and keep it in your freezer!  We used some last night in this great baked taco recipe.  Yum!