Refried Beans

Yesterday I posted a review for the wonderful crockpot cookbook, Fix-It and Forget-It® Slow Cooker Magic, 550 Amazing Everyday Recipes by Phyllis Good. Today I'm going to give you one of the recipes that I tried, with great success I might add, Refried Beans, attributed to cook Gail Shetler of Goshen, Indiana. All I can say is thank you, Gail! As you all know, I love Mexican food, all kinds, authentic or Americanized. In addition to the delicious main dishes, I also enjoy the sides, arroz (rice) and (frijoles) beans among them. In the past, the majority of my Mexican side dishes either came from a box or can, so when I saw an easy, crockpot recipe for Refried Beans I had to give it a try.

My expectations were pretty low, so I was delighted, after 9 hours of fragrant cooking, to find that these beans are delicious.  The original recipe is below, but I did stir in about a tablespoon of adobo sauce with the salt. I also had only a 1-lb. bag of pinto beans that equaled about 2-1/3 cups, so I cut back on the amount of water by two cups, leaving all other quantities the same. If you love frijoles like I do, give them a try, and let me know what you think.

Refried Beans

Makes 8-10 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5-11 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5 quart. 

1 medium onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, washed and sorted
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped, or 1 T. canned jalapeno, chopped (more or less, to taste)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper (I used less)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (Next time I'll use more)
9 cups water
3 or so teaspoons salt

Grease interior of slow cooker crock. Combine all ingredients in crock EXCEPT salt. (Salt can prevent or slow down cooking dried beans soft.)

Cover. Cook on high 5-7 hours or low 9-11 hours, or until beans are as soft as you like them.

Drain off a few cups of liquid and save liquid. Mash beans in crock with potato masher. Add some of saved liquid to reach the consistency that you like. Stir in salt.

These beans freeze well.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Friday Finds

Fabulous Friday

Friday Unfolded
Fridays Flash Blog
Simple and Sweet Fridays

Foodie Friday & Everything Else

What To Do Weekend 
The Weekend re-Treat

Mexican Plate

It was with enormous pleasure that I finally cracked the seal on my 3D Clue game for game night, pairing the playing fun with a pitcher of margaritas, and a tasty, family favorite snack of Mexican Plate.

This was one of the first recipes I acquired when I started living on my own, and it has never failed to please.  My son liked it so much that he requested it year after year on his birthday.  I think the fact that I craved Mexican food the entire time I carried him may have something to do with this, but any excuse to make it is always fine with me.

It makes a beautiful presentation and, if you use round Tostitos tortilla chips, can place them around the side of the pie plate, overlapping as you go, and your dish will look like a giant sunflower.  I used my red, fluted edge ceramic pie plate, so served them on the side.

Mexican Plate

1 package taco seasoning (use your favorite brand)

1 can refried beans (again, your choice)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. ground chuck

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

Taco sauce

½ - 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 scallions, diced

Black olives, thinly sliced

Avocado Dip (fresh or frozen, thawed)

Sour cream

Chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Combine taco seasoning, refried beans, and onion in a medium bowl and mix well.  Spread over the bottom and around the sides of an ovenproof plate or pie pan.  In large skillet, brown ground beef; season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.  Remove mixture to large plate covered with 2-3 paper towels and allow draining.  

Spread drained, seasoned beef mixture evenly over beans, covering bottom of dish.  Spoon taco sauce sparingly over meat.  Top this layer with shredded cheddar.  Top with scallions and thinly sliced black olives (using more or less to your taste).  Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and mixture is hot.  Remove from oven and mound avocado dip in the center, topping it with a dollop of sour cream.  Garnish with tomatoes and serve with chips.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Resolutions & Empanadas OR I resolve to eat more Empanadas

Do you make New Year's resolutions?  I do.  I make them all year long.  I'm quite flexible when it comes to making up my mind, and so always keep a notebook close at hand to allow the jotting of revisions all year long.  Sometimes (rarely) I actually keep the resolutions that I make.  Most of the time though, I just resolve to add them to next year's list and hope for the best.

I've got a head start this year, however, as one of my resolutions was to learn more about food.  The collage of books you see above is but a part of what I currently have on hold at the library (and apparently the limit is 25).  In 2011 I've decided that I want to learn to cook more ethnic and regional foods.  I have never, for example, made a tamale from scratch.  I want to do this.  I want to learn more about the cuisine of Portugal and Spain, more about foods of various U.S. regions of the South, West, and Northeast.  I plan on reading and reviewing each book and sharing with you one or more of the recipes.  It should be an interesting journey for us both.

All of the searching for cookbooks put me in the mood for Mexican food, so I made use of the Beer-Braised Beef and Onions left over from the Insight Bowl dinner (an EXCELLENT recipe!) in the form of empanadas.  I used Grands biscuits that I first spread with refried beans before adding the beef, a dollop of salsa, fresh cilantro, sliced black olives, sliced scallions, and grated cheese.  As sides I served Ina Garten's Guacamole Salad and Spanish Rice.  Delicious!

What do you resolve for 2011?