Vegan Homemade Refried Beans – Slow Cooker

Ingredients

1 lb. bag of pinto beans
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 chile pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1
Pick through beans for stones and then rinse the beans.
2
Put the pinto beans in a large pot with water to cover, about 6 cups of water.
3
Let the pot set all day or overnight and the beans will plump up.
4
Drain the water from the beans and put the beans into a slow cooker.
5
Cover with fresh water by about 1 to 2 inches.
6
Turn on high for 3 hours.
7
While the beans are cooking prepare the vegetables.
8
In a large skillet add the olive oil and onion. Saute the onion until translucent.
9
Add the garlic and chili pepper. Cook 2 more minutes.
10
Add all the spices to the pan. Cook another minute stirring occasionally. Set aside.
11
When the beans are done mash in the crock pot with a potato masher .
12
Add the onion mixture and mix well.
13
If it is too dry you can add a some more water.
14
Turn the slow cooker back on to the low setting.
15
Cook 1 hour.
16
That's it! The best refried beans and so much healthier than the canned beans.
17
VARIATION:
18
If you need to add more liquid at the last hour of the final cooking process you can add some tomato juice or diced tomatoes. It is also a yummy variation. Even a little salsa can be added if your family likes the extra spices.
19
TO FREEZE:
20
If freezing - Put in a freezer container as defined in my article http://veganinthefreezer.com/preparing-food-for-the-freezer
21
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:
22
Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator overnight because it is a pretty solid mass and will take longer to defrost. Heat, covered, in a microwave or in a saucepan. Add a little more liquid if it seems to dry.
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About

I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the southwest Mexican foods like refried beans were in our family’s meal planning since the day I was born. It never occurred to me that everyone was not eating enchiladas and tortillas. I had a rude awakening when I moved to a small town in Georgia and there was not a tortilla anywhere or even a can of refried beans. Granted this was many years ago, but I rolled up my sleeves and taught myself how to make tortillas and refried beans. It was darn good, and in the words of my Georgia born mother-in-law, ‘If I do say so myself’.

Now I have moved on from the original recipe and it turns out I have many different refried bean recipes. This one is one of my favorties and I like the way you can use the crock-pot for ease of meal preparation. Hope you can try it soon.

Added:

Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 2:51pm

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