Vegan Homemade Refried Beans – Slow Cooker
By: Ginny McMeans
Published: Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 2:51pm

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.

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.