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Pinto Bean Recipes For
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Refried beans can be a healthy dish as well as a healthy snack for your kids. It all depends on the ingredients you use. This particular refried bean recipe is fairly easy to make. You just need to plan ahead as it needs to simmer a long time to bring out the best flavor.
I always like to give a little information on ingredients before I give you the recipe. So here goes.
In the restaurant business we used cottonseed oil. Today with much emphasis on health, I have changed to canola oil. Even though olive oil is considered one of the healthiest oils, I don't recommend using it in this recipe as it changes the taste too much.
Roasted Garlic
Some pinto bean recipes call for garlic and this one is no exception. The difference is in the preparation of garlic we use. This recipe calls for roasted garlic which will give the beans a nice rich flavor. It won't over power you or the dish. Click here to learn how to roast garlic
Sea Salt
I've started using seasalt in my recipes for a couple of reasons. First, I find that the flavor is actually much better and secondly, it's better for you being less processed and containing more minerals than regular salt. Try it and see if you notice a difference in flavor.
Learn more about sea salt and my recommended brand.
Pinto Bean Recipes For Refried Beans
- 2 cups pinto beans
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 bulb of roasted garlic, approximately 6 or 7 cloves
- 2 - 3 tsp seasalt, depending on how much salt you like
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 finely chopped tomato, vine ripened or home grown
- 4 quart pot
Directions:
First pour your beans out on a table or cutting board. Sort through them and discard any rocks or shriveled beans. This shouldn't take but a couple of minutes to do.
Put the beans in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Pour the beans into a pot.
Add 8 cups of cold water and the bay leaf.
Put the stove burner on high and cover partially with a lid. As soon as the beans start to boil, lower the heat a little but still continue to boil. Cook for 2 hours and keep adding water as it cooks away.
Stir occasionally. Keep the water level at 2 inches above the beans.
A Helpful Hint
I heard this tip from a friend of mine. Her mother does this when she prepares pinto bean recipes.Keep some water heated on the stove in a kettle or pan. Then when you need to add water to your beans, you have hot water available. Adding cold water will slow down the cooking process while you wait for the beans to boil again.
Little Health Tip
You probably shouldn't add hot water directly from your tap as it could contain contaminants leaching from the pipes and the hot water heater itself.
After two hours of cooking, the beans should be soft and darker brown in color. If not cook them another 20 to 30 minutes. Then add the oil, salt, tomatoe, and roasted garlic.
You can slide the roasted garlic out of it's sleeve in the bulb, right into the beans.
Important:
Do not add salt before the two hours of cooking or your beans will never soften up.
After adding the salt etc. bring the beans to a boil again and lower the heat to low. You want to cook them on a slow boil for an additional 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You will need to stir them occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
A Little Secret To Great Flavor
To get the best flavor, simmer your beans 1- 1 1/2 hour or as long as you can with all the spices and oil. The longer these pinto bean recipes simmer, the better they will taste.
After 1 to 1 1/2 hours, it seems like all the beans want to do is stick to the pot. This is the point where you turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and mash them with a potato masher.
You have just completed one of the best pinto bean recipes around. Enjoy.
Cooking For A Crowd?
If you feel like you need more than 3 cups of refried beans, make 4 or 5. Just add a little more salt,tomatoe, roasted garlic and oil. I always taste as I go and so should you, that way you can make adjustments to your liking.
If you decide to make a larger quantity of beans, just remember that the beans will expand in volume. Your pot needs to be big enough to accommadate this as well as the other ingredients and still have room to mash the beans without making a mess.
Here is a rule of thumb. Never fill your pot more than 1/3 full of beans (before cooking). Also make sure you keep the level of water at 2 to 3 inches above the beans.
Making refried beans from our pinto bean recipes will be delicous served with spanish rice, enchiladas or even by themselves topped with grated mild cheddar cheese.
Try serving refried beans topped with grated cheese and tortillas for a great after school snack for your kids. They'll love it.
Our pinto bean recipes hold up very well and will last several days in the refrigerator.
Sweet and Spicy Black Bean Recipe
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