Leftover and Pantry Day

Today was a pretty easy day cooking-wise. First, I had a burrito kit in the pantry. It contained the flour tortillas and a bean/rice/spice mixture. Then I grabbed some ground chuck with onions that was already cooked from the freezer. We also like to add sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, colby-jack or cheddar cheese, and homemade fat-free refried beans (also in the freezer).

You'll learn over time that I get a lot of recipes from Allrecipes.com. I do have other sources, but this is one of my favorite go-to places. The reviews help a lot when I am looking for a specific (or even random) recipe. I also have some wonderful friends and relatives who are excellent cooks and they are kind enough to share their recipes with me.

My refried bean recipe of choice (from Allrecipes) is one done in the crockpot. It's fat-free and the added spices make it extra delicious! I've been known to pop some in the microwave with some cheddar cheese on top and chow down.

Refried Beans Without the Refry

Rated: Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Hours Ready In: 8 Hours 15 Minutes Servings: 15

"Refried beans are simple to make when cooked in a slow cooker. This recipe will yield flavorful refried beans seasoned with garlic, jalapeno, and cumin."

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and halved 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 teaspoons salt 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional 9 cups water

Directions:

1.	Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2.	Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.