No Fry - Refried Beans

No Fry - Refried Beans, Adapted from Simply Gourmet

Howdy y'all! I've been trying to get more posts up recently, and I hope you're enjoying these yummy new recipes so far! I have more that I'm hoping to work on! For today I want to share a delicious crock-pot dish that has quickly become a new favorite in my house!

I don't about y'all but we eat a lot of beans in my house. Specifically refried beans, because they are easy, taste amazing and we live so close to the border that you can't not eat beans all the time! Now I've been lazy most of our marriage, in that I've always bought canned refried beans (lowfat of course!) thinking it'd be too difficult to make them myself and having never before seen a recipe that didn't require using tons of lard. Now don't get me wrong, the authentic lard filled beans are AMAZING! But I can't justify eating them all the time, especially when I'm trying to lose weight. So when I saw this recipe that has virtually no fat in it I jumped for joy and ran to the store! And let me tell ya, they were SO good my Hubby (who is picky about his beans... that sounds weird... Oh well!) didn't even realize they weren't made with lard!!!!! Yippee!!! So I highly recommend you RUN not walk, but RUN to your store and get everything to make these now. Trust me you won't regret it! ;-)

Ingredients:
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 lbs. Dried Pinto Beans
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
2 teaspoons Cumin
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1-2 Jalapeno's, diced (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot, cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 until the beans are done. Once cooked remove about 1-2 cups of liquid, and using a potato masher, mash the beans to desired consistency. *If you like your beans more runny and little or no chunks you can use a blender or food processor to mash them* Serve warm as a side dish, add some cheese (queso) for a good dip, or in a tortilla burrito style! These beans will be good in the fridge for a couple weeks, and they also freeze beautifully. *They will thicken up the longer they sit, and once cooled.*

Review:We all loved these beans, and I mean ALL 4 of us! In fact I'm almost out and need to make more... yum! I highly recommend them. 5 stars.

Happy Crock-Potting!