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

Pick through beans for stones and then rinse the beans.

Put the pinto beans in a large pot with water to cover, about 6 cups of water.

Let the pot set all day or overnight and the beans will plump up.

Drain the water from the beans and put the beans into a slow cooker.

Cover with fresh water by about 1 to 2 inches.

Turn on high for 3 hours.

While the beans are cooking prepare the vegetables.

In a large skillet add the olive oil and onion. Saute the onion until translucent.

Add the garlic and chili pepper. Cook 2 more minutes.

Add all the spices to the pan. Cook another minute stirring occasionally. Set aside.

When the beans are done mash in the crock pot with a potato masher .

Add the onion mixture and mix well.

If it is too dry you can add a some more water.

Turn the slow cooker back on to the low setting.

Cook 1 hour.

That's it! The best refried beans and so much healthier than the canned beans.

VARIATION:

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.

TO FREEZE:

If freezing - Put in a freezer container as defined in my article http://veganinthefreezer.com/preparing-food-for-the-freezer

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING:

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.