"Refried" black beans

"Refried" Black Beans

Fajita Night is the most celebrated night in our house.  Every holiday weekend holds a Fajita night, and the majority of our entertaining nights include Fajitas!  It is a bit of work, don't be fooled, but it is so worth it, and is guaranteed to feed a crowd, or a family of 3 for a few days!  One of the most important pieces of this celebration for me is the refried beans, but they can be full of carbs and fat.  My favorite bean swap out is black beans!  They have a ton of antioxidants, and 8 grams of fiber per serving!  For anyone who tracks fiber, that is a lot!  By making these from scratch, you also save a ton of fat (usually lard in the restaurants), and a huge amount of sodium!  Give it a try!

There are two ways to go about the beans.  You can start with 3 cans of beans, make sure they're unsalted or low sodium, and rinse very very well!  When I have the time and ambition, I love to start from dry beans.  It's pretty simple, but it takes much more time.  

If you start with the canned beans, it's much simpler, just start at the point of adding the veggies to the pot, and cut about 30 minutes out of the cook time.

For dry beans, rinse and sort 1 pound of beans, picking out all the ugly beans and possibly rocks.  Rinse thoroughly, and add to about 6-8 cups of water.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, cover, and take off the heat.  Soak for at least an hour, then drain and rinse.

For the veggies, I chop 1 green bell pepper, one sweet bell pepper (I used half red, half yellow), half an onion, and at least 3 garlic cloves.

Over medium high heat, in a pan with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, sautee the veggies, 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 Tablespoon cumin, black pepper, and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  No salt at all at this point, if you are using the dry soaked beans!  If you are using canned beans, you can add a bit of salt, but remember the beans are possibly already salted.

When the veggies are softened, and the spices are fragrant, add 1 box unsalted stock of your choice, I like veggie stock, because it has a deep mushroom flavor that makes the beans taste like they've simmered for days!  Add the beans, and enough water to just come up to the top layer of beans.  Turn the heat to low, and cover to simmer for 90 minutes for dry beans, and 60 minutes for canned beans.

Once the beans are fully cooked and soft, get out your smasher!  You could use an immersion blender if you want the beans smooth, but I love the texture of whole beans, in a smooth sauce.  Add water, if needed for desired texture, and allow to simmer another 15 minutes.  Now is also the time to add salt.  I used about 2 teaspoons, having started with dry beans.  It sounds like a lot, but these beans serve 10 people, and there is no salt originally.  Salt to just under your preference, so people can salt if they want.

This is the consistency I love.  They are loose, with good bean texture, and silky sauce.  The veggies have completely broken down, but have left their flavor.  You will never go back to the sad canned refried beans again!

This is what our fajitas look like...  and they are amazing.  Restaurants have nothing on them.  Stay tuned for the fajita recipe, it is incredible!  For now, get started on those beans!  Enjoy!