Our time spent at the orphanage in Mexico is a most refreshing and rewarding time and we always come home with a renewed love for refried beans and corn tortillas! I usually buy the cans of organic refried beans, but I know I could be saving $ by preparing my own. I have another advantage when it comes to preparing Mexican cuisine, for my beautiful daughter-in-law was raised in Mexico. So, I called Lory this week and asked her how to make a healthy version of refried beans. Her answer seemed so simple… cook the beans, add ingredients you like, put them in a food processor and voila!
I soaked a half of package of these pinto beans overnight in water.
The next morning I drained them and added 6 c. of water to the pot of beans. Bring to boil, reduce heat and continue cooking for about 90 minutes, or until beans are tender. I added 1 T. of salt the last half hour. Drain cooked beans.
I knew I wanted some garlic, so I added 2 T. garlic gold olive oil, 1/4 c. chopped canned jalapenos peppers, 1/2 c. chopped green onion, 1/2 c. beef broth, and salt and pepper to taste. If I would have had fresh jalapenos, I would have used them. The amount of hot peppers you use will depend on your taste preference. You can also use fresh garlic instead of the garlic infused olive oil.
All this went in my food processor and I blended, but not pureed this mixture.
Place bean mixture in a non-stick pan and heat through. At this point you can also season with cumin, chili powder, chopped fresh cilantro or any seasoning of your choice.
I prepared my corn tortillas in a way that makes them crispy. If you prefer soft tortillas, you can just heat them on the stove for a minute or so. Spray lightly each side of a corn tortilla.
Place in 400 oven until light brown on each side. (Turn halfway through)
Spread some of the hot beans on top of a tortilla. Sprinkle with a small amount of shredded cheddar cheese. Top with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper. I used the yellow tomatoes that I picked up at the Farmers Market. By now you surely know that I always put a dollop of Greek yogurt on my Mexican dishes…it has a way of calming the jalapenos down!
This is my perfect lunch. The beans will keep for days in the fridge and I make up a bunch of crispy tortillas and store them in a plastic bag in my pantry.
Now that I created my own recipe for non-refried beans, I will peruse the Internet for other versions to see what I did wrong! Stay tuned, version #2 may be right around the corner!
