Not-Refried Beans

Because "mashed pintos" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Pintos are a powerhouse of nutrition, as are most legumes. Measured by 1/4 C dry beans, there's something like 26g of protein, half your daily fiber, and only 130 calories. All this for about 10¢ per serving. It's what you add to them that tends to make us think of beans as fattening.

This takes some planning ahead. If you have a slow-cooker, soak the beans the night before and cook them for 8 hours on medium setting. I don't have one, so I did it in the oven. It means you have to be around to put them in the oven 5 hours before dinner. If you have a cast-iron pot, you can make this even more nutritious by using the pot, which will infuse the beans with added iron. The result tastes just like refried beans, but there's no added fat and a fraction of the salt of canned beans.

1 C dry pinto beans

1/2 C minced onion

salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp cumin

1. Rinse the beans. Soak in 4 C water for 4 to 8 hours. Discard any floating beans and drain off water. Preheat oven to 250º.

2. In a casserole, stir together beans, onion, pepper, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt. Boil 3 C of water and pour over beans. Cover and place in oven. Bake for 4 hours, stirring after 2 hours and adding more water if necessary.

3. Drain off water. Either mash the beans with a potato masher or pulse in food processor until of desired consistency. Taste, and add more salt as needed.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)