One thing I have mentioned over and over again is that Kodi and I have been focusing on cost savings and zero waste in our house. This month of April, I am going to focus on zero waste recipes, and creating a zero waste kitchen (blog post coming soon).
Every morning we make breakfast, and at first, we were buying canned refried beans and one day while driving to my mom’s house, out of nowhere I turned to Kodi and said: “There has got to be a way to make refried beans from scratch.” So I made it my mission that week to make them! I grabbed my jar, and headed to Bulk Barn and found Pinto beans and bought some and started to do some research.
Fun facts about Pinto Beans:
- Pinto beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, pinto beans’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
- Pinto beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars.
- Pinto beans can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. Particularly for women, who are more at risk for iron deficiency, boosting iron stores with pinto beans is a good idea—especially because, unlike red meat, another source of iron, pinto beans are low in calories and virtually fat-free.
Who knew I would get so excited over Pinto beans. Healthy, cost-effective and zero waste! This homemade refried bean recipe is not only zero waste, but energy efficient, low sodium, and vegan!
A few special kitchen gadgets you may need are a crockpot and a blender.
Ingredients
1 lb dry pinto beans, soaked overnight and thoroughly rinsed
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 jalapeno, top cut off and quartered (or two if you like things spicy)
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
9 cups water (up to half of the water can be substituted with veggie or chicken stock)
Method:
Place all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. I have a big slow cooker, but I wouldn’t use anything smaller than a 4 quart. Cook on high for 8 hours. Once cooked, place a colander over a stock pot and drain as much water as you can from the beans. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend the beans until they reach your desired consistency, using some of the cooking water to help thin. Remember that you can always add more water to thin, but you cannot make them thicker again. Serve hot, or prepare for storage.
Preparing for storage:
Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, measure out approx 1/4 cup of beans and place on a cookie sheet or a muffin tin, use the silicone cooking sheet or muffin liners (or parchment paper if you do not have silicone liners). Freeze. Once frozen put into a freezer friendly container. When you need them, take them out in advance and thaw in the fridge! We take them out the night before for our breakfast in the morning! I have not tested how long they will last in the fridge because we usually eat them all within a month.
Let me know what other zero waste recipes you would like in the comments!
Enjoy!
#zerowaste recipe
