As part of the continual quest to economize, I resolved to grocery shop minimally while Zach was in Alabama - purchasing only fresh fruits and vegetables, and using our blessedly full pantry as my source for all other, non-perishable items. In other words, I've set about on a journey to summer-clean my pantry. Amidst the depths of the shelves, I discovered a 5 pound bag of pinto beans - that we had brought with us when we moved to our current house
an entire year ago. We eat beans and legumes quite frequently (excellent, inexpensive source of protein and fiber, etc), but, while I love the approach of cooking dried beans only, the reality of school and work and not enough hours in the day have lead me to canned beans, which, while a wee bit more expensive than the dried version, are still so economical (it's hard to fuss over something that costs $0.50 for 30 oz.) that I warrant the time saved worth the compromise. Hence, throughout my many days of bean cooking during our year here, the large sac of pinto beans worked its way gradually to the margins of our pantry...
Until a few nights ago, when, I concluded that the pinto beans finally deserved their due. In my enthusiasm, however, I decided to cook The Whole Bag. I soaked them overnight, employing my largest bowl, and, when I went to boil them the next day... The Beans Had Expanded. Why this fact of bean cooking escaped me, I have no idea, because I've spent most of my culinary life cooking dried beans, but somehow I had gotten so carried away that my refrigerator suddenly contained a passel of beans far too large for even my largest stockpot. Half the beans stayed in the fridge, uncooked, and the other half has been comprising the main ingredient of my meals ever since. Yes,
all of my meals, because I had overlooked one other important factor - I'm only one, rather small person who doesn't eat very large quantities... and I would probably have to eat 6 full meals a day to even
attempt to finish
all those beans before Zach comes home.
So, pinto beans and I both will await Zach's return. In the meantime, I've been trying to discover just how many ways one can prepare pinto beans...
(Un)Refried Beans (On a side note, I've always been baffled by the title of "Refried Beans." No, my comprehension of the word parts "re" and "fried" has not escaped me, I've just never understood why the inherently creamy, smooth, soothing nature of refried beans requires the copious amounts of fat and oil most recipes call for... We fix our refried beans with just a wee bit of olive oil for sauteing the onions, and find the results every bit as luscious and satisfying as one could wish! Here's to happy unrefrying!)
2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked in water overnight, then boiled until soft, and drained
1 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp oregano
1 to 2 cups water
3 heaping T vegetable bouillon powder, or 4 vegetable bouillon cubes
~ In a large soup pot, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are soft.
~ Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne powder, and continue sauteing for 1 minute or so - just until the spices are fragrant.
~ Add the beans, oregano, and 1 to 2 cups water (depending on how thick or thin you like your beans). Stir in the bouillon.
~ Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the beans are very soft - approx. 1 hour. (After an hour or so they will be ready, but they can also simmer quietly and patiently on the stove for at least 3 hours if needed.)
~ Using a potato masher (yep, a potato masher!), smush the beans until most of them are mashed, and the texture is mostly (but not all the way) smooth.
~ Serve warm, either by themselves, or...
- with cheddar cheese or soy cheese, sour cream or soy cream cheese, and salsa
- on top of a salad (as I did for lunch yesterday)
- with taco-spiced ground turkey, beef, or soy crumbles, cheddar cheese or soy cheese, and sauteed peppers and onions (as I did for supper yesterday!)
As part of the continual quest to economize, I resolved to grocery shop minimally while Zach was in Alabama - purchasing only fresh fruits and vegetables, and using our blessedly full pantry as my source for all other, non-perishable items. In other words, I've set about on a journey to summer-clean my pantry. Amidst the depths of the shelves, I discovered a 5 pound bag of pinto beans - that we had brought with us when we moved to our current house an entire year ago. We eat beans and legumes quite frequently (excellent, inexpensive source of protein and fiber, etc), but, while I love the approach of cooking dried beans only, the reality of school and work and not enough hours in the day have lead me to canned beans, which, while a wee bit more expensive than the dried version, are still so economical (it's hard to fuss over something that costs $0.50 for 30 oz.) that I warrant the time saved worth the compromise. Hence, throughout my many days of bean cooking during our year here, the large sac of pinto beans worked its way gradually to the margins of our pantry...
Until a few nights ago, when, I concluded that the pinto beans finally deserved their due. In my enthusiasm, however, I decided to cook The Whole Bag. I soaked them overnight, employing my largest bowl, and, when I went to boil them the next day... The Beans Had Expanded. Why this fact of bean cooking escaped me, I have no idea, because I've spent most of my culinary life cooking dried beans, but somehow I had gotten so carried away that my refrigerator suddenly contained a passel of beans far too large for even my largest stockpot. Half the beans stayed in the fridge, uncooked, and the other half has been comprising the main ingredient of my meals ever since. Yes, all of my meals, because I had overlooked one other important factor - I'm only one, rather small person who doesn't eat very large quantities... and I would probably have to eat 6 full meals a day to even attempt to finish all those beans before Zach comes home.
So, pinto beans and I both will await Zach's return. In the meantime, I've been trying to discover just how many ways one can prepare pinto beans...
(Un)Refried Beans
(On a side note, I've always been baffled by the title of "Refried Beans." No, my comprehension of the word parts "re" and "fried" has not escaped me, I've just never understood why the inherently creamy, smooth, soothing nature of refried beans requires the copious amounts of fat and oil most recipes call for... We fix our refried beans with just a wee bit of olive oil for sauteing the onions, and find the results every bit as luscious and satisfying as one could wish! Here's to happy unrefrying!)
2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked in water overnight, then boiled until soft, and drained
1 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp oregano
1 to 2 cups water
3 heaping T vegetable bouillon powder, or 4 vegetable bouillon cubes
~ In a large soup pot, saute the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are soft.
~ Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne powder, and continue sauteing for 1 minute or so - just until the spices are fragrant.
~ Add the beans, oregano, and 1 to 2 cups water (depending on how thick or thin you like your beans). Stir in the bouillon.
~ Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the beans are very soft - approx. 1 hour. (After an hour or so they will be ready, but they can also simmer quietly and patiently on the stove for at least 3 hours if needed.)
~ Using a potato masher (yep, a potato masher!), smush the beans until most of them are mashed, and the texture is mostly (but not all the way) smooth.
~ Serve warm, either by themselves, or...
- with cheddar cheese or soy cheese, sour cream or soy cream cheese, and salsa
- on top of a salad (as I did for lunch yesterday)
- with taco-spiced ground turkey, beef, or soy crumbles, cheddar cheese or soy cheese, and sauteed peppers and onions (as I did for supper yesterday!)