I'm a big fan of refried beans but not their fat content - so I came up with a recipe that closely resembles the real thing but is much healthier, so you can munch guilt-free! I like using a variety of beans for this because of the beautiful colours and unique flavours you can make. You could still use a single bean if you want though, like a pinto bean, and the recipe would be just as successful.
Recipe:
1 can rinsed mixed beans, ex. kidney, garbanzo, navy, pinto, romano, lima, black
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2-3/4 cups water or vegetable stock
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp powdered cumin
salt and pepper to taste
diced jalapeno to desired heat
Instructions:
Heat half of oil in hot skillet. Add diced onion, sauté 'til transparent. Add garlic, beans, jalapeno and water. Cook on medium 'til the beans are very soft, stirring occasionally. Mash them. Add the rest of the oil along with your cumin. If more water is needed, add a tablespoon at a time. The consistency should be a little like mashed potatoes, but I like mine to be a little chunky so I don't mash all the beans completely. Add salt and pepper to taste, then voila, you're done!
My favourite thing to do when I'm done is make burritos. This will fill approximately six, so sometimes I double the recipe so I can have a large batch and freeze them for nights when I'm too busy to make dinner. They're really good with some salsa, guacamole and green onion inside! They're especially good when they're re-baked with some enchilada sauce covering them.
