Homemade Refried Beans

This past summer we needed good, healthy meals that wouldn't require us to turn on the oven. We also needed quick lunches. We had a big box of canned beans in food storage, and what ended up happening was a beautiful thing. I was looking through recipes one night and came across a basic refried bean recipe. I thought, "Hmmmm, we can do that." The next day I tried it.

They turned out pretty good, but some tweaking needed to happen. It got better with time, and pretty soon we were trying different kinds of beans for fun. One day I even threw a bag of lentils in the crock pot with the same recipe and we had Lentil Tacos. They were fantastic! 

The idea behind this is to make a huge batch and use it through the week for lunches, or quick dinners. Tacos, burritoes or enchiladas are all fast and easy to assemble. You can even freeze this stuff and pull it out for recipes. It's much better than canned, in my opinion! Our favorite so far has been the black beans.

1/2-1 c. onion

 3-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 T. olive oil or butter

4 oz. can diced green chilies

4 - 15 oz. cans of beans, drained slightly or 1 lb. dried beans (2 cups), soaked overnight

1/4 t. cumin

3/4 t. black pepper

1-2 c. chicken broth or water

Salt to taste (add this last as the chicken broth is salty)

Skillet Version:

Saute onion & garlic in oil until tender. Add chilies, beans and seasonings. Let cook down, adding broth or water as needed. Stir and mash until desired consistency is reached. Taste-test and add salt if needed.

Crock Pot Version:

Dried Beans: Add 6 cups of water (or 3 cups broth/3cups water for more flavor) to a crock pot. Add 2 cups of dried beans- no need to pre-soak for crock pot cooking. 

Canned Beans: Add 2 cups water (or 1 cup broth/1 cup water for more flavor) to the crock pot. Add 4 cans slightly drained beans.

Add the rest of ingredients, minus the salt. Omit oil/butter if desired. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until beans are soft. Mash up the beans with a potato masher, draining off excess liquid if necessary. Taste-test and add salt if needed.

Shepherd's Pie

A fall/winter favorite at our house is Shepherd's Pie. Good comfort food that is easy to tweak to your own tastes. I'm including a couple of sauce variations you can try. This can also be done in the crock pot when you need to eat in a hurry, just layer the ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3/4-1 lb. ground beef

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 c. grated cheese ( I use 1/2 c. sharp cheddar)

12-16 oz. frozen veggies ( we've tried green beans, mixed veggies, peas, and corn- the favorite is the bag of organic mixed veggies from Costco)

1 - 10 oz. can tomato soup

6 small potatoes, mashed with some of the cooking water

1/2 cup milk

1 t. salt

Start by chopping potatoes and putting them on to boil. In a skillet, brown beef in the oil. Add onion , salt and pepper. Saute until onion is tender. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish (this is what the recipe calls for, but I have found it fits nicely in an 8x8 square dish). Top meat mixture with frozen veggies. Pour tomato soup over top. Drain potatoes, reserving some liquid, mash. Add milk and salt, spread over soup. Top with cheese.

If you must use instant potatoes, get the potato pearls from the Church cannery. They are excellent.

Sauce variations: 

Brown the beef with 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, 2 T. ketchup, and 3/4 c. of beef broth. Top with veggies and potatoes. Omit the tomato soup.

Brown the beef with 2 T. Worcestershire sauce. Add a packet of brown gravy mix to 1 cup water, stir into browned beef. Omit the tomato soup.

Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna (Refried Bean Casserole)

Mexican Lasagna

(Refried Bean Casserole)

This layered dinner of awesomeness is similar to lasagna, except with Mexican ingredients. Or if you are boring you can just call it Refried Bean Casserole. This is the easiest recipe I have ever done. And there's a lot of room for your own spin on it.

1-2 cans refried beans

1 can corn

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can pinto beans

cheese

salsa

tortillas

These are only some ingredient suggestions. Others are welcome!

Each ingredient size is approximate and depends on what or how much you want in your lasagna. This will serve around 4-6 people.

1. Layer ingredients as desired in pan (I recommend starting with a tortilla on the very bottom). In case this seems too vague, you put the tortilla in the bottom, add two or three ingredients spread lightly over the top, then another tortilla. Add 2 or 3 other ingredients lightly spread out. Add another tortilla. 2-3 more ingredients. Etc. Continue until it is at desired height. (I recommend ending with a tortilla and sprinkling with cheese. It's crunchy!)

2. Cook at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (or until it is warm all the way through).

3. Tastes excellent served with lettuce and sour cream.

4. Easy as that!

Egg-Stuffed Zucchini

Egg-Stuffed Zucchini
We found this delicious quick recipe from Nathan's mission president's cookbook we got as a gift. It has quickly become a favorite. Easy and tasty!

4 medium zucchini

1 large tomato

3 beaten eggs

dash of pepper

1/2 C water

2 T butter

1/4 t salt

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Serves 4

1. Half the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Chop up the pulp.

2. Place the zucchini shells cut side down in a large skillet. Add water and simmer covered until tender (approx. 5-6 minutes)

3. Drain and turn cut side up.

4. Meanwhile, cook pulp and tomato in butter until tender (3ish minutes)

5. Add eggs, salt, and pepper.

6. Cook mixture until done.

7. Spoon mixture into zucchini shells and top with cheese.

8. Cover and heat until cheese melts.

9. Eat it!