Friday, March 22, 2013

Frugal Foodie Friday - Slow-Cooker Refried Beans with Salsa and Refried Bean Burritos




From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's Frugal Foodie Friday and tonight's focus is beans. Beans are often worked into the meals of those who must closely watch their food budgets. Fortunately, they are cheap, nutritious and can be delicious when they are properly prepared. I have a series of recipes to share with you tonight, but the jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the fat-free refried beans which are made in a slow-cooker. I've adapted a popular internet recipe to the tastes of my family, and while it makes a lot of refried beans, they, fortunately, can be frozen and used as needed for other meals. Tonight, however, I'm using a portion of them as the base for a low cost burrito supper, that is especially appealing to children and teenagers. To keep costs under control, I've also made the salsa that is used to flavor the burritos. The beans, of course, take time to cook, but they can be ready for the slow-cooker in about 5 minutes. The salsa and the burritos are also quick to make. If your family enjoys Mexican-style food and you are looking for a meatless entree, I hope you'll give this series of recipes which follow a try.

I came across this article on Shine and I thought some of you might find the story of a family's voluntarily participation in the SNAP program interesting. Their story can be found here.



Slow-Cooker Refried Beans...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and sorted
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
6 cups of water

Directions:
Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours, adding up to one additional cup of water if beans appear to be dry as they cook. Reserving liquid, strain beans into bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth, adding reserved bean bean liquid to achieve desired consistency. Adjust salt to taste. If not used immediately chill or freeze. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.



Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, sugar and salt in bowl of a food processor. Cover and process until desired consistency. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.



Rice and Refried Bean Burritos...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home magazine 

Ingredients:
2 cups refried beans
1 cup salsa
1 cup cooked white or brown rice
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
12 flour tortillas (6 to 7 inches)

Directions:
1) Combine beans, salsa, rice and 1 cup cheese in a bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup off-center on each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.
2) Arrange burritos in a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25
minutes or until heated through. Yield: 1 dozen.







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14 comments :

Ginny Hartzler said...

This looks like something you would get in a really fancy restaurant! I see your flowerpot bread below. Many years ago, like maybe 30, we used to eat at a restaurant called The Spinnaker and this is the bread they served everyone.

Life's a shoe said...

what a great recipe! been meaning to make burritos for a while now..thanks for sharing!

Lynn said...

I love making dried beans and will give this recipe a try! Thanks Mary:@)

Angie's Recipes said...

I love my slow cooker! The refried bean burrito looks heavnly!

Debbie said...

Oh I love this dish. Would you believe this is the first recipe I have seen for refried beans? Crazy! It's a keeper!

Joanne said...

I ADORE refried beans! The flavor, the texture...yum. They sound perfect in those burritos!

Tricia @ saving room for dessert said...

This is a very useful recipe - I'm sure I will make this one!

June12345 said...

Mary, I was just looking at your 2009 recipe for Kaiser Rolls. You said you might improve on this recipe have you changed it at all since the 2009 posting?(They look so wonderful I don't know how you could possible improve them).

Where did you purchase the Malt powder

Thank you

June

Mary Bergfeld said...

June, I've not changed the recipe for Kaiser rolls. Time is at a premium and it makes revisiting recipes difficult to do. You can get malt on the King Arthur site and at some natural food stores. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

teresa said...

i've been meaning to turn a bunch of my dried beans into refried beans, thanks for the reminder! these look so good!

A Sunflower Life said...

This looks delicious! I love burritos, both for their taste and cost savings.

Tanna said...

This one fits right in with Texas cuisine, Mary! I've never tried the slow cooker method for beans; but with your stamp of approval, I'm going to have to give it a whirl! Wishing you a wonderful weekend. blessings ~ tanna

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

We always make our beans like this my friend, they are always delicious :D

Cheers
CCU

Unknown said...

My friend Ruben makes some pretty killer refried beans, but it takes a long time to make.. your way would be so much better.. I never thought to do them in the slow-cooker. They look perfect!

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