How To: Make Refried Beans

To say that my family likes refried beans would be the understatement of the year. I think we'd starve without them!  They are my go to meal at least once and often twice a week. They are usually consumed in some form for lunch 4-5 times a week. And, if you're feeling a little under the weather in the Benedict house, we'll offer you a tortilla with beans and cheese. Why you ask? Because Matt thinks they make everything, including upset tummy's, better!

Last year I read some articles that sited research about BPA in the lining of cans contaminating the food inside them. Eating beans, not just refried beans, has become our main source of protein. The easiest way to get beans is in cans. I knew I would never be able to totally eliminate canned foods from our diet, sometimes we just need the connivence of the can, but I knew we could reduce the amount of canned products we were eating and that the best place to start was with the refried beans. So, I began researching how to make my own refried beans. When I learned that I could make a large batch of beans and freeze the leftovers for later, I was sold.  

So, here is my "How to Make Refried Beans Benedict Style!"  Enjoy!

Recipe: Refried Beans

Total Time Needed:  All day...but only about an hour of hands on work!

3 c dried pinto beans

1 onion

1/2 fresh or frozen jalapeno or other hot pepper

2 T minced garlic or garlic cloves

4 t salt

1 1/2 t ground pepper

1 T cumin

1/2 T chili powder

9 cups water

Step 1: Pour dried beans into a colander to rinse.  Before rinsing, sift through the beans and remove any broken, split, and rock like beans.  After all the broken once are gone, rinse the beans with cold water.

Beans ready to be sorted through and rinsed.

The broken beans I removed from my beans.

Step 2: Place the dried beans in a glass bowl and cover with water.  You should use a 1:3 ratio; one cup of beans to 3 cups of water.  I usually rinse and put my beans aside to soak first thing in the morning.  I want them to soak for at least 4 hours before cooking.  Its okay if it goes a little longer.  

Step 3: Usually around 1:00, I prep my soaked beans to cook.  I quarter an onion and chop up a hot pepper.  I've been using a hot pepper I grew in my garden that I've frozen, but you could also us a jalapeno pepper.  The more spice you like, the more hot pepper you should add.

I put the onion, pepper into a large stock pot and add garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

Then I drain the beans that have been soaking and rinse them again.  I add them to the pot and again add water at the 1:3 ratio.

Step 4:  Now its time to cook the beans.  I usually cook the beans on medium-medium high heat for about 1-2 hours.  Once the water takes on a murky, mushy bean color, I reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for another 2-3 hours.

Step 5:  Once the beans are fully cooked its time to make refried beans!  You will need to drain the beans and reserve some of the liquid.  This is the set-up I use.  I put my colander in one of my mixing bowls.

Then I set the bowls in the sink...bean splatter...and pour the beans into the colander.

Then I pour the beans into a large bowl and use my potato masher to mash the beans!  This is a great arm work out :-)  You want to mash the beans, adding the reserved liquid, until you get the consistency you desire.  Remember the big pieces of onion we cooked with the beans?   You'll notice big chunks of them as you mash, but they should break up easily into the beans.

Step 6:  Enjoy!  Here is what my big bowl of beans looked like when I was finished.  Our favorite way to enjoy fresh refried is with fresh, homemade flour tortillas.  I'll share the recipe for those on here soon.

So there is no way we can eat all of these beans in one sitting.  So after we eat our fill, I divide the leftovers into smaller containers and let cool.  (Forgot to take a picture of this)  After they have cooled, I put the beans in the freezer.  When we're ready for more beans, I set a frozen container of beans on the counter for about 4 hours until it defrosts.

One more thing before I send you off to make your own beans.  Rinse all utensils and bowls used to make beans immediately after using them.  Dried beans turn into cement and it will take you lots of scrubbing and some muttering under the breath to get you dishes bean free again.  :-)

Happy Bean Making!

Loving People

On my way home from work tonight I saw a bumper sticker that made me smile.

Love people.

Cook them yummy food

I've been thinking a lot about life and what's important to me, what I enjoy.  I love to cook for my family and friends.  I love making food and the act of sitting down with family and friends to enjoy a meal together.  It warms my heart to cook for people and see the smile of pure contentment when they take that first bite.   What thrills me even more is when I can make something so wholesome and healthy, but no one has to know because it tastes so good.  When I know Matt is having a hard day, my way of loving him is to make him a yummy treat.  Maybe cooking is my way of loving people?

However, cooking for others also scares me.  What if I make something they don't like?  What if my recipe flops?  I've made many of those...Most recently I opened the wrong side of the salt and dumped over a tablespoon of salt in our soup.  I tried to get a lot of it out, but all you could taste was the salt.  Yuck!...  I always worry when I make something to give to people.  I worry that my gift of food will be more a burden than a joy.  I worry that people will see my gift as prideful and so often I shy away from sharing and in my own way, shy away from loving the people God has placed in my life.  So it is my prayer that God's love and heart for the people in my life would over take my insecurities and shyness and that I would love all the people God has put in my life and cook yummy food to share.  So don't be surprised if you get a dinner invite or some yummy cookies sometime soon :-)  Also, keep checking back as I've been brainstorming, cooking, and taking pics of some yummy recipes I want to share with you on here.

Pumpkin Muffins

Matt and I celebrated ten years of marriage a week ago today.  Wow!  It seems like yesterday, but yet I have a hard time imagining life without him.  I am truly blessed.  Now, I'm sure you are wondering why I bring this up in a post titled "Pumpkin Muffin."  The answer is quit simple, it was Matt who introduced me to the amazingness of Pumpkin Muffins while we were dating.  Matt had put together a pumpkin muffin recipe that was famous in his family and he made them for me.  One bite and I was in love...with the boy who made them and the muffins themselves. :-)  After we married, I was given permission to make the muffins myself.  I remember the shock I felt when I first saw the recipe.  They have veggies in them, they should be healthy...WRONG!  The original recipe has 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups of oil, and 2 cups of sugar for 24 muffins.  So as the years went by, I continued to make them but in limited amounts each fall.

Then after Zane was born I started baking and experimenting with making healthier baked goods for my family.  One of the first recipes that needed tackling was the pumpkin muffins.  The first time I made this new and improved recipe for Matt I didn't tell him that they were his muffins healthified.  He gobbled them up.  I've continued to make them every fall and they are one of our family's favorite fall treats.  The new recipe has no eggs, no oil, and only 1/2 cup of butter and 1 1/3 cup sugar for 24 muffins.  Enjoy :-)

Pumpkin Muffins
Makes 24 muffins


1/2 cup butter, soften
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2t baking soda
1 cup applesauce
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white chocolate chips, raisins, or nuts...whatever make you happy!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line 24 muffin cups.

2. Cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar.  You want to mix until it gets fluffy.

3. Dissolve the baking soda in the 1 cup of applesauce.  Combine the applesauce and pumpkin with the butter/sugar mixture.

4.  Add the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.  Mix in the flour one cup at a time.

5.  Fold in white chocolate chips or whatever you are using.


6. Fill grease/lined muffin tins about 3/4 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are firm on top.

7. Enjoy as soon as they are cool enough to not burn your mouth.  Zane was so excited to have one.  No sooner had I pulled the muffins out of the tin and turned around to grab my camera had Zane pulled up a stool and was drooling over them.  The smile is so big because I promised he could have one if he gave me a good smile!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, with the Hanners Twist

First, a little update on the family...
 
...So, this has not been our year as far as health goes.  We've seemed to have caught every cold and flu bug that's come our way...part of the reason I've not been posting lately.  I commented to Matt this morning that normally we don't use medicine up before it expires.  Not this year.  Not only have we been using it up, but I bought the extra large bottle the other day because we've used so much.  NO GOOD.  So if you think about it, pray for health for us. We are a little run down and discouraged by so much sickness.

...As far as business goes, its been good.  Matt's has jobs on the books through the end of May.  We are so amazed and thankful at how God has provided for our family.

Now on to the fun stuff!  So you have probably gotten the idea that I like to make healthy treats for my family to enjoy.  All of my boys have a good sweet tooth and they come by in honestly.  Lately, my mission has been to come up with some healthy cookie recipes that tasted great, satisfied the sweet tooth, and was some what healthy for you.  So here is my latest attempt.  They have only 70 calories per cookie, no refined sugars(except for the chocolate chips), and taste great.  Hope you enjoy!

The cookie dough.

1 Tablespoon of cookie dough on the sheets.

Flattened cookies ready to bake.

  

All done and ready to enjoy.

Hanner's Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup peanut butter

4 Tablespoon butter

1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs

1/3 cup honey

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two cookie sheets
2. Mix oats, whole wheat flour baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
3. Cream peanut butter, butter, eggs, honey, and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and mix.  Stir in chocolate chips.
4.  Use a cookie scoop or moisten hands and roll 1 Tablespoon of batter into balls.  Place on cookie sheet and flatten.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Cool for about 2 minutes before transferring to cookie sheet.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Yum!  I love chocolate chip cookies, especially in the cold months when ice cream just makes me colder than I already am.   The boys in my house, well I'm not going to even try and express their feelings for chocolate cookies.  It would take to much time!  Yesterday I found a recipe that everyone is loving, including picky Zane.  Here's the catch, not only do they taste great and satisfy that sweet craving, but I don't feel to guilty eating one or even two!  You'll understand once you read the ingredients.  Here is the yummy recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from "Bev's Chocolate Chip Cookies"  I doubled the recipe and made some changes.

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 T ground flax seed + 3 T water

1 T vanilla

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat flour

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grind oats in food processor or blender.
3. Cream together until smooth butter, applesauce, sugars, egg, ground flax seed + water, and vanilla.  Add baking soda and salt.
4. Combine the ground oats, white and wheat flour.  Add to the wet ingredients while beater is running.  Beat at low speed until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.
5.  Grease cookie sheet.  Drop by heaping teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake about 15 minutes until firm around edges and golden on top.  Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

So I have in my mind some ways to adapt and change the recipe.  I'll post any successes but for now...Enjoy:-)

...Makin' Banana Pancakes...

When Zane was a baby, he loved Jack Johnson.  I spent many nights walking the living room listening to Jack Johnson's "Banana Pancakes."  Little did I know that the lyrics to that song would inspire a recipe I now make 2-3 times a week.

One of the most popular foods in this house is pancakes.  I make pancakes about 2-3 mornings a week, every week.  For many years I used the Bisquick baking mix to make pancakes, but with the quantity that was being consumed in my house, I made it my mission to come up with a recipe that was both easy and healthy.

Back to pancakes.  Pancakes often are full of eggs, oil, & sugar.  It makes them yummy, but it also makes them full of empty carbs and fat.  About a year ago, I came up with a simple, yummy, healthy, and...by the way...whole wheat pancake recipe.  When I was thinking about what to replace the eggs, oil and sugar with, I was reminded of the "Banana Pancake" song.  I replaced applesauce for oil, ground flax seed for eggs, and bananas for the sugar/oil.  I save the leftover pancakes in the fridge and the boys toast them and enjoy them pretty much every morning of the week.  I've shared the recipe with lots of friends and was asked for it again today.  It got me thinking that it might be something that everyone would enjoy.

Hannah's Banana Pancakes
1 Banana, mashed
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
2 T ground flax seed
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 c milk
2 c whole wheat flour
1 c oatmeal
*Note: I often add 1t cinnamon or frozen or fresh berries.


1. Combine mashed banana, applesauce, ground flax seed, baking soda, and salt.  Add milk.  Mix in the flour and oatmeal.
2. Heat griddle to 250-300 degrees.  Melt butter.  Pour batter on griddle.  Cook each side 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cures for the Cookie Monster

Healthy cooking is one of my passions.  I love taking foods that we love to eat and figuring out how I can make them healthy and still taste good.  These are a yummy alternative to cookies. We all enjoy them at our house!

Banana Cookies

Getting Ready to go into the oven.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com "Healthy Banana Cookies"

Ingredients:
3 ripe Bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mash banans. Stir in oats, applesauce, vanilla, raisins, and chocolate chips.  Mix well and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  Drop by teaspoonsfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten a little as the cookies come out exactly how you put them in.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven or until lightly brown.

* You can substitute the raisins and chocolate chips for whatever sounds good to you: apples, craisins, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, etc...you get the idea.

Ready to Eat!