Beans, mexican style

So you thought I was going to post about beans on Friday. That was before the modem stopped talking to me again, and I started having contractions. (They've stopped for the moment, but I got distracted by all of the things I still have to do before I feel ready for this baby and thought I had 2 weeks left to finish.)

Anyway, I'm typing this on the laptop, which I hate, but I am so dedicated to y'all that I will do it anyway, forgive the typos.

This recipe is the only refried beans recipe I ever use any more and I totally didn't invent it. This is verbatim from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles

Frijoles

3 cups water
1cup dry pinto, black, or kidney beans
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp minced, seeded jalapeno peppers, or more to taste (I've used chili pepper or jalapeno hot sauce here in a pinch and it works out fine.)
3 (I use 6)cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes

1.Place the water, beans, onions, pepers, 1/2 the minced garlic, and the bay leaf in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in the salt and discard the bay leaf; simmer 30 minutes longer. (I just put this all in a crock pot on low for 8 hours or so and add the salt an hour or so before the end.)

2. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and remaining garlic. Cook stirring until tomatoes soften, about 3 mintues.

3. Place tomatoes and 1/2 cup of beans in a food processor container fitted with a steel blade, like a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Stir into bean pot and cook 10 minutes longer.


I like to make a big batch and eat it all week, or freeze in portions for later.

This is for Kate in Spain.

Yes there is a difference between the taste of different colored lentils. But the stronger the spices in the dish, the less likely you are to be able to notice a difference. The main difference is the red lentils are smaller, and cook a lot faster than green or brown so in Dahl for instance you end up with something more like mush than individual lentil texture.

In the next few days, if I don't go into active labor yet, I intend to post some recipes for holiday dinner side dishes and answer Mariah's question of many months ago, it seems, about kicking an entrenched sugar habit.