Recipe: Homemade Refried Beans

... And now for something completely different.

So, it's a little heavy around here, right? What with the activism and the inspiration and the visits to prison?

Here's some food activism for you, then.

As I've been working to dramatically decrease the number of canned products I buy (if I can't get a BPA-free can), I realized I would have to find a substitute for one of my staple foods - canned refried beans. I'm rather famous in my family for my love of beans (c'mon, they are like the perfect food - filled with protein and fiber and deliciousness). There are a couple of companies, like Eden Organics, that make plain canned beans that are both readily available in many regular grocery stores and come in BPA-free cans. However, it's much harder to find the refried beans in my local groceries.

Luckily, I've discovered that making refried beans is incredibly easy and they taste 1000 times better if you make them at home. It really doesn't even seem like the same food. Just goes to show that most of the food we buy is processed to the point that we don't even know how the real thing tastes.

Before the recipe, a couple of notes:

• Traditionally, refried beans are made with lard or bacon fat or some other animal fat. Because I don't eat red meat, I use butter in the recipe. It's extremely tasty, but if you are a carnivore and you want something more authentic you could substitute fat from an animal, I suppose.
• You need cooked pinto or black beans for the recipe. I usually cook them in my slow cooker and then save 2-cup portions in my freezer, along with the liquid from the slow cooker. You can use canned beans, but of course, you want to be sure that you find one that says, "this can was made with a liner that does not include BPA," or something similar. 
• I usually make my beans in the slow cooker with onion, garlic, and cumin. If I do, I reduce the amounts in the recipe below. The recipe below is written as if you're using plain beans.

Homemade Refried Beans

Ingredients:

• Cooked pinto or black beans with the liquid. For each cup of beans you use, you'll need:
• 1 tbsp. butter
• quarter of an onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I like less salt than many Americans, so you could use a little more if it's not flavorful enough for you)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Step 1: Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it's just about melted, throw in the onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Step 2: Add the beans and the spices. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes or until the liquid is mostly reduced.

Step 3: Take the beans off the heat and mash with a potato masher until they are the consistency you want - I like mine to be chunky.

Step 4: Let sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.

You can then use these in tacos or burritos, or as a side dish. Yum!

Recipe: Tomato Sauce with Sausage and Spinach

For most of my life, I've had a complex. Call it Sauce-ophobia. I've always thought the idea of making sauces to be a super-human cooking feat. This may be because my dad, who was the cook in our family, quested for years to make the perfect spaghetti sauce. Or it may be because people on Top Chef say things like, "my sauce broke! I'm going to be on the bottom for sure!"

And then came Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. This sauce, one of the first Smitten Kitchen recipes I ever tried, literally has three ingredients (tomatoes, onion, and butter). Foodie friends swear by this recipe. It's so simple, a child (not a metaphorical child, but a literal child) could make it.

I've used the techniques I learned from that recipe to overcome my fear of sauces. This one, Tomato Sauce with Sausage and Spinach, is my favorite.

A couple of notes:

• I like to use Applegate Organics Chicken and Turkey Andouille Sausage. I don't eat red meat or pork, and this is one of the few sausages that doesn't have a pork casing. It's also incredibly tasty. You could use any andouille or Italian sausage in the recipe. If you're vegetarian, you could use a veggie Italian sausage like Field Roast. If your sausage is uncooked, sear it in a little oil (you don't have to cook through) before you get started. Then put it on a plate, and when it's cool enough, slice it diagonally. This will allow the slices to hold together. I've also used ground turkey sausage in the sauce, but I prefer links.
• I serve this sauce with papardelle, a wide, flat Italian pasta - it looks like ribbons. You can choose any pasta, but I like papardelle because the large surface area collects a lot of the delicious sauce. However, papardelle can be hard to find. If you have Whole Foods in your town, they have it there. For Texas residents, Spec's superstores have a much cheaper option. If you don't have a gourmet market, though, you might try orechiette pasta or fettuccine. 
• If you want, you can add chopped mushrooms or bell pepper at the same time you add onion in the recipe below.
  
• This recipe takes at least an hour of cooking time - most of that is inactive, though, so you can go watch a couple of episodes of The Mindy Project while it's cooking.

Papardelle

Tomato Sauce with Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 yellow onion, coarsley chopped
28 oz. stewed tomatoes (choose a BPA-free can) or 3-4 cups if you make your own. Drain most, but not all, of the liquid.
salt 
pepper
oregano
bay leaf
1-2 c. chopped fresh spinach
4-5 links andouille or Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, or vegetarian)
2 capfuls of balsamic vinegar
8 oz. of papardelle or orther pasta, cooked

For garnish:
fresh parsley
shaved parmesan

Step 1: Place butter in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. When the butter is about half melted, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. You should still have a lump of solid butter in the pan.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano to taste (about a teaspoon of salt and oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, if you're into measuring). Add a bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer for about 40 minutes, occasionally stirring and crushing the tomatoes up against the walls of the pot.
Step 3: Add the spinach and sausage. Simmer for at least 20 more minutes, but you can simmer for as long as 40 minutes.
Step 4: Add the balsamic.Stir.
Step 5: Stir the pasta into the sauce. Serve in bowls with a garnish of parsley and shaved parm.

Buon appetito!

Recipe: Slow Cooker Stewed Tomatoes

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I've been experimenting with giving up canned foods. I couldn't imagine giving up canned foods without having a replacement for canned, stewed tomatoes. I almost never buy pre-made sauces, so I've made my own red sauces with canned tomatoes.

With a slow cooker, however, it's easy (but messy!) to make your own stewed tomatoes. They can be frozen and used whenever you need them.

Ingredients:

9-12 ripe tomatoes

1/2-1 yellow onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

oregano

salt 

pepper

bay leaf

Step 1: Prepare your space. You'll need a big pot, a small bowl for trash (skins, tomato innards, stems), a large bowl of ice water, and a bowl for your tomatoes. You'll also need a cutting board and knife. I'm not going to lie, the first time I tried this, I made a huge mess. But don't give up! The second time, I was able to keep the mess contained. Have your slow cooker ready (mine is 3.5 quarts).

Step 2: Blanch (or quickly boil) the tomatoes. Fill a large pot 2/3 with water, and get it boiling. Then -- carefully, so you don't burn yourself -- pour in the tomatoes. Leave them in the water for 2-3 minutes, or until the skins begin to split.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the bowl of ice water. Wait a couple of minutes, until they are cool enough to touch.

Step 4: Peel and core the tomatoes. You should be able to simply pinch the peels and they'll come off. Discard the peels. Scoop out the tomato innards (seeds and liquid - if you don't, your stewed tomatoes will be too watery.) Chop the tomatoes if you want diced tomatoes; leave them whole if you want whole tomatoes ... I know, crazy, right?

 Step 5: Place the onions, garlic, and tomatoes in the slow cooker. I don't usually measure my spices, but you want about a tablespoon of oregano, a teaspoon or less of salt, and a half teaspoon of pepper. Throw in the bay leaf. 

Turn your slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours.

That's it! The tomatoes can be used just like any canned tomatoes. Freeze them in 2 cup portions and thaw when you're ready.