Refried beans without the refry

This is one of my favorite sides to make with fajitas, enchiladas, tacos, taquitos -- any tex-mex. I also use it for bean & cheese burritos for those busy nights.

Refried beans without the refry
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6-8 hours
Servings: 15

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 C dry pinto beans, rinsed and picked
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 T garlic, minced
• 5 t chicken bouillon
• 1 3/4 t fresh ground pepper
• 1/8 t cumin
• 9 C water

Place onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, bouillon, pepper and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in water and stir to combine. Cook on high for 6 or more hours, adding more water as needed (shouldn't need any more). Once beans have cooked, strain and reserve liquid. mash, adding reserved liquid to reach desired consistency. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 191 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  140 Calories from Fat  5

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  0.5g 1%

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  19mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates  25.4g 8%

Dietary Fiber  6.3g 25%

Sugars  1.2g

Protein  8.5g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 7% Calcium 5% • Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• Very low in cholesterol
• Very low in sodium
• Low in sugar
• High in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• High in magnesium
• High in phosphorus
• High in potassium
• High in selenium
• High in thiamin
• Very high in vitamin B6

Southwestern Three-Bean and Barley Soup

Boy, do I love me some slow cooker meals.

Well, let me include a caveat: I love me some slow cooker meals IF I can remember to start them in morning.

That being said, when I DO start my slow cooker meal on time, it is heavenly. HERE is the original recipe sans my modifications.

Southwestern Three-Bean and Barley Soup: 
Servings: 6
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours




Ingredients:

• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 4 C water
• 4 C vegetable broth
• 1/2 C pearl barley
• 1/2 C dried black beans
• 1/2 C dried great northern beans
• 1/2 C dried kidney beans
• 2 T chili powder
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1 T fresh oregano

Directions: 

Rinse beans and combine all ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low.

Serve topped with cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice, and cheddar or sour cream ... or eat plain! It's great either way.

Unless you like your beans a little "al dente" (how else would you describe it? They're not crunchy, they're just not from a can ... ), I recommend soaking them the night before. I always forget to soak mine, though, so I'm pretty used to "al dente." 

Also, if you're interested in a stove-top version (for those of us who can't seem to remember to start the slow cooker in the morning), follow the link at the top of the page to the original recipe. I can't vouch for the stove top version, but it oughtta work just fine. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 443 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 296 Calories from Fat 42

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.7g 7%

Saturated Fat 0.9g 4%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 567mg 24%

Total Carbohydrates 49.4g 16%

Dietary Fiber 13.0g 52%

Sugars 4.1g

Protein 16.2g

Vitamin A 97% • Vitamin C 13% Calcium 11% • Iron 26%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• Very high in vitamin A
• Very high in vitamin B6

Slow Cooker Minestrone

This recipe is dedicated to Nicole Bywater. Nicole: I'm very sorry I spaced sending you this. I miss you. Come to Texas, please.

This recipe came from HERE, but I add a lot more veggies substitute beans for the pasta. I'm giving you my version. If you want the website's, click the pic or the link above.

• 4 C chicken broth
• 4 C tomato juice (I use tomato sauce or paste; whichever I have on hand. Tomato sauce is 1 part sauce to 2 parts water, paste is 1:4)
• 1 Tbsp dried basil leaves (If you want to go fresh, dried herbs are usually 3x more potent; this would be 3 Tbsp fresh basil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 C mushrooms, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 15 oz diced tomatoes (1 can, I sometimes use a couple fresh tomatoes ... again, depends what I have on hand)
• 15 oz kidney beans (1 can)
• (optional - 1 lb browned sausage)
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except cheese. 

Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.

Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese. Makes about six servings. 

Nutrition facts do NOT include sausage.  

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 540 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 349 Calories from Fat 29

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3.2g 5%

Saturated Fat 1.1g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 4mg 1%

Sodium 1437mg 60%

Total Carbohydrates 59.6g 20%

Dietary Fiber 13.8g 55%

Sugars 12.2g

Protein 23.6g

Vitamin A 130% • Vitamin C 77% Calcium 16% • Iron 35%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• Very low in cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• High in phosphorus
• High in potassium
• High in thiamin
• Very high in vitamin A
• Very high in vitamin C

Bad points

• High in sodium

I really like this recipe for a few reasons: 

1. It's in the crock pot. Practically any crock pot recipe is a great recipe because labor is minimal, quality is high ... you get the picture.
2. It's super healthy -- just check the nutrition facts above.
3. Bake a fresh loaf of wheat bread and you have yourself a cozy, delicious meal that's great for company or just your family. 

Enjoy!