Homemade "Refried" Beans and Guacamole

My Husband loves Mexican food; I'm pretty sure he would eat it every day if he could. Now that we are vegan, I have learned that I love it too as long as it isn't very spicy. But, who knew that many refried bean recipes have lard in them? The traditional refried beans in the can from the grocery store have lard, and even many Mexican restaurants put lard in their refried beans. So, I put together a lard- free recipe for refried beans that I can throw into the slow cooker. Whenever I want to earn brownie points, I whip up these refried beans to go along with one of his favorite Mexican dishes.

I also wrote down directions (I typically eye-ball the ingredient amounts so this is my best guess-timate!) for guacamole that my husband insists is the best guac he's ever had.

"Refried" Beans

• 2 lb bag of dry pinto beans
• 3 medium-large onions, chopped
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbs salt
• 1 ½ tbs ground black pepper
• 3 tsp ground cumin

Soak beans overnight, drain and rinse well the next morning. 

Place beans, onion, garlic, and seasonings in slow cooker. Cover beans with water - you may need to add water to them as they cook to keep them covered. Cook on high for 8-9 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on your slow cooker, you want the beans to have that nice light brown color and be soft all the way through. 

Strain the liquid from the beans and set the liquid aside. Place half of the beans into a blender or food processor, blend until texture is smooth. Add 1-2 cups of reserved liquid and blend until well mixed. Pour beans into a bowl and set aside. 

Add the remaining half of the beans to the blender or food processor. Pulse a few times, beans should still be slightly chunky. Add 1-2 cups reserved liquid and pulse a couple of more times until well incorporated. Add to the bowl with first half of the beans, give a good stir until well mixed. 

This can be adjusted until desired texture or consistency is reached.

Serve beans hot. Beans freeze well in quart sized freezer bags. 

Guacamole

• 3 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced into small chunks 
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (approximately 2 tsp)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. 

May God Bless!

Ashley