Refried Beans From Scratch

My mother in law recently gave us some new crop pinto beans, and they are so good. The fresh taste of the beans makes it worth the effort to make them from scratch and then fry them up. If you plan ahead for the cooking time in your crock pot, these come together quickly once the beans are cooked through. I find that with these fresh pinto beans, I don't even need to soak them.

Refried Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup dried pinto beans
3 cups water

1 tsp olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, diced (1/3 cup diced onion)

1 tsp liquid smoke
Pinch of garlic powder
Salt to taste

Optional - add a pinch of cumin and a pinch of dried oregano

Directions:

Cover the beans in a slow cooker with the 3 cups of water and cook on low for several hours (older beans can take up to 8, while new crop beans can be done in 4). It is okay to cook them for a long time. On low the water won't evaporate too quickly and you want the beans to be soft for mashing.

When the beans are cooked through, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, and saute the diced onion on medium low until it begins to soften. Once the onions are translucent, add the beans to the pan and mash them with a potato masher. Add some of the cooking liquid to get a nice consistency. Keep mashing and adding a little liquid until they are to your liking. Add a tsp of liquid smoke and a pinch of garlic powder. Taste the beans and add a little salt.

Makes 3 cups of refried beans