Healthy Vegan Refried Beans
When you use flavorful, heirloom beans you don't need to do much to have tasty refried beans. Not only don't you need lard or bacon fat, you don't actually need any fat at all if you want to have a healthier take on this Mexican staple. Strictly speaking these are not refried beans because they are not fried in fat, but we honestly don't miss it at all so call it bean dip or mashed beans or perhaps they are UN-fried beans. Whatever you want to call them, we call them delicious. This recipe works with Bayo beans, Chaparro, Flor de Mayo, Peruano, Maycoba, Ojo de Cabra, Tepary Beans, Rio Zape and so much more.
*A Note On Our Recipes:
Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.
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Healthy Vegan Refried Beans
Lisa Riznikove
Mexican
Side Dish
When you use flavorful, heirloom beans you don't need to do much to have tasty refried beans. Not only don't you need lard or bacon fat, you don't actually need any fat at all if you want to have a healthier take on this Mexican staple.
Ingredients
½ pound dry beans of your choice
4” strip of Kombu
1 Caribbean bay leaf
1/2 onion finely diced
Head of garlic with the top sliced off
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Lime Wedge
Fresh Cilantro (optional)
Directions
Rinse and pick through the beans and add them to the pot of your choice. (pressure cooker works here too)
Add enough water to cover the beans by an inch and the rest of the ingredients. Bring them to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer the beans and onions until the beans are very soft and the onion has almost melted into the beans, adding water occasionally to keep the beans covered. (about 90 minutes to 2 hours).
Remove the bay leaf, kombu and garlic head. Squeeze some of the cooked garlic out of the head of garlic into the pot. Drain most of the water off the beans but reserve it to add back in. Mash the beans with a potato masher or puree in a food processor for a smoother finished product. Add the bean cooking liquid ¼ cup at a time until you have the consistency you are looking for. We like ours a bit chunky with bits of the delicious beans. Add the juice of a small lime wedge and taste the beans, adding salt or lime juice as needed. Top with chopped fresh cilantro and enjoy.