Refried Beans

Refried Beans David & Jennifer Edgecomb (with a little change from mary : )

Fill crock pot 1/3 full with sorted, rinsed pinto beans (about 5 cups). Cover beans with lots of water. Add 5 TBS of raw apple cider vinegar (this will stop the beans from causing gas and bloating. If you're not worried about it you can omit this step). Soak beans overnight or up to 24 hours. In the morning, pour off water and rinse well and then fill with enough fresh water to cover plus about 2 inches. Cook on high heat until very tender (4-6 hrs.). When beans are tender add to crock pot ½ chopped yellow onion, 1-2 cloves of fresh crushed garlic, 2-3 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. ground oregano, and 2 Tbs. butter (or other fat or omit if you don't want fat). Mash with potato masher for coarse beans or blend in blender for smooth beans. Keeps well in fridge for several days or can be frozen.

We make these once a week in the winter (it's too hot in the summer to cook them all day). We split them into about 3-4 containers and freeze. I pull these out if we need a quick meal during the week. You can use them with tortillas, tortilla chips, or just put some cheese and sour cream on top. Once you get used to these you'll never go back to canned refried beans.