And I chose to make. . .

I wrote yesterday about cooking pinto beans in the pressure cooker and promised to let you know today what I made with them.  And the answer is Yummy bean dip. 


The nice thing about a pot full of pinto beans is that you have a few options.  You can do re-fried beans like I did and use them for bean burritos, tacos, bean dip, plain re-fried beans, etc.  You can also add tomatoes and ground beef along with some seasonings and you have chili.  Add veggies and some onion you have a yummy bean soup.  While the possibilities aren't endless they certainly are numerous!


There is nothing SO yummy as bean dip made from homemade re-fried beans.  They don't have that gross smell when you open the can, and they taste a million times better!!!

So yesterday we left our beans looking like this:

Nice and soft and easy to mash.  Now I prefer fat-free re-fried beans.  I know that some people like the extra flavor that oil gives, but I can't taste the difference, so why add the extra calories!  


Most of the extra liquid needs to be all drained off.  Just like with mashed potatoes, you need some liquid, but not a lot.  I like to pour off too much and have to add in some water, or reserved bean juice, instead of having them too gloopy.  Now, to mash them you can use a potato masher, but I prefer to use these:

Either will work.  This time I used the hand mixer.  I like to add some salt to taste and some onion powder and mix that in as well.

It starts out like this (see above) and ends up like this (see below).

Kind of like mashed potatoes or cookie dough.  Spread it out in a large dish and smooth with a rubber scraper.

At this point you can cover it and freeze it for later use.  If you are going to use it right away for dinner, just cover with sour cream. . .

sprinkle on shredded cheese and enjoy!  I have varied things up a bit by adding hamburger and lettuce, but my family likes it this way best.  It's also great for celebrating holidays.  Here is one that I made during the Christmas season one year.

I dyed some mozzarella cheese green and made a Christmas tree with it, but it would look cute using cheddar cheese in the shape of a pumpkin with olive eyes and mouth for Autumn, or making a heart out of mozzarella cheese with cheddar around the edges for Valentine's day.  


Serve hot or cold with your favorite tortilla chips, salsa and hot sauce.

Happy re-frying!
~Deborah