Crockpot Pork and Pinto Beans

Crockpot Pork and Pinto Beans

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound dried pinto beans
1 boneless Pork Loin roast (3 to 4 pounds), halved
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
5 medium carrots, chopped (optional)
4 celery ribs, chopped (optional)
1-1/2 cups water
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Dash pepper
2 packages (10-1/2 ounces each) corn tortilla chips or 30 corn tortillas (10 inches)
Chopped green onions, sliced ripe olives, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and/or shredded lettuce

HOW TO PREPARE:
Sort beans and rinse with cold water. Place beans in a Dutch oven;
add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until
beans are softened.
Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Place roast in a 5-qt. slow
cooker. In a bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, carrots, celery,
water, chilies, chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano and pepper.
Pour over roast. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Reduce heat to
low; cook 5 hours longer or until beans are tender.
Remove meat, shred with two forks and return to slow cooker. With a
slotted spoon, serve meat mixture over corn chips or in tortillas;
serve with toppings of your choice. Yield: 10 servings.

Refried Beans

I found the recipe here.

Photo found here.

Refried Beans

3 cups of Pinto beans 

5 cups water

4 cups chicken broth

1 onion, diced finely 

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup salted butter

HOW TO PREPARE

Photo found here.

1.) Rinse your beans. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and pull out all the discolored ones. You might find rocks and other random stuff in your beans (especially if you buy the cheaper beans) – so don’t skip this step.

2.) Combine everything (except butter) in the crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours. Add more water if you need (I didn’t need to add additional water).

3.) When beans have popped open and are soft, they are done. Put butter in the crockpot and let sit until melted.

4.) You can either mash them with a potato masher, use a food processor or use an immersion blender. I used the immersion blender, right in the slow cooker crock and it was a cinch! Add extra water if you need to get the consistency you want.

Photo found here.

5.) Eat! We usually make these with quesadillas, but they are great alone or with any Mexican dish.

Tiny French Beans with Smoked Sausage

I like recipes that involve new ingredients for me. With regards to this recipe that involves the "shallot". To be perfectly honest with you - I had no idea what a shallot was and I thought it sounded like a name of a fish. When I found this recipe, I knew that all the other ingredients looked good - so I googled "shallot" and found out that it's a type of onion (I think) and was able to find it in my local grocery store. This recipe is definitely a keeper recipe. It's hearty, smells fabulous, and the taste is unbeatable! There, now that I've talked it up - make it and see for yourself.

Photo found here.

Tiny French Beans with Smoked Sausage
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces (I use just 1 pound and it's less salty that way)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup minced shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dried flageolets or other dried white beans
2 cups water
1/4 cup minced fresh or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
29 oz GF* chicken broth

HOW TO PREPARE:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan, and place in an electric slow cooker (it called for a 5 quart, but I used a 4 quart and it worked perfectly). Heat the oil in pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Sort and wash beans. Add beans, shallot mixture, water, and the remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 8 hours or until beans are tender. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Information - Calories: 397; Calories from fat: 30%; Fat: 13.1g; Saturated fat: 3.7g; Monounsaturated fat: 4.3g; Polyunsaturated fat: 3.7g; Protein: 29.7g; Carbohydrate: 41.4g; Fiber: 8.6g; Cholesterol: 75mg; Iron: 5.2mg; Sodium: 1105mg; Calcium: 143mg

GF* = Gluten Free