Refried Beans

For the past few months I've been itching to try my hand at making my own refried beans. Each time I've passed the dried pintos in the store it has been a thought. Earlier this week I decided to dive in and see what kind of mess I could make out of this.

I mean it seems simple enough, right?

2 lb dried pinto beans
Garlic powder
Ground cumin
Salt
Chili powder
Olive oil (or canola or vegetable ... I tried sesame)

The first thing you want to do is rinse the beans thoroughly and while doing so, check for and remove bad beans or tiny stones (it happens). I did this about 1/2 pound at a time using a strainer.

Once you're satisfied you're not going to be chomping on rocks or anything putrid, pour the beans in a very large pot and spread them out nice and level. Add water until there is about an inch of water between the beans and the surface. Bring to a boil on high heat and once boiling, remove from heat and drain.

Rinse out the large pot and place the beans back in. This time, fill the pot with water until you have two inches of standing water over the beans. Add garlic powder, cumin and chili powder. I used about this much:

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

 Now bring all that to a boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce to a simmer for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. After 3 1/2 I tried a few beans and they weren't yet tender enough. Once they were VERY tender, I considered them ready.
 

I separated the beans from the sauce then began to process loads of cook beans in the food processor. I used pulse to process each batch little by little until I thought they looked right. You can process as much as you like either for that whole-bean texture or something pureed. If I found the beans to look a bit dry or thick, add some of the sauce.

Once you have all the beans  processed, fry them up on a skillet with some oil. I fried each batch for about 15 minutes, adding sauce as needed. I did a bit of taste-testing while frying them and found they needed some salt. Also, since I'm not using lard, bacon fat or anything like that, I added a little bit of HerbOx bouillon powder for flavor. Your tastes and opinions may vary, of course.

I refrigerated these for a day before I used them. They tasted amazing; better than the canned refried beans I normally use. My family enjoyed them in burritos this evening... extremely good flavor! I froze the rest in small portions for future use.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. Remember, with this dynamic recipe, you can make adjustments easily to make it your own.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Marriage requires a lot to be successful. Trust. Communication. Friendship.

Another vital bit of knowledge is how to make your loved one's favorite drink. Whenever we go out, my wife will order a strawberry daiquiri whenever the opportunity arises. It is one of her favorites and I had yet to figure out how to make it "just right".

Until this evening.

6-8 frozen strawberries (I used unsweetened)
6 ice cubes
1.5 oz Bacardi rum (the dark stuff)
4 oz Sprite
2 tsp sugar

Fruit to garish if you want

Pulverize ice in a blender then add the rum, strawberries, Sprite and sugar. Blend until smooth. Serve in any glass, or rim a fancy (or plain) glass with sugar for a special touch.

Adjust Sprite for consistancy, adjust strawberries and sugar for sweetness and of course rum for ... potency.

Simple, easy and not too bad. Made my wife smile.

Adjustments:

• Substitute 7UP, Sierra Mist, Lemonade, Limeade or Triple Sec for Sprite.
• I would not recommend using a non-calorie sweetener. I mean c'mon, you're consuming alcohol so you're already breaking a few rules (if you have any)
• Use a more intense rum, such as Myers or a spiced rum to change complexity/flavor
• Use different fruits (peaches, kiwi, bananas or raspberries)

Cheers!

Toying with my diet

Took a few weeks off my diet to test a theory. I went back to eating whatever I wanted without counting calories/fat/protein like I normally do and decreasing exercise dramatically. I gained a negligible amount of weight (a pound or 1.5 at most). This is encouraging evidence that once I've hit my target, the improvements I've been making to my health will be sustainable.

I'm back on my plan, and adjusting my fat : protein ratio. Before I was going for 2 : 3, now I'll try 1 : 2 as my goal. At 1400 calories for one day, including <= 30g fat and >= 70g protein, the radio of fat calories to protein calories with be about even (270-290 each). I've found that when I include at intake with 30+ mins dedicated exercise (200+ calories spent) I tend to lose 3.5 lbs per week.

I'm resetting my charts and my data. My old starting point in May was 324. My new one is 290. Time to see what I'm capable of :-)

Unintentional Smoothie

Last week I decided I was due for a nice long walk. The weather was perfect... light breeze, a few clouds. I strolled into the store and grabbed some of my favorite yogurt and proceeded home. Once I stepped through the front door I was feeling pretty good so I decided to have a small dish of yogurt. I popped off the lid, removed the seal, dished out a few large spoonfuls into a bowl and took a taste...

"UGH! WHAT THE HELL???"

(seriously... I yelled this)

In my blissful venture to the supermarket, my brain must've totally shut off because at that moment I came to the realization that this was PLAIN Greek Yogurt as opposed to the Fat-Free Vanilla that I enjoy so much.

Rather than try to stomach what was in the bowl, I looked quickly for an alternative. In the refrigerator were leftover pineapple slices and I noticed an unopened bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer. Bingo!

So I concocted this:

1 cup PLAIN (uy...) Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
5 frozen strawberries (Walmart-brand, no sugar added)
2 Dole pineapple slices (in 100% pineapple juice)
Baking Splenda (the flaky stuff, I used 2 tsp equivalent to two packets)
A bit of the pineapple juice from the slices
A few drops of Real Vanilla extract

Place the above in a blender, on highest speed until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy!


It was quite good! Zero fat, less than 200 calories and 22g protein. I could still taste the yogurt, but it was complimented well by the fruit. I used this to finish off the large carton of yogurt by treating myself to a smoothie each day.