This concerns beans :)

[colowyo0809]

This concerns beans. so, for those of you who eat "mexican" they sell beans in a can. You generally use said beans in tacos, burritos, or what have you. How can I make this product from scratch using dried beans? To be honest, I'd druther try this than buy the canned stuff, it just seems it would be healthier, more SS, and probably taste better. Plus, I found a bulk store that sells them by the pound and I think it's cheaper than buying the packaged dried beans!

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Soak beans of choice in water and some raw whey for 12-24 hours. Drain, rinse and then simmer till tender.
Drain, reserving part of the liquid, and allow to cool.
Place beans in blender or food processor, add a bit of the reserved water, and blend. Add liquid as needed.
Salt to taste. Add bacon grease if desired as well.

 

[Lady Henevere]

Edit: BB's got you covered.

 

[colowyo0809]

Are you asking how to make Mexican refried beans, or how to cook dried beans in general?

See, I just knew someone was going to ask me that question and the answer is I don't know what they are, although it sounds like it? I just know they come in a can, they are kinda pasty, SO likes them, and occasionally I put some in a taco.

however

Soak beans of choice in water and some raw whey for 12-24 hours. Drain, rinse and then simmer till tender.
Drain, reserving part of the liquid, and allow to cool.
Place beans in blender or food processor, add a bit of the reserved water, and blend. Add liquid as needed.
Salt to taste. Add bacon grease if desired as well.

sounds like just what I was looking for! Thank you! and thank you as well Lady Henevere

 

[Wifezilla]

Your first step is going to be soaking them for at least 24 hours. This is a step that the store bought ones will not have gotten and it is The MOST important thing to neutralize phytic acid and other things in the beans that actually rob your body of nutrition.

Get a big pot, cover the beans with water keeping in mind they will expand to about twice their starting size and then add a bit (couple of tbsps) of whey, yogurt, kefir or lemon juice. Let them soak on the counter covered with a towel or a pot lid.

After they are done soaking, rinse them well. After that I cook mine in a slow cooker. Put just enough water in the slow cooker to cover the beans, turn it on high and let it cook while I am at work.

A couple of things to consider....
1) Your water. I use filtered or bottled water during the cooking stage otherwise the beans tend to not get soft. You might not need to do this if your water is not too hard.
2) If the beans cook all day and are still hard, you can add a little baking soda, stir, and let it cook longer. The beans will then soften.
3) You only want to add baking soda as a last resort since too much baking soda will reduce the b vitamin content of your beans.
4) Even with too much baking soda, your beans will still be better than the store beans so don't stress too much about it

More info on bean prep.
http://www.westonaprice.org/faq/785-faq-grains-seeds-nuts-beans.html

 

[Wifezilla]

Looks like we all posted at about the same time

Those MEXICAN beans you are talking about sounds like refried beans. They just need the extra step to make them in to a paste and then you are going to have to decide how you want to spice them. Chili powder, garlic, cumen...I would try those

 

[hoosier]

Your first step is going to be soaking them for at least 24 hours. This is a step that the store bought ones will not have gotten and it is The MOST important thing to neutralize phytic acid and other things in the beans that actually rob your body of nutrition.

I never knew that! I always soak overnight, but that is only about half that time. Thanks for the info.

 

[savingdogs]

We make great refried beans too. Sounds like you have the basic steps outlined here, but I'll just mention a few things.

We sort and clean the beans before putting them in the water, sometimes there are little stones.

Cumin is supposed to reduce the gas if you soak and cook the beans with a good amount in the water. We think this is true and it gives a real nice authentic flavor, we never leave that one out.

We don't use whey or a food processor. I use chicken stock or plain water since I've never had any whey handy. Now that I'm starting to make cheese I'll have to try that. But water works fine. We add some sort of fat....manteca is the mexican lard and really tastes the best, second best is bacon fat. You don't need a ton but without it your beans are a little tasteless.

I don't have a food processor, we either cook it till it falls apart or use an electric beater. Just make sure you don't burn them! I use a crock pot because this seems to keep a nice low constant temp for me the best.

I hope that helps!

 

[FarmerJamie]

Aren't the store version made with pinto beans?

We use home-grown black beans. Are there any significant differences between using different varieties?

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

We make great refried beans too. Sounds like you have the basic steps outlined here, but I'll just mention a few things.

We sort and clean the beans before putting them in the water, sometimes there are little stones.

Cumin is supposed to reduce the gas if you soak and cook the beans with a good amount in the water. We think this is true and it gives a real nice authentic flavor, we never leave that one out.

We don't use whey or a food processor. I use chicken stock or plain water since I've never had any whey handy. Now that I'm starting to make cheese I'll have to try that. But water works fine. We add some sort of fat....manteca is the mexican lard and really tastes the best, second best is bacon fat. You don't need a ton but without it your beans are a little tasteless.

I don't have a food processor, we either cook it till it falls apart or use an electric beater. Just make sure you don't burn them! I use a crock pot because this seems to keep a nice low constant temp for me the best.

I hope that helps!

That is what the raw whey does. We never have gas issues if we use the whey.