5 Layer Dip

Making your own refried beans has its perks, like your husband using the aforementioned refried beans to make a 5 layer dip.

As a hungry bystander, I quickly took pictures so we could wolf down this yummy dip. With the Superbowl XLIX coming up next Sunday, this would be a great dip for those watching the Seahawks versus Patriots game!

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups refried beans (or 398 mL/13 oz can)
1-1/2 cups sour cream (500 ml)
1-1/2 cups salsa (375 ml)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 stalks green onions, chopped

Directions
1. Spread refried beans evenly in a glass baking dish.

2. Layer on the sour cream, then the salsa, then shredded cheese. Top with green onions. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Freezer Friendly Beef, Cheese & Beans Burritos

I love make-ahead meals, especially ones that require "virtually" no extra effort. Most of my make-ahead meals involve prepping an extra meal when I am preparing dinner. This time, I went out of my way to make these freezer burritos. The homemade version is healthier and cheaper; great for those nights when you need a quick dinner. Making these burritos made me hungry so I decided we would have beef burritos for dinner that night (see picture at the bottom of the post).

Mise en place: ground beef, cheese, refried beans and tortillas.

Ingredients
8 large 10" tortillas
1-1/2 lb ground beef, lean or extra lean
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
2 cups refried beans (try this homemade refried beans recipe) or 1 can of refried beans (398 ml/14 oz)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used mozzarella but you can use any cheese)

Directions
1. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium high heat.

2. Add in the onion and saute until the onions are soft and translucent.

3. To the same pan, add in the ground beef, cumin, oregano, salt and cook the ground beef is no longer pink.

4. Heat the tortillas in the microwave with a damp paper towel. Remove.

5. Equally divide the ingredients among the 8 tortillas. Layer the ground beef, then refried beans and shredded cheese in each tortilla.

5. Fold over the ends of the tortilla and roll them up. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

6. Wrap each burrito tightly with plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc freezer bag. Store for up to 2 months. Remember to date and label your Ziploc bag.

Reheating Instructions
Microwave: Remove plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.

Oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and wrap the burrito in aluminium foil. Heat for 30 minutes until cooked through. 

Serve with sour cream, salsa and shredded lettuce.

Dinner we had that night: I also added leftover rice, salsa and shredded lettuce.

Source: Adapted from Money Saving Mom

Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Refried Beans

Mexican food is one of my top 5 favorite cuisines. Sadly, with the little man's nut allergies, our days of eating out at Mexican restaurants are over. It may be a good thing since I could eat my weight at Mexican restaurants with all those tempting foods, including refried beans!

When I stumbled across this slow cooker refried beans recipe, I had to give it a try. I used dried pinto beans since I could not find canned pinto beans at my store. It worked out well since dried beans are a fraction of the price of canned beans!

I made a few changes to the recipe including soaking the pinto beans overnight and reducing the water required. I also added more garlic than called for in the recipe.

This delicious refried beans is amazing in 5 layer dip, burritos or as a side dish. Since this batch makes many servings, you can freeze the leftover refried beans for use later. Hmmm...I'm predicting this won't last long in our household.

The recipe below has been halved from the original recipe. I have a 5 quart slow cooker and making the full recipe resulted in an overfilled slow cooker, which led to increased cooking times.

Ingredients
1 lb dry pinto beans
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-1/2 tbsp garlic, minced
1-1/4 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin* (for those with a peanut allergy, read this article by Allergic Living on the latest cumin recall)
4 cups cold water

Directions
Night Before
1. Soak the pinto beans with 5 cups of cold water overnight or at least 8 hours.

The Next Day
2. Pick out any bad beans. Drain and rinse under running water.

3. In a slow cooker or crockpot, add pre-soaked pinto beans, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and 4 cups of cold water.

4. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 4 hours until the beans are easily mashed with a fork.

5. Remove the beans from the slow cooker. Do not discard the liquid.

6. Mash beans with a potato masher if you prefer chunkier refried beans or puree in a food processor for smoother refried beans. Add more liquid until it reaches the desired consistency. Freeze unused refried beans in 2 cup portions.

Source: Adapted from Pennies & Pancakes

* Author's Note: The cumin we use has been in our cupboards since early last year and eaten without issue by our peanut and almond allergic little man. In the wake of the cumin recall, I have taken a proactive measure to eat more whole foods and calling companies who list "spices" and "flavors" to ask if they use cumin. For my readers in the U.S. there have been a growing number of recalls and "so far" there is only one recall in Canada. Stay up to date with recalls by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) or CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency).