Mexican Food Without the Fat: How to Make Unfried Refried Beans

Refried beans are the best compliment to any Mexican cuisine dish.  In fact, most plates served at Mexican restaurants or drive-throughs would look odd without that heaping of beans off to the side.  However, refried beans have a lot of salt and fat (hence the “fried” in refried).  Here is a healthy twist to refried beans… preparing them unrefried!  These beans taste fantastic and go great with other healthy versions of typically unhealthy Mexican dishes, such as grilled chicken tacos.

This recipe makes about 15 servings.  Like traditional refried beans, these take a long time to make (at least 8 hours to cook the pinto beans), so be sure to plan ahead.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, peeled and halved

• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed

• 1 -2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

• 9 cups water (or 9 cups an equivalent amount of half water and half broth) 

Directions:

Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker.  Pour in the water, stir and cook on high for 8 hours, adding more water as needed.

Once the beans have cooked, strain them, but keep some of the liquid.  Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved liquid as needed to get the right consistency.  Top with low-fat shredded cheese and salsa, if desired. 

Grilled Chicken Tacos:

This recipe makes about 8 tacos. This is made with precooked shredded chicken, so this recipe comes together fast.  If you don’t have time to prepare the chicken before hand, you can grill some chicken breast on a BBQ or broiler, and shred it when it cools.  Or, if you are really pressed for time, you can buy a precooked chicken from any grocer and shred it at home.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups precooked shredded chicken breast

• 2 jalapenos, seeded, diced small

• 1 (6 ounce) can salsa verde (the green kind)

• 2 cloves garlic

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

• Fresh lime juice

• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

• ½ cup green onions, diced small (optional)

• Avocado slices (optional)

Directions:

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron works great here) over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, garlic and jalapeno and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Next, add the cumin, coriander, salsa verde and shredded chicken and turn the heat to medium.  Cook the mixture until sauce starts to thicken and is not too liquidy, about 5-6 minutes.

If you’re making soft tacos, place the corn tortillas between moist paper towels and microwave on high for 1 minute.  If you’re making crunchy tacos, place tortillas on an outdoor grill and flip every 10-20 seconds, 3 or 4 times, or until blackened to your liking (you can also pull this off by using a traditional stove top and a pair of tongs).

Serve tacos with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of fresh cilantro.  You can also serve these tacos with avocado slices, and top with green onions.