Homemade Refried Beans

I had some dry pinto beans on hand and decided to make homemade REFRIED BEANS. After soaking the beans overnight and cooking them to add moisture the process was simple. I started with 1.5 cups dry beans to make 3 cups cooked beans. You can always use beans from a can to eliminate a step.

Making Refried Beans is Simple

All you have to do is add cooked mixture to a food processor or VitMix and pulse. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one (saves clean-up time). The machine does all the work.

Ingredients 

(increase/decrease spices based on your tolerance ... this is medium spicy)
3 cups cooked pinto beans
olive oil (just enough so ingredients do not stick in the pan)
1/2 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic (medium or 2 large)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup low salt vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent
• Add beans, broth, and spices and cook until combined
• Smooth using an immersion blender, food processor, or VitaMix
• Serve with your favorite chips. 

Granola Made Simple

I love making granola so I can control the sugar in my diet. When I first needed to eat a gluten free diet, I had a difficult time finding cereal that was not loaded with sugars. (The options are much better now). I got in the habit of making my own cereal and have not looked back!

Making homemade granola does not take a long time and will cost you less than the packaged granola in the stores. I purchase my supplies when they are on sale and stock up (not too much as I do not have much storage) to keep the cost down. Many of the items I get in bins in the store which helps reduce packaging waste.

The granola is cooked for 20-30 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven and the texture you prefer. Once the granola is cool, you can store it in an airtight container for a month.

Time Savers:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 when you start assembling your granola
2. Line a cookie sheet with non stick aluminum foil ... the granola slides off and clean up is minimal (just the bowl you used for assembling the granola)

Granola Formula

Oats + Ancient Grains + Seeds + Flavor + Oil + Honey + OPTIONS

I usually use this ratio:

• 3 cups Gluten Free Oats
• 1 cup ancient grains (quinoa or millet)
• 1 cup of seeds (sunflower, pepitas, hemp, flax)
• 1-2 TBSP flavor ...vanilla, almond, maple, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or coconut (you decide the intensity)
• 3/4 cup oil (I usually use coconut oil)
• 3/4 cup honey (substitute Agave for Vegan option)

I combine until mixed and add in options such as:

• 1 cup ground flax seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut (you could add sweetened if you wish a sweeter granola)
• 1 cup dried fruit
• 1 cup diced nuts

The beauty of this recipe is you can control the quantity you make, the flavor, and the ingredients. You can cook it a bit longer for a dry and crunchy cereal or a bit less for a chewy texture.

Homemade Cinnamon Peanut Butter

I love the taste of warm peanut butter ... fresh warm peanut butter is even tastier!

I keep a jar of homemade nut butter in my refrigerator at all times. I love making NUT butters in my VitaMix as all I need to make a batch is 3 cups of nuts and about 5 minutes. When nuts are on sale, I stock up which cuts the cost of each portion.

Today I made a double batch of peanut butter. The first batch was traditional creamy peanut butter and the second batch was CINNAMON peanut butter.

Instructions:

• Place 3 cups of nuts (added 1 TBSP cinnamon to batch 2) in VitaMix and turn on low
• Begin to use the wand to push down the nuts
• Turn up the speed to high and use the wand to continue to push the mixture down to combine  (The nut butter will be almost smooth after about 2 minutes)
• When the nut butter is almost done, turn the VitaMix to high and use the wand to combine for another 30 seconds. This will create the extra smooth and creamy texture. Omit this step if you wish a "grainy" or crunchy texture.  
• To wash the VitaMix, add water half way up and run the machine for a minute. Drain. Rinse.

NOTE: You can use raw, roasted, salted, or unsalted nuts for this recipe.
NOTE: I make nut butters frequently. Experiment with the flavors ... perhaps you will start to add 1 cup of three different nuts!

Fruit Sauce ... Peach Style

I love making applesauce! Sometimes I add cinnamon and turn it into cinnamon applesauce. When I make applesauce at home I can control and sugar as well as the texture of the product.

When I find fruit on sale or a friend has a tree that has produced an abundant crop, I stock up on the fruit and turn some of the fruit into a sauce.

Simple to Make

Turning fruit into sauce is simple. All you need to do is cut the fruit and remove the seeds/pits. The fruit can be placed in a pot with a bit of water to line the bottom and the heat on low. Cook until the fruit is soft.

You can have a chunky sauce and leave the fruit the way it is and refrigerate or smooth it out in a blender, VitaMix, or with an immersion blender.

Peach Sauce

I pick peaches that are a bit soft; ones that slightly indent if I press on them. You can use ones even softer for more natural sweetness. I cook the peaches until they begin to separate from the skin just a bit. The fruit's natural sugars will be more evident and the sauce very juicy.

Storage

I store the sauce in glass jars that once held nut butter. I like to eliminate waste in my home so I reuse jars quite often. The jars are great as they can be packed in a lunch without creating more clean-up. The sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a month.

Variations

If you wish to add CHIA SEEDS to make a fruit chia pudding/jam, you can add 1/3 cup of chia seeds to 1 - 1 1/2 cups of fruit sauce depending on the thickness you desire. This turns the fruit sauce into a jam like consistency. The jam can be eaten on its own or used as a spread with nut/seed butter.