Last week we had some very nice, warm weather in the valley.  Monday it chilled down considerably and I got to thinking about warming up with some beans-n-ham-n-cornbread.  That’s how we say it in our house, like it’s all one word.  We even have a little song I used to sing when Boo and Bud were younger (you’ll have to set your own tune because I’m not singing it, LOL) Beans -n- ham -n- cornbread, doo, doo.  Beans – n- ham -n- cornbread, doo, doo.

Anyway, it’s an easy recipe, but yummy and tummy-filling and very inexpensive.

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried beans (I use Great Northern beans, but you can use Navy beans or pintos also)

8 cups water

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 lb. smoked hamhocks

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a 5 qt. or larger slow cooker.  Cook 8 hours on high setting.

When they’re done, they should look something like this.

Remove the ham hocks and let then cool slightly.  Cut the meat off the bone and stir into the beans.  Cook on high another 15 minutes.

Serve with warm cornbread. You can find my sweet cornbread recipe here.

Enjoy!!

I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food – tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, chile relleno…  I could go on and on.  But my all time favorite is the simple dish of refried beans.  The problem is traditional canned beans are made with lard.  We switched to vegetarian refried beans awhile ago, but that only means no saturated fat.  The calorie count is still the same – 120 calories for a paltry 1/2 cup.  I’ve tried the no fat canned refried beans. They save 20 calories a serving, but they taste nasty (in my opinion).  So I was thrilled when I stumbled across a recipe for crockpot refried beans.  These beans have no fat, but I swear they taste just as good as restaurant refried beans. Best of all, you can make these for less than 5 cents a serving, as opposed to about 30 cents a serving or more for the canned version.

Ingredients:

3 cups dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 1/2 tsp. salt (or less, if you prefer)

1/8 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

4+ cups water

Directions:

Combine all the dry ingredients and 4 cups of water in a slow cooker.  Cook on high for 8 hours, adding water as necesssary.
When the beans are done cooking, strain them, reserving the liquid.  They will look something like this:

Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding reserved liquid as you go.  I like to finish then off with a handmixer, continuing to add liquid until desired consistency.

These beans don’t save anything in calories, but they do have virtually no fat, plus more fiber and potassium than canned beans.  Plus they are so creamy and delicious – I believe they are actually more filling than the canned so you won’t need more than one serving to be satisfied!!

This freezes really well.  To reheat, just defrost in the microwave, then add a little water and cook until bubbly, over low heat.

Nutrition Information:

per 1/2 cup serving: Calories:118.5, Total fat: .5 g, Sodium: 595 g, Potassium 405 g, Carbohydrates: 22 g, Dietary Fiber: 7.5 g