Refried Beans

I've mentioned before that I generally don't like beans. I really wish I was one of those people that find them so delicious just on their own. But instead I'm always trying to find ways to cook them that I find really yummy. And I end up trying out a lot of recipes and only liking a select few. So I was really happy when I came across this one! These are super simple refried beans and are so very tasty. I was supposed to use pink or pinto or pinquito beans but I had black beans so used those. The recipe suggests mashing the beans after you add them to the onions but I found it hard to mash them with the onions there so preferred pre-mashing them. (Oh and if you're wondering, the little green curly thing sticking out the side on the right is part of a pea shoot! I love pea shoots.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pink Beans with a Cardamom Yogurt Sauce
Roasted Taco Chickpeas
Spicy Indian Chickpeas/Chana Masala
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

Refried Beans
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

1 cup black beans, soaked overnight or 6-8 hours
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 small onions, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced

Put the beans in a pot, cover them with water, and boil hard for 10 minutes. Remove any scum. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until they're partially tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt, then continue cooking until they're very soft. Drain, reserving the broth. Mash the beans up.

Heat the oil in a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it's nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes, adding the garlic during the last few minutes. Add a third of the beans and 2 cups of the broth. (If you don't have enough broth leftover, just add water.) Using a fork or a potato masher, mash the beans up more as they simmer, working them into the broth. When they're fairly smooth, add another third of the beans and continue mashing. Add more broth if the mixture gets too dry. Repeat with the rest of the beans. Taste them for salt and keep frying until they look dry on the bottom and hold together in the pan. They shouldn't be runny, but they shouldn't be a solid, dry mass either.