Pinto Bean Dip

2 cups raw pinto beans
1 large onion (chopped)
1 to 2 cups grated cheese
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Cook beans and chopped onion in 4 or 6 cups of water until the beans are tender, (approximately 4 hours). When the water has cooked out of beans add flavors and mash with a potato masher. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 cup of the cheese - stirring into the bean mixture. You may add a few drops of hot sauce to taste and sprinkle the other cup of cheese on top. Serve with nacho chips. (Taco seasoning can be used instead of the spices.)

One of my favorite recipes from Jil Abegg's "How to Save Big Money Grocery and Household Shopping Savers' Seminar", and Marie Rick's homemaking class.

Bruno's Brazilian Black Beans

We had an exchange student years ago from Rio de Janeiro. When wanted to share with us his favorite food from home, he called his mom and got this one.

2 C black beans
6 C water
1/2 lb bacon
1 tbsp salt

Boil until the beans are soft, about four hours.

Saute in a little oil:
1 onion, minced
3 cloves crushed garlic

Take one cup cooked beans, mash, add to the onion and garlic. Add to the remaining beans and simmer for half an hour. Serve over rice.

Common variation in Brasil - lay fried egg/s atop the rice and beans.

Chicken Chili with Hominy

Good thing I printed this recipe out long ago, because now I cannot even find it online! What happened to "massrecipes.com"? But since it is one of our favorite soups, I have to document it here!

1 T canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium poblano chile, diced (I've used 1 can green chilies)
29 oz canned chicken broth
30 oz canned white navy beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned hominy, drained
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Hot sauce (like Tapatio) for serving (optional)
Sour cream for topping (optional)

In a large, 5 qt pot, warm oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken until golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, and chilis; cook, stirring often, until onion softens, 3-4 minutes.

Cut browned chicken into 1/2 inch strips. Add chicken, broth, and beans to pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to an active simmer, and cook until chicken is very tender and chili has thickened, 25-30 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 C hominy to use as garnish (optional); stir remaining hominy into chili. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowl; garnish each serving with reserved hominy, sour cream, and cilantro, and drizzle with hot sauce as desired.

Per serving: 399 calories: 9.8 grams fat; 34.7 grams protein; 41.4 grams carbohydrates; 9.7 grams fiber

Crockpot Refried Beans

Found this recipe on Pinterest - find it at RealMomKitchen

• 3 cups of dry pinto beans (rinsed)
• 1 onion*, diced
• 9 cups of water
• 5 tsp salt*
• 1 3/4 tsp pepper*
• 2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin

1. Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for about 8 hours.
2. After they are done, drain all of the liquid out and SAVE THE LIQUID!!
3. Mash beans with a potato masher or whatever you mash with. Add liquid, a bit at a time, to desired consistency, but remember you want them a little runny because they thicken over time. (makes about 6 cups)

*After trying this recipe, I would reduce the salt to 2-3 tsp, and a bit less pepper & onion too. But it was good!

Favorite Crock Pot Chili

½ lb dry pinto or kidney beans, softened*
2 14 ½ oz cans tomatoes
2 lbs coarsely ground chuck browned and drained
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste


Completely soften beans. Put all ingredients in Crock-Pot in order listed. Stir once. Cover and cook on Low 10-12 hours (High: 5 to 6 hours).


Note: Two 16 oz cans red kidney beans, drained, may be substituted for dry beans.

*See Jane Martin's Bean Softening Recipe for easy overnight instructions.

Jane Martin's Bean Softening Recipe

1 tbsp salt

4 c dried beans

13 c water

Sort and wash beans. Bake in a large covered pot overnight at 250 degrees. When they are done, you can remove some of the water and add a can of Rotel tomatoes. Extras can be frozen for later use. I haven’t tried halving this recipe, but I suspect you could do it.

This recipe works even with the very old beans from your food storage. I have used some from my grandmother that were at least 50 years old. They were very good.

(From Cousin Jane Martin.)