Refried Pinto Beans ~ Vegan

Refried Pinto Beans

Learn how to make refried beans! This easy recipe works with dried or canned beans. Creamy and flavorful, it's a delicious, healthy side dish.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pinto beans*
8 cups water, plus more as needed
1 white onion, half cut into wedges, half diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more to taste

Directions:
Place the beans in a colander and sort through them to remove and discard any stones or debris. Rinse well.Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Drain the beans into the strainer, reserving the cooking liquid in the bowl.

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Stir in the beans and reduce the heat to low. Add ½ cup of the bean cooking liquid and use a potato masher to mash the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding more cooking liquid, ½ cup at a time, as needed (I typically use 1 to 1½ cups). 

For smoother refried beans, blend the beans with an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lime juice. Taste and add more salt and lime juice as desired. (I typically add another 1 teaspoon salt and ½ tablespoon lime juice at this point.)

Serve as a side dish or try one of the serving suggestions in the blog post above. Store leftover refried beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They also freeze well.

Notes

*Note: If you prefer to use canned beans, replace the cooked dry beans with 3 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano to the skillet with the beans in Step 4. Add water or vegetable broth instead of bean cooking liquid as you mash to your desired consistency. Before serving, season to taste with more salt as needed. 

Refried Pinto Beans

Refried Pinto Beans

Learn how to make refried beans! This easy recipe works with dried or canned beans. Creamy and flavorful, it's a delicious, healthy side dish.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pinto beans*
8 cups water, plus more as needed
1 white onion, half cut into wedges, half diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more to taste

Directions:
Place the beans in a colander and sort through them to remove and discard any stones or debris. Rinse well.Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Drain the beans into the strainer, reserving the cooking liquid in the bowl.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Stir in the beans and reduce the heat to low. Add ½ cup of the bean cooking liquid and use a potato masher to mash the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding more cooking liquid, ½ cup at a time, as needed (I typically use 1 to 1½ cups). For smoother refried beans, blend the beans with an immersion blender or transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the lime juice. Taste and add more salt and lime juice as desired. (I typically add another 1 teaspoon salt and ½ tablespoon lime juice at this point.)

Serve as a side dish or try one of the serving suggestions in the blog post above. Store leftover refried beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They also freeze well.

Notes

*Note: If you prefer to use canned beans, skip Steps 1-3. Replace the cooked dry beans with 3 (14-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano to the skillet with the beans in Step 4. Add water or vegetable broth instead of bean cooking liquid as you mash to your desired consistency. Before serving, season to taste with more salt as needed.

Scallops With Citrus-Ginger Sauce

Scallops With Citrus-Ginger Sauce

Scallops that are easy, fresh, pan seared, perfectly golden and topped with a sweet and tangy citrus ginger sauce.  Serves 4 

Ingredients

2 tbsp avocado oil
1 1/2 lb sea scallops
1 orange zested and juiced
1 lemon juiced
1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
2 tbsp butter or ghee
sea salt to taste
fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions
Pat your scallops dry with a paper towel and sprinkle them with sea salt.

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, place your scallops in the pan and sear for approximately one and a half to two minutes on each side. Remove scallops to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the orange and lemon juice, orange zest, grated ginger and butter to the pan. Whisk the sauce together in the pan until it's simmering, then add the scallops back to the pan and spoon the sauce on top.

Plate your scallops, drizzle more sauce on top and garnish with thyme. 

Serving suggestions:  

 Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Mashed Cauliflower and Green Beans.

Notes
Avocado oil is preferred over olive oil in this recipe as its heated to nearly its smoke point. Avocado oil is more stable at those higher temperatures. 

Scallops are always best slightly undercooked rather than overcooked. Like most meats and fish, they'll continue to cook after they're removed from the stove.

To make the scallops dairy-free and Whole30 compliant you can use ghee or coconut milk instead of the butter. 

Keto Meatball Soup

 

Keto Meatball Soup 

Ingredients

Meatballs
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
⅓ cup almond flour
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
2 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons gelatin
Soup
1 tablespoon avocado oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 celery stalks chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic

28 ounces crushed tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 ½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon anthem gum for a thicker soup
Optional: Palmini Noodles and fresh parsley; for serving

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375° F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, grated parmesan, almond flour, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Beat the eggs in a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk and then mix into the meat mixture. Form into the meatballs.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for 7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 7 minutes.

While the meatballs cook, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.

Add the tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, and Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the anthem gum and cook for five minutes.

Add the meatballs and cook another ten minutes

Garnish with parsley and serve.