Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

the more you eat the more you..." We all know the song from childhood. I was recently told that this is actually a myth. The more you eat, the easier it is for your body to digest, so the less you ... :)

Jason and I were unsure what to make for dinner the other night. The refrigerator was full of leftovers, all of which we had eaten at least once and while they were tasty, we were in the mood for something different. We settled on Mexican, but were stuck again. Jason also has meat tacos, so when I suggested refried black bean burritos, he was a little hesitant. I told him not to worry, which I often have to do when I am cooking something new. A good friend of mine had called, so I handed the spatula and a few simple instructions over to Jason for cooking the dinner. Needless to say, he was successful. We enjoyed our burritos that night and there was even some for another meal. This made me think about how versatile this mixture really is. With that in mind, I am posting the recipe along with a few meal ideas. 

Refried Bean Mixture

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 can refried black beans
• 1 cup diced green peppers
• 1 cup diced red peppers
• 1 cup diced onions
• 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved (1 cup)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions and peppers until tender. Add the black beans and cook for one more minute. Turn off the heat and add the cherry tomatoes.

Meal Possibilities

1. Place 1/2 cup of mixture on the center of a tortilla. Top with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded marble cheddar cheese.
2. Place 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice on a plate, top with the black bean mixture and shredded cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1/4 cup of mixture in a tortilla and roll up. Place the rolled tortilla in the pan and repeat until the pan is full. Cover with green taco sauce and/or salsa. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. Roll out (or prepare a homemade) pizza crust. Cover the pizza crust with a thin layer of the refried bean mixture. Top with extra onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Cover the pizza with marble cheddar cheese. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted. 

If you have any ideas for meals with refried beans, please leave a comment!