Tag Archives: pinto beans

Slow Cooker Spicy 9 Bean and Pork Soup

4 Jun

Last fall, on my trip to Willcox, one of the stops was the Bonita Bean Company.  I have been using the pinto beans I purchased to make Refried Beans, but I also had gotten a 9 bean mix I still needed to use.

9 Bean mix from Bonita BeanIt is a 20 ounce bag containing pinto, cranberry, light red kidney, yellow, black, small red, pink, navy, and Great Northern.  I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer to use, along with some green chile and onion, and decided that all would make a good soup.  And, with beans taking so long to cook, I decided the slow cooker was the way to go to make this.  My older daughter and I thought it turned out really well, in fact, we both had a second helping!  Even though I have it labeled as spicy, it’s a  low level of heat, but still a little on the spicy side.  If you don’t have a bean mix, you can make a mix of your own, a great way to use up small amounts of different kinds of beans!

Slow Cooker Spicy 9 Bean and Pork Soup

Slow Cooker 9 Bean and Pork Soup

What you need:

3 cups of a dry bean mix
1 1/2 pounds pork roast or tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green chiles
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt

How to make it:

Put beans in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.  Add pork next, then the remaining ingredients.  Cook on high for 5-7 hours, or until beans are tender.

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Refried Beans

19 Feb

Last summer, I posted about getting pinto beans at a local bean company, Bonita Bean.  I had used some previously to make refried beans for a potluck, but never got around to sharing how I made them.  These beans are pretty good that they mostly just need to be cooked and mashed, with a little bit of seasoning, if you like.  We thought that was a little bland, so I made them this time with some additions, and it came out better for us.

Refried Beans

 

Refried Beans

What you need:

1 cup dry pinto beans
1/4 cup lard or olive oil (I used olive oil)
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano

How to make it:

First, cook the beans one of 1 ways:

Stove top:
Rinse beans and put in a heavy pot.  Add enough water to cover beans with 1-2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Beans are done when they are soft and skins have begun to break.

Slow cooker:
Rinse beans and add to slow cooker.  Add 3 cups water.  Cook on high for 8 hours until beans are soft and skins have begun to break.

Strain beans from the cooking water.

In a large skillet, heat lard or olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and translucent.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Continue cooking and stirring about a minute, until fragrant.  Add in the cooked beans and 1/4 cup fresh water.  Mash with a potato masher or back of a heavy spoon until a rough paste is formed.  Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, adding more water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to keep beans from drying out.

 

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Local Farm Finds: 8/10/2012

11 Aug

Friday, I decided it was time for another local farm adventure!  I had originally planned to go to Sunizona Family Farms to pick up a FarmBox, but since they now have a delivery to the Bisbee Food Co-op on Wednesdays, I decided to wait.  But, on one of my previous trips, we had noticed a pinto bean farm, so I decided to still go over and check it out, plus head to Apple Annie’s again for veggies and apples.  I went with my friends, Jen and Verity, and Verity’s little guy (he’s 1 and was great the whole trip!).  Thanks to Jen for driving!

So, the first stop was the Bonita Bean Company.  They process beans from growers in the southeastern part of Arizona.  They have pinto beans in 3, 10, 25, and 50 pound bags.  They also have a 9 bean mix, pinto, cranberry, light red kidney, yellow, black, small red, pink, navy and great northern beans, in 1.25, 10, and 50 pound bags.  Very friendly and helpful staff there, and I decided on the 10 pound burlap bag of pinto beans and the 1.25 lb 9 bean mix.  My total came to $12.50, $10 for the pinto beans, $2.50 for the 9 bean mix.  Verity also bought a recipe book with lots of ideas for beans, so I should be able to make good use of all the beans.  I think my first attempt will be refried beans, and we’ll see what else from there.

After the bean company, we headed back through Willcox to find a place to eat lunch.  We decided on a cute place named Big Texas Bar-B-Que.  Part of their dining car is in a train car, as the restaurant is near the railroad tracks in town.  They have a big smoker where they smoke their own barbecue, which we could smell immediately when we got out of the car to head inside.  I had the Texas Brisket Sandwich with french fries, both of which were very good.  I recommend a stop in there if you are over that way.  Edited to add in more pictures, thank you to Jen!

Front of Big Texas Bar-B-Que in Willcox, AZ

Big Texas Bar-B-Que, rear view of train car dining area and the entrance

 

 

Texas Brisket Sandwich and Fries. Delicious!

The Brisket Stuffed Baked Potato. Quite possibly the largest potato I’ve seen!

 

 

Next we traveled to Apple Annie’s Produce and Pumpkins, then Apple Annie’s Orchard.  They have a lot of produce available now already picked or you go out and pick.  I got 1/2 dozen corn, a 5.01 lb cantaloupe, a 4.82 lb cantaloupe, 5.08 lbs of assorted squash, 2.13 lbs of cucumbers, 0.2 lbs of jalapenos, 0.82 lbs of okra, and 1.81 lbs of Gala apples for a total of $21.62.  I also got some homemade fudge, which was buy 4 for $11.99, get 2 free.  Delicious!

Here is the produce:

I may head up that way again next month when more apples will be in season.  Then, I can make apple crisp, maybe make some apple juice in my juice extractor, apple sauce, and apple butter.  Yum!

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