Refried Beans with Coconut Oil

Yummy. I love refried beans. I don't love the additives and preservatives.

I haven't had much success cooking beans from dried, but my Whole Foodigans friends were talking about soaking and cooking beans, so I thought I'd give it a whirl again.

I soaked pinto beans, probably a pound and a half, in water with a splash of lemon juice overnight. Mid morning, I drained the soaking liquid out, then put them in a pot with more water on the stove. Cooked them for several hours, checking every couple or so to see if the beans were done. I drained them, let them cool, then put them in the fridge. 

Tonight, I heated up some coconut oil, threw some of the cooked pinto beans in, added chili powder and salt to taste, and used my Pampered Chef Mix N Chop to smash them up. If you don't have a Mix N Chop, buy one now. I'm not even joking, one of the best inventions ever. It's original purpose was for chopping up the  ground meat, when you're browning it, but it works for so many other things!

Mix N Chop

Pumpkin Spice Bean Cake

Kelly, of The Spunky Coconut, has some pretty awesome recipes! She even has a new cookbook that I hope to get in the next couple months. I made her Pumpkin Spice Bean Cake for my dear friend, Jennifer's, bridal shower Saturday, and of course, had to make some more, so the kids and I could have some :)
I used my mini food processor on the walnuts the second time, and much preferred the texture of the frosting that way, not too small - perfectly chunked walnut frosting.

Perfect for a "Chili" Day

One of our favorite meals is Chili. It's super easy and super yummy.

1 128 oz diced tomatoes
1 lb ground beef, browned
1 lb beans - I do black and kidney (soaked 24 hours with a splash of apple cider vinegar, rinsed)
water to cover everything

Put all in a pot and cook on med-low until beans are cooked through. This can also be done in the crockpot.
Serve and add seasonings.
We like to put Chili Powder, salt and I just tried Cumin in it and it was very good!
I also top it with coconut oil or my "butter" to add fat to it. Since it's pretty lean, I find I get hungry soon after eating if I don't add a fat to help keep me satiated. (Excuse the appearance of the picture, I had already dug in :) )
Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Cake!

Oh. My. Word. So delicious!! A friend told me about Kelly's blog, The Spunky Coconut. It has healthy, delicious foods and lots of yummy desserts that are healthy enough to eat for breakfast!
I made her Vanilla Bean Cake yesterday, I used Navy Beans and, in place of vanilla, Maple Syrup. It turned out scrumptious and the kids LOVED it! I need to work on my skills getting the cake out. I oiled the stone bundt pan, but I didn't flour it, will do next time!

This morning, the kids and I had it for breakfast, and I put unsweetened Coconut Cream and frozen cherries on mine. I'm planning on making the cake again, and blending cherries with the coconut cream to make a frosting. I hope I have enough beans left for the cake!