Puerto Rican Pink Beans

Heat 
• 1 Tbs oil 

Add 
• 1 cube sofrito 

Add 
• 1 can pink bean 
• 1/2 can tomato sauce 
• 1 pkg Sazon 

Simmer 10-15 mins

Taste better the next day.

Sofrito

• 3-4 bell peppers 
• 3-4 onions 
• 1 head garlic 
• 1 bunch cilantro 
• 1 bunch culantro (or replace for an additional bunch of cilantro)

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and purée.

Freeze sofrito in ice cube trays.

Pressure cooker Puerto Rican Pink beans...with a Brazilian twist

Puerto Rican beans and rice!

1. 1 pound dry pink beans (sorted and rinsed)
2. 4 slices bacon (or a whole pound of bacon) diced
3. 1 small-medium onion, diced
4. 5-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
5. 4 cups vegetable broth (can use chicken or beef, or even water instead)
6. 1 cup water (more if desired, for "soupier" beans)
7. 1 small can tomato sauce
8. 2 packages sazon seasoning
9. 4 sofito frozen cubes

in your pressure cooker saute bacon when almost done add chopped onion and garlic let cook for 3 more minutes. 

add the rest of the ingredients.

put lid on and place valve on closed and set pressure cooker on 60 minutes and let cook. Quick release the pressure cooker. Test beans for tenderness. If it needs more time, cook longer.  Serve over cooked rice

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Best Damn Borracho Beans Period!

These are the beans I made for Ky and Kristin's wedding for the pulled pork nacho's

2 lbs pinto beans (washed and sorted)
2 small white onions
2 fresh jalapenos
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 small roma tomatoes
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 ham hocks (I used bacon*)
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
12 ounces chicken stock
12 ounces dark beer (optional) Mexican beer like negro Modelo is preferred

1. Bring beans to boil in 8-10 cups of water. Remove from heat and cover. Let the beans soak for 30-45 min. until the beans start to swell from the water infusing into them.

2. Strain the beans.  Add 8 cups of water to drained beans and bring to boil.

3. While beans are boiling, trim the ham hocks of fat; leave fat in large pieces. Cut the meat into small bite-size pieces. Put all into pot. Remove fat and bones when your beans are tender and done.

4. Chop all veggies into small pieces. Combine veggies, meat, fat, and spices into large stock pot or dutch oven and simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours. Remove fat when finished. Taste, add more seasoning if needed.

*I cook the bacon until half way cooked then add the onions and garlic and finish cooking the bacon until crisp then add to the beans with other veggies.

I also add if I have it Goya brand ham flavoring and Goya sazon. It really improves the color and flavor. But this is optional.

Other optional things to add would be Mexican oregano and chopped green peppers.

Favorite Baked Beans

Baked Beans

4 slices bacon, browned and chopped
1-15 oz. can pork & beans
1/4 c. ketchup
2 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all together and bake at 355 degrees for at least 1 hour or until desired thickness is reached.

Black Bean Burgers

adapted from Annie's Eats.

Yield: 6 burgers

¾ cup panko
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 large eggs
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 green onion, minced

Seasonings to taste

TOTAL PointsPlus: 4/each

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth.  Add the egg mixture, seasonings, toasted panko, the remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, cilantro and green onion to the bowl with the mashed beans.  Stir together until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each.  Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties.  (At this point the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.)  

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Carefully lay patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total.  Serve warm.

Refried Beans without the Refry

1 onion, peeled and halved
3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
9 cups water

Directions
1.Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2.Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

Cowboy Charro Beans (Frijoles Charros con Tocino Y Chorizo)

Serves 6
these are some yummy beans!

6 oz sliced uncooked bacon, chopped
8 oz fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed, chopped
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded if desired), finely chopped, more or less to taste
1/2 lb roma tomatoes, about 2 to 3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed
5 cups cooked pinto beans and their cooking liquid (or substitute with black or Peruvian beans)

Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes,untill it is lightly browned and starting to crisp. Add the chopped chorizo; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it starts to brown and crisp. As it cooks, use a wooden spoon to break it into smaller pieces.

Add the chopped onion and jalapeno; mix well and cook for 1 or 2 more minutes, letting them soften a bit. Add the tomatoes and mix well; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes soften and appear mushy.

Add the cooked beans and their cooking liquid; mix well and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beans are moist but not soupy. Add a bit more water if needed. Taste, and add more salt to your taste. Serve hot.

Habichuelas Rosadas (Pressure Cooker Pink Beans)

Inspired by this recipe

1 pound dried pink beans, rinsed

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups water + bouillon or chicken broth

2 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder

1 can Ro*Tel Tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Sauté the onions and garlic in your pressure cooker. Excluding the cilantro (add after cooking), add all the remaining ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then natural release (about 30 mins). Stir in the cilantro. Serve with rice. 

Refried Beans with Bacon

2 strips bacon, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
Shredded or grated manchego cheese, sliced scallions or chopped cilantro

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Fry until the bacon is cooked and starting to crisp. If you are using excessively fatty bacon, you may want to pour off some of the drippings. Otherwise, leave everythingg in there as-is.

To the pan, add the onion and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic until fragrant, and tehn the chicken broth, cumin, beans, and salt and pepper to taste. bring the mixture to a light boil and continue to simmer for 10 minutes (or for as long as you want, if you want to time it with your main dish).

Use a bean masher to press down on the beans, and mash to your desired consistency (adding more broth if necessary). Once plated, top with the cheese and sliced scallions or cilantro.