i need pinto bean recipes

[ashleyhaugh]

so thanks to visits to the food bank recently, i have 14 lbs of dried pinto beans. the only way i know how to cook them is the same way i cook all beans- i the crock pot with a ham bone, lol. i need recipe ideas. we're dairy free, but other than that, everything is free game, and we're good at substituting for dairy

[sunnygir1]

Refried beans are my favorite thing to do with pintos:  Cook the beans (I cook them in a pressure cooker with water and kombu sea weed, but any method is fine).  Sautee in olive oil chopped onion, celery (optional), and carrots (optional), minced garlic, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, and lots of ground cumin.  Add the beans and simmer until veggies are soft.  You can leave them whole, mash them by hand, or puree them with a stick blender.  Awesome for tacos, burritos, as a side dish, with chips, taco salad, nachos, etc.  This may be my kids' favorite food.

I also like to make a soup:  I cook the beans first (again with kombu) sautee onions, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, kale, bay leaf, (cumin and oregano if you like).  Add beans and water, simmer until vegetables are soft.  Excellent with corn bread.

[Avani]

What if you don't have a pressure cooker or crock pot? I have a huge bag too.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by Avani 

What if you don't have a pressure cooker or crock pot? I have a huge bag too.

You can just cook them in a pot with plenty of water.  Soaking them overnight or even for a couple hours can reduce cooking time.  Just cook them until they are soft.

ETA:  It can take 2-4 hours, sometimes even longer if the beans are old (i. e. have been harvested some time ago).

[raksmama]

I used to use a pressure cooker but have since learned that the beans lose a lot of nutrients that way. Now I soak them overnight with a tea spoon of baking soda. The next day I rinse them and simmer them over a low heat for several hours. Don't add salt until after they are cooked or the beans will be tough. Same goes for tomatoes. Never add them until the end.

I use pinto beans for chili, both vegetarian and meat, for refried bean tacos, tostadas. For an easy soup-stew cook with a little more liquid then add salsa after they are cooked and simmer a little longer. Serve with tortilla chips and grated cheese!

Originally Posted by Avani 

What if you don't have a pressure cooker or crock pot? I have a huge bag too.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by jalilah 

I used to use a pressure cooker but have since learned that the beans lose a lot of nutrients that way. Now I soak them overnight with a tea spoon of baking soda. The next day I rinse them and simmer them over a low heat for several hours. Don't add salt until after they are cooked or the beans will be tough. Same goes for tomatoes. Never add them until the end.

Do you have a source for this information?
 

[raksmama]

I read about it in "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats," by Sally Fallon

I don't hold this book for a bible but I have also read in other tradtional food sites that the high heat which is reached in pressure cookers destroys the nutrients. Slow cooking on a low temerature is recomended.

Originally Posted by sunnygir1 

Do you have a source for this information?
 

[sunnygir1]

Thanks.  That helps.
 

Originally Posted by jalilah 

I read about it in "Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats," by Sally Fallon

I don't hold this book for a bible but I have also read in other tradtional food sites that the high heat which is reached in pressure cookers destroys the nutrients. Slow cooking on a low temerature is recomended.

[raksmama]

I found that our after I ahd already been using my expernsive pressure cooker :(

However I still use it but just not the high heat.