Spicy Vegan Refried Beans with Ancho chiles

So, my blog isn't going to be the most interesting place for a few posts.  I've been really into making tasty bigger things that require tasty smaller things to be made first, so here I am with some basics.

Recently, I got into tortas, a classic Mexican sandwich that is griddle-baked with a variety of fillings such as beer-braised beef short ribs, chipotle chicken, garlicky shrimp and goat cheese. Unfortunately, they don't tend to be the most vegan-friendly option.... as you can tell.  So I've been poking around and working off of other recipes to make my own. 

Step one of a torta is refried beans... Good refried beans. So... bam!

Spicy Vegan Refried Beans with Ancho chiles

• 8 oz dried black beans
• 8 oz dried kidney beans
• Kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 medium onions, 1 split in half and tooth-picked, one chopped
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 T chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce

Procedure

1. Place beans in a large bowl and add 1 gallon water. Stir in two tablespoons kosher salt. Set aside at room temperature and let rest overnight. The next day, drain and rinse beans. Transfer to a large Dutch oven. Add bay leaf, split onion, and 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a bare simmer, cover, and cook until beans are completely tender and skins are loose, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Discard onion and bay leaves. Drain beans, reserving liquid.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeño (if using) and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add beans and chipotle (if using) and cook, folding with a wooden spoon until homogenous. Add 2 cups of reserved bean liquid. Mash beans with a potato masher until desired consistency is reached, adding extra cooking liquid as necessary to loosen to desired texture. If smoother texture is required, use a hand blender or a food processor to process beans to desired texture. Season with salt to taste.

---> future nom preview    

Soon... we will get here. Till then, all miiiiine. 

Tacos!

Another item crossed off the Raw Food, Real World "to-make" list. I did not include the bell pepper in the tortillas (they are either expensive, pesticide ridden, or both... and usually shipped from across the globe).

For the spicy "beans," I used a mix of pumpkin seeds in addition to the sunflower seeds. Think that is about it. The results were great, and the omnivores scarfed them all down.

For kicks, below, the tortilla mix spread out on the teflex sheet, about to go into the dehydrator (and the soaked seeds off to the side).