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Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Usually I make refried beans in my Crock Pot using black beans and pinto beans, but it requires a lot of planning and time. Sometimes I just don’t have that! 

So this quick and easy refried beans recipe is awesome if you are in a pinch and need some refried beans! You can easily make yummy refried beans using a couple cans of beans! 

Why not just use a can of refried beans? Sometimes I don’t have that either! Also, my refried beans in the Crock Pot are SO much better than the canned version, that I hardly ever buy cans of refried beans any more. Plus, this easy recipe is probably healthier than the canned version. It certainly tastes fresher! 

However, I always have cans of beans in my pantry just waiting to be used! This recipe is so quick and so easy and really tasty!

This is really good served as a side for Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas for extra protein!

Quick and Easy Refried Beans (From Canned)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (do not rinse)
½ an onion, diced small (if you prefer your beans smooth, leave this out)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat
  2. Add garlic and cook until soft, just a couple of minutes
  3. Add pintos with liquid and all spices to pan and cook until beans are heated thoroughly, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally
  4. Take off heat and mash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture

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Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Every month my husband’s office assigns someone to bring bi-weekly lunches. Lunch is every other Monday during an office meeting. That person can make lunch, have lunch catered, assign a potluck or ask everyone to bring their own lunch.

January just happened to be my husband’s month. It always fun (and a little nerve wracking) to provide a meal for around 10 people when I’m used to cooking for two. Yes, I always make enough food for leftovers, but feeding 10 people is much different. So we have to be creative!

In the past we have done chili, soup and salad, and tacos. For one of the weeks in January, we decided to make Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas. It’s easy (although there are a lot of ingredients for serving) and people can choose what they like or don’t like to put on their own meals. We try to provide enough food for people to eat all week if they would like. This makes it super easy for me since I don’t have to make lunch all week for my husband. 

Since we were making this for a large group of people to eat several times, I tripled the recipe below. That’s 3 onions and 9 peppers! I wasn’t even sure it would all fit into my Crock Pot, but after an hour or so of cooking, the peppers start to cook down and fit comfortably in the pot. 

I also used a prepackaged fajita seasoning that I have from Costco. I will list how you can make your own fajita seasoning and replace my prepackaged seasoning below.

This was a huge hit by the way! Many people in the office are apprehensive about eating a lunch completely meat free, but they did it and enjoyed it! 🙂 We also served it with easy refried beans and Spanish rice. 

Vegetarian Crock Pot Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 Onion, halved and sliced
3 Peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ tbsp fajita seasoning*
½ tsp garlic powder (my fajita seasoning does have garlic, but I like to add a tad more)
salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

6 Small flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Sour Cream or yogurt
Salsa
Avocado
Easy Refried Beans
Easy Cheesy Spanish Rice

Directions:

  1. Spray Crock Pot with nonstick spray.
  2. Place all ingredients into Crock Pot and mix until veggies are coated with oil and spices.
  3. Cook 4 – 6 hours on Low or 2 hours on High.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas and additional/optional ingredients.

*Fajita Seasoning:
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

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Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

I’ve been a vegetarian for a few years now and one of the things that I really miss is Sloppy Joe.

I know, I know… You’d think I would miss steak or bacon or something really meaty. And I did, at the beginning. But now that it has been so long, I only want those comfort foods that I adored as a child. Like the messy, tomatoey goodness of a Sloppy Joe!

I have tried to make Sloppy Joe in the past with a can or jar of Sloppy Joe mix and fake meat crumbles, but I don’t like to eat a lot of soy or preservatives, so I don’t make them very often. Plus, it just not quite as good as the real deal.

Until I discovered lentil Sloppy Joes! Throw it all in a crock pot and this just makes my day! Oh, and did I mention it’s super easy?!

It’s healthy, hearty and so versatile. My husband concluded that it would be good as a pizza sauce, so we will be trying that with some of the leftovers from this batch.

When I made this, I planned on freezing half right away because recipes usually make way too much food for two people before we are sick of eating it. But it didn’t even make it to the freezer! We ate it all (minus a small amount for pizza) in just two days!

I like to serve on a toasted bun with melted cheese and pickles! YUM!

 

Crock Pot Lentil Sloppy Joe

Ingredients:

1 cup dried brown or green lentils

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 yellow onion, chopped fine

1 green pepper, chopped

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tcp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

dash of black pepper

 

Directions:

  • Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
  • Enjoy!
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Vegetarian Homemade Mexican Pizza

My husband and I used to love Taco Bell. In a very seriously gross way. Lots of memories from our early relationship involve Taco Bell. I’m pretty sure there was an entire summer that I ate it everyday… No joke.

Then we grew up and realized how unhealthy fast food is for us, so we stopped eating it.

But every once and a while, that craving hits and you gotta have it! Luckily I discovered a recipe for homemade Mexican Pizza! It is delicious and may even be better than the original!

Ingredients (this is for 2 Mexican Pizzas)
4 flour tortillas – soft taco size
olive oil
1 (15 ounce) can refried beans
enchilada sauce
cheese, shredded
1 tomato, diced
green onions, choppedoptional:
taco sauce
jalapenos

 

Directions

  • Heat oil in pan. Place a tortilla in pan and cook until it is crispy, bubbly and brown around the edges. Repeat with all tortillas.
  • Once tortillas are cooked, place two tortillas on a cookie sheet or baking dish to create the “bottom.”
  • Spread refried beans on tortillas (usually I will heat the beans and add taco sauce to make them more spreadable and delicious!).
  • Place remaining 2 tortillas on beans.
  • Spoon enchilada sauce onto tortillas.
  • Top with cheese, tomatoes and green onions.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted or place under broiler until cheese melts.
  • Cut into fourths and enjoy!
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Black Bean and Corn (Loaded) Baked Potatoes

This is one of the first meals I started making when were transitioning to being vegetarian. It’s so easy, delicious, and filling! It makes great leftovers too!

Ingredients:
(This made enough for 2 people with extra “insides” left over)
2 medium Russet potatoes (could use sweet potatoes)
olive oil
salt
1 onion
garlic powder (I forgot to measure! Just shake until it feels right!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can rinsed black beans
1 cup frozen corn

To top: (optional)
Salsa
Jalapenos
Sour cream/yogurt
Shredded cheese
Cilantro

Directions:

1. Poke potatoes with fork, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees for about an hour. Keep poking with a fork to see if they are soft enough.

2. In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and cook until clear. About 3-4 minutes.

3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, beans and corn. Cook until heated through.

4. When potatoes are ready, cut down the center, but not through the potato. Push ends of potato towards the middle to open the potato up, fluff inside with a fork.

5. Add bean/corn mixture to potato and load it up!

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