Refried Black Beans in the Crock Pot

Remember the lunch post where I mentioned the easy refried black beans I'd made in the crock pot? This is the recipe, and man, you won't find an easier recipe out there. Again, this is the brilliant Lisa Leake from 100 Days of Real Food (LOVE her recipes and her general philosophy on food). Just pop all the ingredients into your slow cooker before you go to bed, crank it to high, and when you wake up to the LOVELY smell of slow-cooked beans, you'll be in heaven. I use these beans for tacos, quesadillas, plain with tortillas, with eggs for breakfast (or dinner), or just as a delicious side dish. I use black beans, but you could use pinto as well...that's my next go round. I just happened to have a HUGE bag of dried black beans in my pantry, and Andy prefers black beans to pinto (I know, what???). If you're concerned about heat, I would encourage you NOT to leave out the jalapeno. It doesn't add heat here...it just adds flavor, and without it, these beans can be a little bland. In fact, I use a whole jalapeno in my batch. Without further ado, refried black beans.

Refried Black Beans in the Crock Pot
Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 cups dry black beans, rinsed
1 fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
One big pinch of cumin
6 cups water

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.

3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency.

4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher. Serve.