Slow Cooker Refried Beans (Without the Refry!)

My family LOVES refried beans but there is a lot of fat in the commercial canned versions, so when I found this recipe online for a slow cooked version without any oils, I decided to go for it!  I wasn't disappointed - this is a flavourful recipe with the perfect consistency and costs only pennies per serving.  Enjoy these with your next Mexican dinner, or just as a side dish!!

SLOW COOKER REFRIED BEANS

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and halved

3 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp. minced garlic

5 tsp salt

1 3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cumin, optional

9 cups water

• 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 if needed (if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high).
• Once the beans have cooked, strain them and the onions, reserving the liquid.  Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to attain the desired consistency.
• ENJOY!