Stovetop Beans

I believe that I could eat tacos, fajitas, burritos, or enchiladas every day of the week. The mixture of sauce, spice and crunch is perfect. I love using refried beans as a foundation to burritos and tacos, yet haven't enjoyed thinking about all of the junk that is probably in that can. So, I was very happy and excited when I was successful at merging a few recipes for cooking beans. My recipe is below, and the product was delightful on a tortilla with salsa-baked chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.

Health Note:
Canned foods are exposed to BPA, a toxic chemical used when sealing cans. I've learned that when buying food, glass containers are the best way to go. For more information on BPA: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola  Next time, I'm going to try my hand at soaking beans from a bag overnight, then cooking up the beans.

One canned food alternative is Eden Foods (company located in Clinton, Michigan which is near my hometown of Brooklyn, MI)- http://www.edenfoods.com/store/ 

Eden Foods cans foods without BPA, and also has a wide range of toxin-free and organic foods. Here in Maryland, I can find some Eden products in my local grocery store. If you can not, request that your store begin stocking their shelves with these good products, or you can order them for your family using the link, located above.

Recipe:

1 can of either kidney or black beans, drained
2 cups of water
1 chicken bouillon cube
Garlic powder equal to 2 cloves (should say on the back of your container)
3 Tb. basic salsa of desired heat
Optional: 1 small onion and 1 Tb. butter

• If you like onion, start with cooking the chopped onion with melted butter in a stovetop pan (big enough so it can hold all of the ingredients). Cook until soft, about three minutes.
• Place the bouillon cube with water in a microwaveable glass container (I use my measuring cup) and microwave for three minutes. Afterwards, stir to dissolve the cube. You now have a broth.
• Add (or begin) drained beans to a stovetop pan along with the broth and garlic powder. Stir it up and cook in high heat until boiling.
• Once boiling, lower heat and simmer uncovered until almost all of the liquid has boiled away, about twenty minutes or so. Keep an eye on this so you don't let the beans burn in the pan.
• With just a bit of liquid left, remove the pan from the heat and begin to mash the beans with your spatula (and do so until you have your desired "smashed-ness"). I like to leave some beans semi-intact.
• Scoop out all of the smashed beans and place in your desired container. Add the salsa, stir up, and serve.