refried beans

growing up as a little girl, i was a very picky eater.  just ask my mom.  i grew up on chicken patties and found several ways to make them.  refried beans were one thing i would not touch with a ten-foot pole.   during my junior year of high school, i went on a mission trip to our church’s honduran orphanage after hurricane mitch hit.  it was a eye-opening experience and i became very thankful for what i had.  i also tried refried beans for the first time, in an authentic  honduran restaurant and actually liked them!  the version that i had was loaded with goat cheese and was very creamy.  when i got home, i recreated them and have been eating refried beans ever since, and always remembering my trip every time i make them.

• 1 can refried beans
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 1/4 c cream cheese
• garlic powder, to taste
• chopped jalapeños (canned or from the jar), to taste
• shredded cheese, to top

1. in a small, microwave safe bowl, stir together all ingredients until blended well.
2. top with cheddar cheese and microwave for two minutes.  allow to rest for a minute and microwave for an additional minute.

i enjoy these beans on top of a plate of nachos, pictured above.  here’s what i use to make my nachos.

• corn tortilla chips
• shredded cheddar cheese
• queso ( pace mexican four cheese salsa con queso is my favorite)
• ground beef, seasoned with taco seasoning
• refried beans
• chopped onions
• chopped tomatoes
• jalapeños
• sour cream

1. pre-heat oven to broil.
2. place two plate size pieces of foil on a baking sheet.  you can make two servings per sheet. layer nachos as follows:

• chips
• small amount of shredded cheese
• queso
• beef
• beans
• more cheese
• tomatoes
• onions
• jalapeños

3.  place under broiler until cheese is bubbly and chips are lighly browned.
4.  top with sour cream and lettuce as desired.
5.  place entire sheet of foil on a plate and serve.  clean up is easy!

enjoy!