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" My son is smitten with refried beans. Once upon a time he would always insist on fries with his quesadilla, but one time that option wasn&amp;#039;t available and a love affair was born. I have to be honest, I was glad he was eating some protein with his usual dish of cheese and carbs, but the idea of all that salt and fat kept me from considering it health food. Fortunately, refried beans are very easy to make at home where you can control what goes into them. Recently I made beans and put them out with cheese, salsa, avocado and chips and we replaced our usual Friday-night pizza with a nacho bar.  &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;gt;  I know I have posted here before about my obsession with cooking dried beans in the oven. (Put beans in pot. Cover with water by a couple inches. Bring to a boil, add salt, then bake at 250 degrees until tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.) Once I have a big batch of cooked beans, here&amp;#039;s how I &amp;quot;refry&amp;quot; them:  &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;gt; Normally I would dice up a bit of onion and cook it in some oil, but I didn&amp;#039;t have an onion so I skipped to step 2. I heated some canola oil in a small skillet, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. I added cumin and chile powder and heated until I could smell them.  &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;gt; Then I added the cooked beans with some of the bean liquid. They bubble and heat, and I stir them to get the spices distributed. Then I add some salt. This was not enough beans, so I added another cup to the skillet.  &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;gt; Then I mash them with a potato masher, adding more liquid from the beans (and water, if necessary) until the beans are our preferred texture and consistency. They do tend to dry out, so make them on the loose side.  &amp;amp;lt;&amp;amp;gt; It was a hit! Nacho night may become a new tradition.  More recipes that use refried beans:  Mexican Bean and Cheese Pockets Tostaditas with Beans and Greens Favorite Layered Party Dip  What are your weeknight meal traditions? \u2014 Kim Walker "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/a48351/nacho-night-2912/>