Un-refried beans

I don't remember where I printed this recipe from, but man alive, are they good.  They're so simple and cheap and I had a hard time not eating the whole batch with a spoon right out of the crock pot. These are great on tostadas, in bean burritos, as a side dish, or any other way you can imagine them. 

1 lb. dry pinto beans, picked through and rinsed

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

1 T garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

10-15 cranks cracked black pepper

1-2 tsp salt

6 cups water

Place onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, chili powder and pepper into crockpot.  Add the sorted and rinsed beans and the water.  Stir everything well to distribute seasoning.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  After cooking, remove as much water as possible, saving it in a bowl.  Mash the beans {I used my potato masher}, adding in just enough reserved water to get the consistency you want.  Season the mashed beans with salt.  I would start with 1 tsp, taste, and add more if needed.

This recipe ends up making about six cups of refried beans, so I took the leftovers and divided them into two-cup batches in ziploc freezer bags. Cool completely in refrigerator, then transfer to freezer.  To use the frozen beans, you can just put them in the fridge in the morning and they'll be thawed by dinner.  Or, if you're like me and can't seem to plan that far in advance, you can always put the whole ziploc bag into a bowl of warm water and they thaw in no time.