Jicama and Black Bean Salad

Make this to go with Lime Chicken Enchiladas

by Lindsey Johnson

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4" dice
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice
1 cup yellow corn
4-5 green onions, sliced, white and tender green parts only
Juice of 1 lime
1-2 tsp. grapeseed or other flavorless oil (like canola)
coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
pinch of chili powder
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the jicama, black beans, red pepper, corn and green onions in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Pour over the veggies and stir to coat. Just before serving, add the cilantro.

Makes 4-6 servings as a side dish.

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CrockPot Refried Beans (cheap & delicious!)

Soak your dried pinto beans in your crockpot in the fridge overnight. (Fill it half full with beans and cover to top with water. For a yummy variation add 2 handfulls of black beans.) Drain water and rinse beans. Put back in crockpot and fill to top with water. Cook on high for 8 hours--make sure it never runs out of water. Drain some of the excess liquid, but keep liquid in a separate container. Add 1-2 tsp. salt and 1-3 TBS butter and about 1 cup mild salsa. Blend with hand mixer until mostly smooth. Add additional reserved liquid if it is not desired consistency. Serve with tacos, burritos, eggs or any other dishes you eat beans with. Delicious and so very, very cheap. You will never buy refried beans again!
bsolutely you can freeze the refried beans! (I should've added that, sorry. ) I always divide it up into smaller containers that we get out as we need to use them. You can defrost them easily. I think refried beans are one of those magic freezer foods that seems to stay good in the freezer for forever. I have even frozen them in ziploc bags to keep them compact and small. They're great to take that way camping.

One last tip--cooking beans in the house is very aromatic. My Dad and sisters love the smell, but I think it is overwhelming. I always cook mine in the crockpot on the back porch in good weather and in the garage in bad.

Black Beans

1 can black beans, rinsed
2 Tbl finely mined onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup tomato juice
3 Tbl chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 tsp salt

Fry onion, garlic and cumin in a small amount of olive oil. Add beans, tomato juice, cilantro and salt and heat through.