I am a taco loving girl! So much in fact that my husband has told me I have ruined tacos for him since we eat them too much. But he better just suck it up because I will continue to add tacos to our weekly meal plan! And, you can’t have tacos without refried beans. I mean you could, but why would you want to?
Unfortunately beans in all forms can be hard on our digestive systems. They can also be incredibly toxic when they come from a can! So how can we consume beans in a healthier way? By sprouting them first!
What Are The Benefits of Sprouting Beans?
Beans can be hard for our gut to process and on our digestive system as a whole. When you simply soak your beans, it releases phytic acid. By releasing and removing this phytic acid, it allows our bodies to easily digest beans and not disrupt our gut.
Furthermore, if you soak your beans to the point of sprouting, it makes it even easier on the body to digest. When you sprout your beans, you are continuing to remove phytic acid, making it even easier for to body to digest the beans. Also, sprouting your beans allows our body to utilize more of the nutrients from the beans.
What About Canned Beans?
Canned beans are typically cooked within their cans and not soaked at all. I always assumed beans were cooked then stored in their cans, but that’s not how it happens! Since they aren’t soaked or sprouted at all, canned beans are full of phytic acid and are harsher on our digestive system.
Also, beans that are cooked within their can lead to further toxins. The insides of cans are typically lined with BPA to eliminate the can from corroding and also prolonging the shelf life of the can.
How Do You Sprout Beans?
Sprouting your beans is incredibly simple. All you have to do is place your beans in a bowl, cover the beans with water, and add a splash of apple cider vinegar. The apple cider vinegar is totally optional if you don’t have it. All you have to do is let the beans sit there and work their magic! I would say you need about 24 hours of soaking to see a benefit and about 48 hours of soaking to see sprouting.
How To Make Non-Toxic Refried Beans?
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What you will need:
- Dry Pinto Beans
- Water
- Onion
- Broth (veggie, chicken, beef)
- Cumin
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Instant Pot
Directions:
- Soak/ Sprout beans (I like to do about 48 hours)
- Put beans in Instant Pot
- Cover beans with broth (if you don’t have enough broth, you can add the rest water)
- Add a diced onion
- Add about 1tsp cumin, salt, garlic/onion powder (really any seasonings you like)
- Seal Instant Pot and manually cook for 15 minutes
- When Instant Pot is done, save some of the liquid from inside then drain the beans
- But beans back in Instant Pot and mash with either a masher or immersion blender
- Add in more or less of the liquid you saved depending on the consistency you want the beans to be
- Add in hot sauce or whatever seasonings you think it needs
Tips:
- Because soaking and sprouting the beans can be time consuming, I like to make a big batch of them, section them out, and then freeze them. Then I just reheat them when I need them. I only make refried beans about once every month and a half.
- Don’t worry if your beans don’t sprout after 48 hours! Sometimes mine don’t!
I hope you have found this helpful and I hope you make your own refried beans next taco Tuesday! Let me know how they turn out!