View Full Version : dehydrating refried beans
leftorright
01-07-2012, 04:03
For some reason when hiking/excersizing I'm never hungry, I have to force myself to eat. One thing I love is burritos so I was wondering if I could dehydrate refried beans? Would one do this similar to spagehtti sauce? How well do they rehydrate?
Anyone have a recipie for making your own refried beans?
fiddlehead
01-07-2012, 06:14
I do (dehydrate) black beans for my burritos.
They work well.
When I cook them, I make them almost paste-like rather than soupy, and I add some hot chili's to spice them up.
Then I put plastic wrap on half of the trays (so that air can still flow through the other half to get to the trays above), and spread the paste on the plastic wrap.
Dry, but not too dry (always a good rule for anything that you want to taste later).
They hydrate up great. Again, don't add too much water and stir in a cup and add cheese, fresh garlic, maybe some guacamole or hot sauce from a condiment stand on your tortilla and you have a great lunch item.
garlic08
01-07-2012, 07:19
This is a great idea. You can also experiment with rehydrating them without a stove. I know of at least one stoveless hiker who does this during the day in a plastic container as he hikes, so they're ready for dinner. He eats them with corn chips. Beans and corn make an excellent meal. If dehrated black beans were available from more grocery stores, I would eat them all the time. I don't do mail drops when I hike and that's one meal I miss.
Friends don't let friends eat corn pasta.
Fantastic Foods has pinto and black beans in a box.
+1 on Fantastic Foods. They're delicious and super easy to rehydrate. If you have a food coop near you, you might be able to get the dried beans in bulk for cheap.
Friends don't let friends eat corn pasta.
Fantastic Foods has pinto and black beans in a box.
Yep - you can also buy dehydrated re-fried beans bulk at some health food stores - is there an Earth Fare store in your area? I could buy a bag and ship it to you - pretty cheap buying bulk. Here is my burrito recipe:
1) Knorr Fiesta Sides Taco Rice (get at pretty much any grocery)
2) Refried bean mix
3) Tortillas - easy to pack - good backpacking bread
4) Go to taco bell, buy something, get 20 packs of sauce "to go" - they won't care
5) shred some block cheese
Cook taco rice wet, add refried beans and cook a little -- slather this in the tortillas with some cheese and taco bell sauce. Add a little additional hot sauce if you want.
This goes a long way - for one person (even for a thru-hiker) this mix will make 5-6 burritos.
Sleep in separate tents - or in opposite sides of shelter.
Rain Man
01-07-2012, 11:05
For some reason when hiking/excersizing I'm never hungry, I have to force myself to eat.
I'm the same way. Have little appetite and not much tastes especially good to me while hiking. I actually plan to buy a dehydrator today with gift cards I received for Christmas. Very timely thread for me! I enjoy refried beans. Will try some of the ideas in this thread!
Rain:sunMan
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atraildreamer
01-07-2012, 17:47
Put some cooking spray on the dehydrating sheets before you start or you will need a chisel to get the dried beans off the sheet!
Use parchment paper under your beans. Buy fat free ones for best storage. I tend to use Fantastic Foods or similar but tastewise dried canned ones taste better IMO.
Technically, they then become redried beans, until you refry them again.
gollwoods
01-07-2012, 21:20
gfs gordon foods has tortillas dehydrated beans and powdered cheese sauce, along with dehydrated soups etc..
From wikipedia. I did not know this...
The name is based on a mistranslation.[1] In Mexican Spanish, the prefix re is an informal form of emphasis meaning "very" or "well", not to be confused with the English re and the most common use of the Spanish prefix re outside Mexico, which indicates repetition. Thus, frijoles refritos, the Mexican name of this dish, should translate to English as "well-fried beans", not "refried beans". In this dish, the beans are often fried, but may also be baked, thus making the term "refried" a misnomer on two counts.[2]
So they are not all that different than some regular baked beans. Cool.
Dehydrated Beans/minute rice/tuna is a tasty simple combination. When I cook the beans I heavily season it with El Pato canned tomato sauce, jalpeno, and other seasonings (lime, chili powder, garlic, black pepper, chipotle, cilantro). Then boil the beans until done and reduce until there is less liquid. Then all you need is some instant rice and beans and you are set. Throw in some tuna pouches when you pack....
+1 on Fantastic Foods. They're delicious and super easy to rehydrate. If you have a food coop near you, you might be able to get the dried beans in bulk for cheap.
Food coop. I had to read that twice. ;-)
leftorright
01-09-2012, 00:04
wow this has given me a ton of ideas. Plus, now I finally know refried beans don't actually have a fried stage, which eliminates about 90% of my confusion/hesitation at trying this lol.
I bought some Santa Fe dehydrated black beans. Put a quarter cup each of them, and minute brown rice, some cumin, chili powder, cilantro, salt and pepper brought em to a boil, put the pot in a cozy and let them re-hydrate for 10 mins. Pretty good eating.
harryfred
01-09-2012, 12:59
Playing with stuff I dehydrated and vacum sealed now Refried beans sounds great on a tortilla with salsa which I am dehydrating right now. I am planning a three week section hike in Sept and sending my self drop boxes at least three time if I can mostly not to waste time resupplying but also to eat better and maybe cheaper.
Farr Away
01-10-2012, 11:56
I planned dried refried beans, dried salsa, and gravel (dried hamburger) for a burrito filling. Too much water to rehydrate, and we ate really wonderful chili for lunch, lol.
-FA
I planned dried refried beans, dried salsa, and gravel (dried hamburger) for a burrito filling. Too much water to rehydrate, and we ate really wonderful chili for lunch, lol.
-FA
A mistake still worth eating ;-)
True Blue
01-24-2012, 03:25
This instant bean dip smells & tastes wonderful!
1 lb. bag pinto beans OR black beans
5 teaspoons cumin
5 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
1. Cook beans according to pkg. directions. Drain and rinse. (This step will help limit stomach/bowel gas)
2. Dehydrate beans until very dry.
3. In food processor, grind beans in small batches until a fine powder.
4. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and dried onions. Blend well with the powder. Store in ziploc.
To use: mix 3/4 c. powder with 1 1/2 c. hot water. Cover and let sit for 5 min until thickened. Mix will thicken more as it cools.
1 pound beans = 4 c. dried mix = about 5 servings = about 8 c. reconstituted bean dip
Makes a great party dip, too!
This guy has a lot of dehydrated meals (do it yourself) and they taste great. He walks you through from start to finish. Try out his latest one ( making bean dip ) that can be used on burritos.....tried it and it is great. I did use less salt tho. Enjoy and bookmark his page.http://www.hungryhammockhanger.com/
Rain Man
01-24-2012, 10:55
... The name is based on a mistranslation.[1] In Mexican Spanish, the prefix re is an informal form of emphasis meaning "very" or "well", not to be confused with the English re and the most common use of the Spanish prefix re outside Mexico, which indicates repetition. Thus, frijoles refritos, the Mexican name of this dish, should translate to English as "well-fried beans", not "refried beans". In this dish, the beans are often fried, but may also be baked, thus making the term "refried" a misnomer on two counts.[2]
Wow... that explains a lot. Thanks! Always felt like there was a dis-connect in my mind about "re-fried" beans. Anyway, got my dehydrator (NESCO FD-61) and have been running it ever since, experimenting. It's amazing how a plain can of refried beans dehydrates into brittle, crumbly pieces ... and ... how well it rehydrates and tastes great on a tortilla or flat bread with a little shredded cheese, salsa, and/or hot sauce.
Also discovered that a plain can of sliced or diced potatoes becomes potato chips or chunks. Crunchy and tasty, especially with a LITTLE sea salt sprinkled on at the git-go.
Rice and beans worked well. So did bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange so far).
My first try at beef jerky was too dry, but still taught me home-made is better than Jack's, no matter the Sasquatch commercials. (I tried several seasonings, pepper, taco, plain, and Jack Daniels marinade. The JD was the best so far.)
Oh, green peas and sweet corn did well too, and like the potatoes, can be eaten dry as a snack.
Can't wait to get out on a trail and eat some of this stuff! Just discovered Babelfish5 (aka hungryhammockhanger) and love his YouTube video about bean dip!
Anyone willing to recommend a good "cook book" for us newbie dehydrators? The one that came with my NESCO does not even mention pastas, grains, or legumes. Weird.
Rain:sunMan
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My first try at beef jerky was too dry, but still taught me home-made is better than Jack's, no matter the Sasquatch commercials. (I tried several seasonings, pepper, taco, plain, and Jack Daniels marinade. The JD was the best so far.)
Of course the JD was best. Everything is better with a little JD in it ;)
Anyone willing to recommend a good "cook book" for us newbie dehydrators? The one that came with my NESCO does not even mention pastas, grains, or legumes. Weird.
I have recently gotten into dehydrating in preparation for my upcoming section hike. I have found the following sites to be awesome and I am constantly referencing them.
http://www.dehydratorbook.com/
(http://www.dehydratorbook.com/)http://www.backpackingchef.com/
- Patrick
Rain Man
01-25-2012, 15:32
I have recently gotten into dehydrating in preparation for my upcoming section hike. I have found the following sites to be awesome and I am constantly referencing them.
http://www.dehydratorbook.com/
(http://www.dehydratorbook.com/)http://www.backpackingchef.com/
Thanks!!!
Rain:sunMan
.
gunner76
01-25-2012, 15:47
2nd thumbs up on this site ...http://www.hungryhammockhanger.com/ (http://www.hungryhammockhanger.com/)
Bablefish5 has some great meal receipes that are easy to make..just be warned that he is from Texas and likes his stuff spicey.
Fiddlehead...your "Dry, but not too dry" comment hits right on a question I've been mulling over. I'm new to dehydrating (my kitchen looks like a bomb went off right now). I dried seasoned ground beef yesterday for about hours and there is still some moisture here and there. My intent is to put this mixture and others in pint-sized food saver bags, seal and freeze them and then mail them ahead. How much moisture is allowable? I do want to be able to eat this stuff (taste), but don't want to open it to mold, etc.
Frankly, I'm not sure I know enough about what I'm doing.
Tks and and all respondents.
Lemhi
I, honestly believe, you can dehydrate most anything. I have been doing it for years ....... even to the point most of my meals are dehydrated. A lot cheaper. Example: bananas and apples for trail mix, spaghetti sauce and refried beans.
If you have left-over spaghetti sauce from, say a meal, Put it in a blender for a few seconds to liquify the oins, garlic, etc. Put it in the dehydrator on parchment paper (if you don't have a tray) and dehyfrate over night. Put the " leather" in a zip-loc bag or Food Saver bag and re-hydrate on the trail. You can do it with cooked noodles, also. :-)