Culinary yoU: February 2016

Friday, February 19, 2016

Making Your Own Flour Tortillas

Unleavened flat breads have been around for centuries and are still a food staple in many countries today. While the corn tortilla may be the traditional flat bread in Mexico, along it's Northern border with Texas and throughout the Southwestern part of the United States the flour tortilla is becoming ever more popular. Flour tortillas were introduced to Northern Mexico (which later became Texas) by Jewish settlers who were fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. These flat (unleavened) bread eating Jewish settlers (many who were converts to Catholicism) generally ate a flat bread known as pita bread. Because corn was not kosker, then began to make their own version of the traditional corn tortilla with flour.

In some way I guess you could say the flour tortilla has biblical roots. Had Jewish settlers not been force to migrate to the new world, we might not have the flour tortilla. Being Caucasian and growing up in South Central Texas (San Antonio), when I think of tortillas, the first thing that comes to my mind is the flour tortilla. Yes, I like soft corn tortillas to make enchiladas with, but when it comes to tacos, burritos, or just eating them fresh from the skillet with dinner, to me the flour tortilla is king.

The Recipe

The great thing about flour tortillas is that they are easy to make and require very few ingredients. Because the do not require any yeast, they can be made quickly (less than 30 minutes from start to finish). Now, I do not use lard or vegetable shoetening when I make my flour tortillas, rather I use vegetable or corn oil depending on what I have in the pantry at the time. I have tried many recipes of the years, but the following is my go to recipe. This recipe makes, soft delicious flour tortillas that I use to make my bean and cheese and breakfast burritos.

Flour Tortillas

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup warm water

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the dough hook attached mix dry ingredients until well combined. Add oil and water with mixer running at a medium speed. Mix for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping several times to scrape the sides of the bowl. After 2 minutes, or when the flour mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low and continue to mix for dough for 1 more minute or until dough is smooth.

For Taco / Fajita Size Tortillas

Transfer from mixing bowl to your well-floured counter top or work space. Divide dough in half, then in half again continuing to do so until you have 12 approximately equal sized portions. Then form each portion into a small ball with your hands and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. If the dough is sticky, then add a bit more flour to your counter or work space. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes before proceeding. During the last 5 minutes that the tortiallas are resting, heat a large pan or comal over medium-high heat. Then using a rolling pin, roll each tortilla into a 6 to 7 inch diameter circle. Keeping your rolling pin and countertop lightly floured will keep the tortillas from sticking when rolling them out. Once you have your tortillas to the desired size, do not stack the uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will get soggy and stick together.

For Burrito Size Tortillas

Transfer from mixing bowl to your well-floured counter top or work space. Divide dough in half, then in half again continuing to do so until you have 8 fairly equal sized portions. Then form each portion into a small ball with your hands and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. If the dough is sticky, then add a bit more flour to your counter or work space. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes before proceeding. During the last 5 minutes that the tortiallas are resting, heat a large pan or comal over medium-high heat. Then using a rolling pin, roll each tortilla into a 10 to 12 inch diameter circle. Keeping your rolling pin and countertop lightly floured will keep the tortillas from sticking when rolling them out. Once you have your tortillas to the desired size, do not stack the uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will get soggy and stick together.

Chef's Note: I roll out the first two tortillas and then place one in my hot saute pan. While the first is cooking I start rolling out the third. That way I am always rolling out a tortilla while I have one cooking in my hot saute pan at the same time.

When your pan or comal is very hot, place one dough circle into pan and allow to cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. The uncooked surface will begin to show a few little bubbles. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for about 30 seconds. You want the tortilla to be soft but have a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag till all tortillas are cooked. This will keep them soft and pliable. Wipe out any loose flour that accumulates in the pan between cooking tortillas as the flour may burn.

Chef's Note: Making sure your saute pan or comal is hot is the key to get nice soft pliable tortillas. If your pan is not hot enough, then the tortilla will cook to slowly and will become stiff like cardboard. Every stove is different, on my stove, there are no numbers just a 'Low' and 'High' setting. I have found that putting the dial to about ¾ of the way towards the 'High' setting and letting the pan heat for 5 minutes before cooking the tortiallas is just about perfect.

Serve your freshly made tortillas warm. Few things taste better than warm bread or flour tortillas served with butter, I guarantee you they go fast. However if you want to save them for later (such as when making breakfast or bean burritos), then allow to cool for later use. When ready to use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a container (with a cover) that will hold the stacked tortillas. Microwave, uncovered for 15-25 seconds (start with 15) or until warm, then cover to hold heat while serving.

The tortillas will keep well stored in an airtight container or zip lock bag at at room temperature for about 24 to 48 hours as they have no preservatives, or can be frozen indefinitely if they make it that long. To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a plastic zip lock bag before placing in freezer.

Ingredients

All commercially prepared tortillas contain a few preservatives, but overall the ingredients between making tortiallas at home and commerically prepared tortillas are pretty similar. As evidenced by the following brand of tortillas which I occasionally use. Overall the nutritional value of commercially prepared tortillas is about the same as those made at homemade, but the flavor and texture of homemade tortillas IMHO is far superior.

Mi Casa Flour Tortillas Ingredients: Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (a B Vitamin)], Water, Vegetable Shortening (Interesterified Soybean Shortening, Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil or Palm Oil), Calcium Propionate (to Retard Spoilage), Salt, Wheat Starch, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Yeast.

Homemade Flour Tortillas: All-purpose flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), salt, baking powder (sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate), water, and vegetable oil.

Cost Breakdown

Making your own tortillas at home can save you a consider amount of money, and most of you have the necessary ingredients in you pantry. In fact, if all the items you have in your pantry are the ssame as those we recommended in our minimalist pantry series, you will be bale to make your own tortillas at home. A 5lb bag of all-purpose flour at my local Walmart costs $1.72 ($0.02 per ounce), and one cup of all-purpose flour weights 4.25oz. A 48oz bottle of Great Value Vegetable oil is $2.28 ($0.05 pr ounce)

3 cups (12.75oz by weight) all-purpose flour costs $0.28

1/3 cup vegenable oil costs $0.14

Salt and baking powder together less than $0.03

Homemade Tortillas $0.45 a batch (Taco size $0.04 each, Burrito size $0.06 each)

Ortega Flour Tortillas 8” 10ct $2.00 at Walmart ($0.20 each)

Mission Flour Tortillas Taco size 10ct $2.68 at Walmart ($0.27 each)

Nuevo Leon Flour Tortillas 8” 10ct $1.00 at Dollar Tree ($0.10 each)

As you can see, making you own tortillas is quite a bit cheaper than buying them at the grocery store. In fact it is 40% cheaper to make your own than it is to purchase the cheapest burritos of comperable size for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree. And if you buy the Mission brand it is 78% cheaper.

Conclusion

I love freshly made tortillas slatered with butter or served with scrambled eggs and potatoes and topped with salsa for a quick breakfast taco. Unfortunately, when I grew up, we never had fresh tortiallas on the dinner table, rather store bought were the norm. I enjoy making this recipe, it is quick and delicious, and as we live about 10 miles out of town a round trip to our local Brookshires or Walmart takes at a minimum 30 minutes. I can easily make tortillas in that time so unless we are already heading to town, it is just as easy to make my own tortillas at home, and the taste of fresh flour tortillas just cannot be beat

Now the cavet, I did not have a Mexican grandmother to teach me how to roll out tortillas so when I first started I made a lot of amoeba and rectangular shaped tortillas. Sometimes it still happens, but my tortillas got more round over time and so will yours. Do not let this factor discourage you, the great thing about artisan foods and homemade foods is that they are not, well perfect. Given the choice I would eat homemade tortiallas everytime over store bought ones. Now do not think me a hypocrit, I still buy store bought tortiallas, especially when I need them in greater quantaties such as when making a couple pans of enchiladas or when 10 family memebers show up for beef and or pulled pork tacos.

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Monday, February 15, 2016

Homemade Bean and Cheese Burritos

If you have read any of my articles on our blog, then you know that beans and other legumes play an important part of our dietary needs. They are, inexpensive, provide a good balance of both protein and carbohydrates, store easily, and will last forever when packaged properly. One item I make on a regular basis using dried beans are 'Bean and Cheese' and 'Bean, Beef, and Cheese' burritos. Because dried beans are so inexpensive, I am amazed that people buy frozen bean, and or bean and beef burrtios at their local grocery that are chock full or preservatives and fats. And that is what brings me to the heart of this article.

Bean burritos can be a low cost protein packed meal that is actually pretty healthy for you. No I am not talking about the bean burritos you find in the frozen food section of your local supermarket. I am talking about fresh homemade bean burritos made from dried beans, spices and cheese. You will find no added fat or preservatives in these burritos, only fresh homemade ingredients.

Once every couple of weeks I make a batch of bean burritos (8-10 each) or a batch of bean and beef burritos (8-10 each) which I wrap in foil and place in the freezer. I eat these bean or bean and beef burritos a couple of times a week on my hour drive home from work when I am not eating a sandwich. Any leftover beans that I have from making burritos is used to make my 'Frito Style' bean dip. For more information regarding making your own bean dip see my article on our blog 'Frito Style Bean Dip'.

The Recipe

For both my bean and cheese, and combination (bean, beef and cheese) burritos, the real star is the beans. IMHO, living in Texas, there is only one bean to consider when making bean burritos, and this is the common pinto bean. Now there are a bunch of bean burrito recipes on the internet that use canned refried beans, and making it this way definitely is a better alternative than buying the pre-made frozen bean burritos ($0.99 for a 16oz can of Great Value Refried Beans at Walmart). However to see the real savings potential you only have one choice, and that is make your own burritos from dried beans. In this article, I have included recipes for making both of my bean and cheese, and combination (bean, beef and cheese) burritos.

Bean and Cheese Burrito's

8 – 10 count Burritos size flour tortillas

1 recipe bean filling (see below)

2 cups mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tablespoon homemade taco sauce

½ to ¾ cup homemade taco sauce

Bean Burritos (The Bean Filling)

1 lb dried pinto beans

1lb dried pinto beans

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon black pepper

Sort though and remove any small rocks you may find. Yes, I said small rocks, as I generally find at least one in every bag of pinto beans I buy and you really do not want to break a tooth. Add the pinto beans to your pressure cooker and cover with 2 to 4 inches of water, then soak the dried beans overnight. They will absorb a lot of water and will double in size overnight.

In the morning drain the water (pour it in your houseplants or garden, why waste it) and add enough fresh water to cover the beans in the pressure cooker by 3 to 4 inches. Bring your pressure cooker up to pressure and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and allow the pressure to release it's pressure on it's own.

Drain the beans and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid (I usually save the rest for making a three bean or other type of soup, but you can discard it if you wish). Add the remaining ingredients and take a potato masher and mash the pinto beans to combine all of the ingredients throughly. Add a little of the reserved bean water as needed until you get to the desired consistency. Check seasoning and adjust to suit your personal preferences.

Chef's Note: You can also add all the ingredients into your food processor and blend until you achieve the desired consistency. You can find my recipe for the Taco Sauce that I use in my earlier article: Fast Food Style Taco Sauce.

The Beef Filling

1 lb ground beef

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon powdered beef boullion

1 teaspoon onion powdere

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl, mix throughly and set aside.

Brown ground beef in a medium saucepan. Once it is done and still hot place ground beef in a wire mesh strainer and rinse with hot water to remove any unwanted fat. Rinse out the saucepan as well, then return the saucepan and the cooked ground beef to the stove and add the remianing ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes, remove cover and simmer for a few more minutes or until beef mixture has thickened.

Putting It All Together

Now you can use any style of sauce on your bean and or combination burritos you wish, or choose to not use any at all. I prefer to use my own homemade taco style sauce, but salsa verde (green shile sauce) or a picante sauce works just as well. It is all a matter of personal preference and you are making these for you and your family after all.

Bean and Cheese Burrito Individual Portions

1 10” burrito size flour tortilla (total cost $0.21ea)

¾ cup bean filling (8oz by weight, total cost of $0.18)

¼ cup mild cheddar cheese (0.6 ounces by weight or total cost of $0.12)

1 tablespoon homemade taco sauce ($0.02)

Bean, Beef and Cheese Combination Burrito Individual Portions

1 10” burrito size flour tortilla (total cost $0.21ea)

½ cup bean filling (6oz by weight, total cost of $0.12)

¼ cup beef filling (2oz by weight, total cost of $0.24)

¼ cup mild cheddar cheese (0.6 ounces by weight or total cost of $0.12)

1 tablespoon homemade taco sauce ($0.02)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, then heat your tortillas for about 30 seconds per side. The goal here is not to cook the tortillas any more, rather warming them makes them more pliable and easier to roll into a burrito.

Place your burrito on your foil and place ¾ cup of the bean filling in the middle, I use a small spatchula to evenly spread the bean filling on the tortialla, then add your ¼ of cheddar cheese and then drizzle your taco sauce on top and fold your burrito and set aside to be placed in the freezer when you are done.

To heat the burritos, I take them to work in my cooler frozen and they thaw out during the day and then I heat them up in the microwave. At the hospital we have one of those industrial microwaves and it heats the burrito just right in 60 seconds, at home we have a small Sharp brand microwave that takes two minutes to heat it just right. The bottom line is you may have to experiment with your microwave to get the proper cook times.

As for cooking them frozen I have never tried, so I am not sure how long you would need to heat them. Even the directions for the El Monterey frozen burritos recommend that you thaw them before cooking, however they list instructions for heating them in 90 second intervals until they reach the desired temperature. Just remember when heating up your burritos to take them out of the foil wrapper before placing them in the microwave.

The Ingredients

Better ingredients, better burritos, not much more that you can say. By making your own bean and combination burritos you avoid all the unwanted fats, and preservatives found in commercially prepared burritos. One look at the ingredient list of some of the popular brands of burritos listed here and you will wonder why you never made your own burritos. In addition, when it comes to taste and freshness you cannot beat homemade.

El Monterey Bean Burritos: Water, Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Beans, Vegetable Oil (Soybean, Sunflower, Canola and/Or Corn Oil), Cheddar Cheese Blend (Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Salt, Enzymes, Lactic Acid, Vegetable Coloring), Contains 2% Or Less Flour Blend (Salt, Rice Flour, Yeast, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Wheat, Sodium Bicarbonate, Wheat Starch, Food Starch, Dough Conditioners (Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, L-Cysteine, Mono and Diglycerides, Dicalcium Phosphate), Microcrystalline Cellulose, Silicon Dioxide (to Prevent Caking)), Salt, Jalapeno Pepper (With Salt, Acetic Acid, Calcium Chloride), Flavor, Spices. Contains Wheat, Milk.

Patio Bean and Cheese Burrito Ingredients: Burrito Filler (Water, Beef, Pinto Beans, Modified Food Starch, Cheddar Cheese [Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto], Diced Green Chili [Green Chili Peppers, Citric Acid, Salt], Soybean Oil, Rolled Oats, Cheese Powder, Salt, Chili Pepper, Spices, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder), Flour Tortilla (Bleached Enriched Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Water, Soybean Oil [Soybean Oil, Citric Acid], Salt, Baking Powder [Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate], Guar Gum, Dough Conditioners [Sodium Metabisulfite, Corn Starch, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate]). Contains: Wheat, Milk.

Homemade Bean and Cheese Burrito Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans, Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Pepper, and Garlic Powder, cheddar cheese.

Homemade Bean, Cheese, and Beef Burrito Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans, Beef, Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Pepper, and Garlic Powder, cheddar cheese, and cornstarch.

Homemade Flour Tortillas: All-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, vegetable oil, and water.

Now, I am not going to beat you up if you do not make your own tortillas, but note that some commercially prepared tortillas contain quite a few preservatives. As evidenced by the following brands of tortillas which I occasionally use. Using commercially prepared tortillas changes the overall nutritional value of the finished burritos so take that into consideration when comparing your homemade burritos with a commercially prepared brand.

Mi Casa Flour Tortillas (Burrito Size) Ingredients: Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (a B Vitamin)], Water, Vegetable Shortening (Interesterified Soybean Shortening, Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil or Palm Oil), Calcium Propionate (to Retard Spoilage), Salt, Wheat Starch, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Yeast.

Cost Breakdown

Depending on the brand, frozen bean and cheese, and bean and beef burritos cost anywhere from $0.37 to $0.50 each. Dried pinto beans purchased at my local Dollar Tree cost me $1.00 for 2lbs or $0.50 per pound. So for $1.00 plus the cost of spices (about $0.15) for a total of $1.15 I can make 6-8 cups of homemade bean burrito filling. That's $0.02 to $0.04 per ounce, that's right 2 to 4 cents per ounce. We used our price comp strategy (Walmart price matches competitor's adds) to purchase 73/27 ground beef for $1.98lb on sale at our local Walmart.

One thing you have to consider when costing out your ingredients is the final weight and or volume of the ingredients you are using. Dried beans gain about twice their weight and volume when the are soaked and cooked due to the amount of water they absorb. A ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese while 2oz per volume, only weighs 0.6oz, so the actual cost is $0.126 per burrito, not $0.21. Be careful when costing ingredients as a mistake here can easily skew your numbers.

Homemade bean filling 6-8 cups ($0.02 to $0.04 per ounce)

Ground Beef (73/27) 16oz at Walmart for $1.98 ($0.12 per ounce)

Homemade 'Fast Food Style' Taco sauce 30oz $0.69 ($0.02 per ounce)

American Heritage Mild Cheddar 32oz package at Walmart $6.84 ($0.21 per ounce)

Mi Casa Burrito Size Flour Tortillas 10ct package $2.18 ($0.21 per tortilla)

El Monterey Beef and Bean Burritos 32oz (8 count package) $2.98 or $0.37 each ($0.09 per ounce)

El Monterey Bean and Cheese Burritos 32oz (8 count package) $2.98 or $0.37 each ($0.09 per ounce)

El Monterey Bean and Cheese Burritos XXL 10oz $1.00 each ($0.10 per ounce)

Patio Bean and Cheese Burritos 5oz $0.50 each ($0.10 per ounce)

Homemade Bean and Cheese Burritos 8oz $0.53 each ($0.07 per ounce)

Homemade Bean, Beef, and Cheese Burritos 8oz $0.65 each ($0.8 per ounce)

I like to use my own Taco Sauce because it is flavorful but not hot, you could however use a green chile sauce (salsa verde) for mild heat, or if you like to turn up the heat a little, try Tabasco, Louisania Style Hot Sauce or Sirachi.

Conclusion

These minimalist pantry friendly bean and cheese burrito recipe is extremely flexible, you can stretch your food dollars by adding cooked white, yellow or spanish rice to the bean filling. Or add beef to make a combination bean, beef and cheese burtitos. Making your own bean and cheese burritos is not only good for your health, but it is good for your bank account as well. My grandkids love these burritos, and when I make my own tortillas they have zero preseratives and the only fat is the oil used in the tortillas. Making your own bean burritos saves you over 20 to 30% off most of the store brands. However, for me having a ready meal that I can grab out of the freezer and throw in my lunch kit keeps me from stopping at a fast food place and spending money on the way home from work, and that is where the real savings occur.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Frito Style Bean Dip

If you have read any of my articles on our blog, then you know that beans and other legumes play an important part of our dietary needs. They are, inexpensive, provide a good balance of both protein and carbohydrates, and store easily, and will last forever when packaged properly. Because they are so inexpensive, I am amazed by the prices people will pay for some items their local grocery store stocks whose major ingredient is beans. And that is what brings me to the heart of this article.

Bean dips such as hummus (made with chickpeas) are popular throughout the Medetarrian and have become increasingly popular here in the United States during the last 5 to 10 years. However, Texas has it's very own bean dip made with pinto beans that was first marketed by the Frito Lay company in 1951 affectionally known around here as 'Frito Bean' Dip.

I am not sure why, but for some reason football season seems to be the time of the year when Frito Lay begins to market their 'bean dip' pretty heavily. While I grew up loving this stuff as a kid, (my grandmother owned and grocery store and corn chips and bean dip were free) the reality is that while it is made with beans, to much extra crap has been added to make it not so healthy. And secondly, it is just down right exensive for what you get ($2.68 for 9 ounces).

I usually make a small batch of bean dip when I make my bean burritos which I wrap in foil and place in the freezer. I eat these bean burritos a couple of times a week on my hour drive home from work when I am not eating a sandwich. However making bean burritos is a subject for another article.

The Recipe

Now there are a lot of recipes on the internet on how to make your own Frito bean dip using canned refried beans, and making it this way definitely is a cheaper alternative ($0.99 for a 16oz can of Great Value Refried Beans at Walmart), however you still get all of the unwanted fat and other preservatives found in the original version. To make a healthy, inexpensive Frito style bean dip, you only have one choice, and that is to start with dried beans and cook them yourself. In this article, I have included both a small and large batch of my versions of 'original' and 'hot' Frito style bean dips.

Original Frito Bean Dip (Regular Recipe)

½ lb dried pinto beans

1 – 2 tablespoons Taco Sauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Original Frito Bean Dip (Family Size)

1lb dried pinto beans

3 to 4 tablespoons homemade Taco Sauce

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Hot Frito Bean Dip (Regular Recipe)

½ lb dried pinto beans

4 pickled jalapeno slices

1 – 2 tablespoons Taco Sauce

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Hot Frito Bean Dip (Family Size)

1lb dried pinto beans

1 whole pickled jalapeno or 6 to 8 jalapeno pepper slices

2 tablespoons homemade Taco Sauce

1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

The Ingredients

Better ingredients, better dip, not much more that you can say. By making your own dip you avoid using extra oils and maltodextrin. Other than that, believe it or not the Frito style bean dip is not to terribly high in fat and has almost no preservatives. When it comes to taste and freshness however you cannot beat homemade.

Frito Original Bean Dip Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans, Corn Oil, Vinegar, Salt, Corn Maltodextrin, Dehydrated Onion, Sugar, Jalapeno Peppers, Spice, Chili Pepper, Dehydrated Garlic, Natural Green Bell Pepper Flavor, Natural Garlic Flavor, and Natural Onion Flavor.

Homemade Frito Style Bean Dip Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans, Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Sugar, Jalapeno Peppers, Paprika, Chili Pepper, and Garlic Powder.

Homemade Hot Frito Style Bean Dip Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans, Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Sugar, Jalapeno Peppers, Paprika, Chili Pepper, Vinegar, and Garlic Powder.

Cost Breakdown

This one is easy, store bought Frito's brand bean dip is $2.68 for 9 ounces or $0.30 per ounce. Dried pinto beans purchased at my local Dollar Tree cost me $1.00 for 2lbs or $0.50 per pound. So for $0.50 plus the cost of spices (about $0.15) for a total of $0.65 I can make 4 cups of original Frito's style homemade bean dip. That's $0.02 per ounce, that's right 2 cents per ounce as opposed to 30 cents per ounce. That is a savings of $0.28 per ounce making it 94% cheaper to make your own bean dip at home!

Frito's Brand Original and Jalapeno Bean Dip $2.68 for 9 ounces.

Home made Original Frito style bean dips $0.65 for 4 to 5 cups (32 to 40 ounces) of bean dip.

Now, making the hot version which includes the pickled jalapenos does increase the cost about 3 to 5 cents depending on the brand of pickled jalapenos you buy. I canned and pickle my own, so no extra cost for me. Of course, you could omit the jalapenos and use cayenne pepper for the heat or even Tabasco, Louisania Style Hot Sauce or Sirachi for the heat.

Conclusion

Making your own Frito style bean dip at home is not only good for your health, but it is good for your bank account as well. My famiy loves this bean dip, and sorry Frito's we buy the $1.00 bag of corn chips as well. Use this heathly dip as an alternative or as a complement to hummus (which is another great bean dip). Remember making your own bean dip saves you over 95% off the cost of the popular Fritos brand. I do not know about you, but if you have that much extra money lying around please feel free to send me some. As always, if you have enjoyed this article and found it informative, please share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and/or Google+ so that you will not miss any of our latest articles. BTW, you can also find all of these articles on Pinterest.