My most favorite food.

I love beans and cheese.  I could eat it everyday for dinner and be perfectly happy.  My poor research team... example of dinner conversation:

Me:                        "What do you want for dinner?"
Research Team:      "Hmmm, I dunno, what do you want?"
Me:                        "Bean and cheese burritos."
Research Team:      (heaves big sigh)
Me:                        "Or what about bean and cheese nachos?"
Research Team:      (ignoring me, looking in cupboard)
Me:                        "Ooooh, how about bean and cheese tostadas!"
Research Team:      (now looking in refrigerator)
Me:                        "I know, I know, I'll make bean and cheese enchiladas."
Research Team:      (he's back to the cupboard, desperate for inspiration)
Me:                        "Beans and cheese in a bowl with a spoon?"
Research Team:      "I'm making mac and cheese." 
Me:                        "Can I hide some beans in it?"


So it is only natural that I am going to try and figure out what vegetables hide well in my beans.  Today's experiment involved canned refried black beans, canned refried pinto beans, pureed kale, purple cabbage, and pumpkin.

These are my favorite beans:

The closest row is black beans and the farther row is pinto:

1/2 cup beans and 1/8 cup puree in each:

These two have cabbage:

These two have kale:   (but I probably didn't have to tell you that...)

And these are the ones with pumpkin:

In all of them, with my eyes closed, I could barely taste the vegetable puree.  I don't think anyone else would notice the taste difference. 

Everyone would notice the color of the beans with the kale, that's for sure!  I don't want to put in words what I think it looks like.  (Does everyone know I have a 6 month old who loves green beans?)  However, I had the kale beans in my burrito for lunch, and it was just as tasty as usual.  And I swear I didn't have to eat it with my eyes shut.  :)

Now, remember, these beans are plain.  Nothing added but the puree.  It would be so easy to use these beans in a dip with salsa and cheese and it would completely cover up the small color change.  Or add some chopped veggies and spices to make the dip, no one would guess.  Even with the beans that had the kale... yes it turned it very green, but what if I threw in some avocado and salsa and presented it as my bean guacamole?  I bet you'd eat it.

The best part is, I have lots of left over beans from this experiment.  Hee hee, guess what we are having for dinner tonight?!?!