Refried Beans

I guess the name of this dish is really a misnomer since I don't actually do any frying of the beans, but the end result has the same texture as canned refried beans.  My husband thinks these are a lot better than canned.  3 of my kids love refried beans with tacos, which we seem to eat on an almost weekly basis, so I make up a big batch of these and freeze the leftovers in 2 cup portions.
Yield: ~8 cups

4 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed (no need to presoak)
12 cups water
4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup minced dried onion

Put all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for ~8 hours or until beans are soft and mashable.  Use a potato masher and/or hand mixer to mash and blend the hot cooked beans and liquid together until smooth.

Wheat Chili

I'm trying to slowly add some meatless dishes into our regular rotation, and this one fits the bill.  The wheat berries have a nice chewy texture when cooked, and they take on the flavor of the seasonings quite well.  I use a zillion and one spices in mine, but a chili seasoning packet from the grocery store should substitute just fine.  If you use storebought seasoning, you still need to add 2 tsp salt to your chili since you're using dried beans.

1 cup dry wheat berries
2/3 cup dry pinto beans
2/3 cup dry black beans
2/3 cup dry white beans
6 cups water
2-28 oz cans diced tomatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp dried onion
1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Rinse the beans, then dump all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours or until beans and wheat are soft.