Quick Vegetarian Maple Beer Baked Beans
I don’t particularly care for baked beans out of a can. There are too many ingredients, most of them sugars, and they’re super syrupy and wet. Baking beans from scratch, on the other hand, is an all day affair. They are undoubtedly the best, but a day’s worth of dedication for beans is too much for me to give on a regular basis. So, we don’t eat many baked beans. To satisfy a baked-bean craving, I experimented and was extremely pleased with the results.
Ingredients:
- 2 cans Kidney Beans
- 1 can Beer, I used Lefthand Brewery ESB, an ale from a local brewery in Longmont, CO
- Maple Syrup (the real stuff. Nothing fake, please. If it’s not from Vermont or Canada, toss it out and buy the real stuff)
Mix the maple syrup with the beer until it dissolves. I used around 1/2 cup syrup because the ESB (Extra Special Bitter) had a bite to it that needed to be balanced with sweetness. Rinse the beans well to get off all the canned goo, mix into the maple beer, pour into a pyrex baking dish, cover, and bake for close to 2 hours at 400 degrees.
In that 2 hours, mix the beans 2 or 3 times. Uncover the beans after the first hour to let some of the liquid cook-off. They’ll be done when all of the liquid is absorbed and they are just glazed with a maple beer coating. Salt and pepper to taste.
Croutons
Why eat croutons from a package? Have you ever looked at the ingredients? I make them fresh from a loaf of bakery-fresh Italian or French bread.
Slice the bread in small cubes, or chunks. Throw it all in a dry, hot pan, and sauté them for a couple minutes with no oil. Then drizzle on some olive oil, 1/3 cup or so, add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and stir. Cook them this way until they start to dry out, 30 minutes or so. Add more seasoning, like basil, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary… whatever you like. Serve immediately. Don’t save these for more than a few days. No preservatives means no shelf life!
Potato, Spinach, and Bean Frittata
- At April 5, 2009
- By megan
- In cannellini beans, Eggs, frittata, Potato
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This is a good dish to make when you need to finish up some eggs that have been sitting in the fridge for a while. Or, for anyone who really likes eggs. I’m not that into eggs, but I enjoy a good frittata or omelette once in a while.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes (I used local Colorado red, fingerling. Any potato will do, but I would not personally use Russet)
- Onion (I used a white onion, but, like the potato, any type of onion will work)
- Veggie Broth (if you don’t have homemade broth, I like 365 brand)
- Cannellini beans
- Spinach (fresh or frozen chopped)
- 6-8 Eggs
- Pepper ( I used a red pepper, but any pepper will do)
- Jalapeño
- Garlic
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea Salt
- Fresh ground Black Pepper
- Olive Oil
Chop the entire onion, and sauté in in veggie broth (no oil) until soft. Add chopped potato (3-4 cups). I sliced it, but cut it up any way you like, as long as the pieces are relatively small. Add more veggie broth and cook, covered, until the potatoes start to soften. Add a handful chopped spinach, some sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and grind some black pepper. Add drained and rinsed cannellini beans, and take off heat to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with 1 cup veggie broth and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add as much chopped jalapeño as you like, the chopped red (or any color) pepper, a clove or two of chopped garlic, a large handful of Parmesan cheese, some more red pepper flakes, and more ground black pepper. Mix well. Next, add the potato concoction and mix well into egg mixture. pour into a large Pyrex baking dish and bake at 375 until it talks to you (sizzles) and most of the extra liquid is gone (45-55 minutes).
Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa
This salsa goes well with anything “Mexican.”
Just mix it all together and enjoy.
Ingredients:
- Avocado
- Tomato, seeded and chopped
- Corn
- 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- some chopped jalapeño (as much spice as you like)
- Sea Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Lemon Juice (squeeze a little less than half of one lemon)
Couscous Tacos
- At April 4, 2009
- By megan
- In couscous tacos
- 0
Couscous Tacos are a good alternative to beef tacos because they are very healthy and very inexpensive. This recipe is really simple and fast.
Ingredients:
- Onion (I used red here, but it won’t matter much)
- Garlic
- Whole Wheat Couscous
- Stewed Tomatoes (I use a 14.5 oz. can of 365 brand diced tomatoes with green chilies)
- Taco Shells (let’s aim for organic, or at least non-genetically modified corn!)
- Cheese (rBST free, please. I like Tillamook, not just because of my connection to Oregon, but also because they use rBST free milk)
- Diced Jalapeños
Sauté a handful of chopped onion and one clove of chopped garlic in some peanut oil until soft and fragrant. Add one cup of whole wheat couscous and sauté a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the can of stewed tomatoes, and, add water. Whole wheat couscous cooks at a ration of one part couscous to two parts water. I added just over a half can of extra water. Stir, bring to a boil, lower heat low, cover, and wait 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, shred some cheese, chop jalapeños, and heat up the taco shells. The couscous will be done when all of the liquid is absorbed. Take it off the heat, stir it, and give it a couple minutes to sit before stuffing your tacos. I served this with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa.
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