"Jacked" Vegan Bean Pot

By  Pam Hadder

I recently was gifted two vintage ceramic bean pots – my dear friend, Sharmila, is an avid aficionado of vintage and unusual cookware (search Facebook, Kitchenware – Traditional and Unusual).  I had no familiarity with bean pots, but Sharmila’s enthusiasm sparked my interest.  Searching online I found a number of “recipes” for microwave cakes and such, not the slow-cooked, from scratch options I was interested in.
 

I also found a wide variety of opinions on how to soak and prepare beans!  One seemingly reputable government site suggested adding oil to the cooking water, while others suggested a adding a pinch of baking soda.  One home economist suggested cold water pre-soaking for up to 48 hours!  Initially I tried the most common cold water soak, soaking overnight – using the covered bean pot as my soaking vessel, and with the addition of one teaspoon of salt.  This morning, I par-cooked the soaked beans as directed by a few online resources – adding two tablespoons of olive oil and simmering 45 minutes. The aroma was lovely, but the resulting beans were so soft, they were ready for white bean hummus or puree, not bean pot baked beans!  I cooled and bagged them to freeze for later use.

Very glad that I had a second bag of dried navy beans, I started fresh – seeking online information for cooking without overnight soaking. The following is my result – a culmination of conflicting online information, with the added zip of some Jack Daniels whiskey, chilies, bell peppers and fried, smoked tofu to make these vegan bean pot beans really special.  I hope you will try and enjoy, trusting that I have taken care of the leg work for you :)

Ingredients:

450 g/1 lb dry navy beans (no need to presoak)
210g/8 ounces smoked tofu, finely chopped, and seasoned
¼ cup olive oil, divided use
1 large yellow onion, chopped finely
1 large red bell pepper, chopped finely
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. crushed red chilies
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup black strap molasses
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
½ cup Jack Daniels whiskey
2 cups tomato juice (or orange juice)

Method:

Place beans in large soup pot, cover with four inches of water and bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat (I set on back burner, no heat on), cover and let stand 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the chopped onion with bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of the oil until onion is soft and translucent.  In another skillet, brown the chopped tofu in the remaining oil, stirring often.  Season the tofu to your taste with a little salt and pepper – this becomes the “bacon” for your beans.  Drain the beans, rinsing thoroughly with cold water. 

Measure four cups of the beans back into the soup pot. Add the crispy tofu, sautéed onion, and the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Ladle the mixture into a 6-cup bean pot. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure you have adequate clearance for your bean pot, and adjusting the racks if necessary.  Place the bean pot into the oven and bake for 4-6 hours, checking for doneness at four hours.

You may also wish to add more tomato or orange juice if the beans are still too firm, and extend the baking time accordingly until the desired texture is achieved. I reduced the temperature to 280 Fahrenheit and baked for a total of 7 hours. The baking time can be extended from the onset by reducing the heat to 275-280 degrees and planning for  an 8-10 hour baking time – so by cooking at a slightly lower temperature, beans could go in just before bedtime, and could be warm and ready in the oven for an amazing breakfast or brunch!  

The Pami!

Finally!  It's here - my signature vegan sandwich (I am calling her Pami!); and she is guaranteed to make your taste buds sing and make your lips curl into a satisfied smile :)


So let's just get right to it ... after many years of flexitarian dabbling, I have committed to a vegan diet.  People prat on about bacon being the vegan-breaker, but I always thought I would not be able to live without dairy products - although I switched to soy milk about 12 years ago, I still clung to good old butter and cream... until a few weeks ago, that is, when I finally made the transition. For so many years I was living astride veggie life and omnivore choices - I just thought I couldn't be fully vegetarian; let alone vegan!


What about a balanced diet? Would I feel tired?  The only way I had been able to manage my weight was to stick to an Atkins style eating plan with all my carbs coming from veg, but heavy on the animal protein. But slowly, insistently, and persistently, life gently nudged me in the direction of people whom successfully countered all of my fears and objections!  Happily, I have discovered that you CAN have a healthy nutritional balance on a vegan diet - and vegan options are so much more accessible than they were even 3-4 years ago!  (Yes, easy peasy - heavy on the peas... *wink*!)


So without further preamble, let me introduce you to Pami - I hope you will try and enjoy xo!

The Pami

Ingredients:
Four slices pumpernickel rye bread* 
One avocado, mashed
3 Tbsp. plain vegan creamy spread**
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
6" piece of English cucumber, sliced paper thin
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2/3 cup finely grated carrot
4 Tbsp. 40 spice hummus***
Sea salt and black pepper to taste


NOTE: makes two LARGE sandwiches!


Lay out the four bread slices to make two sandwiches. Spread one bread slice of each sandwich with the mustard, and spread the other slice of each sandwich with the hummus. Next, spread the creamy vegan spread on top of the mustard side, and top the vegan spread with the mashed avocado. Top the avocado with the cucumber, followed by the bell pepper pieces and grated carrot.  Finally, press the sprouts onto the surface of the  hummus covered slices, and sandwich both halves of each sandwich together.  Slice in half and serve.


*I use Natural Bakery's vegan friendly bread - if you are in Winnipeg, make sure you try this fabulous, healthy bread - it's a treat!
**Made by Galaxy Nutritional Foods - I buy this at Safeway
***Brand is Tribe and OMG, is it ever delicious - comes in a great family-size tub!

January 17, 2010

Newness!
Two weeks into 2010 -- glad to leave the cement boots that were "2009 issue" in the dumpster and moooove things along :) We have been experiencing unusually mild weather conditions this winter on the Canadian prairie -- bravo El Nino, we appreciate the break!

Typically our January weather is the peak of coldness and average temps are in the minus 30-40 Celsius range. Yesterday it was plus 2 or 3 Celsius! When it is cold I just want to hibernate -- even though I was born here and my ancestors on both sides of the family came to Canada in the 1880's, I just can't take the severe cold; I just find it demoralizing and immobilizing!

Healthy Living = Happiness
The cold combined with a stagnant/depressed economy is not a great mix, to say the very least. We are also finding (in the work world) that basic courtesies, appreciation and loyalty are scarce and cannot be counted on -- where is the honour? Are you experiencing this also? I would love to hear your take on things and your ways of coping, moving things along.

What I am finding amid this uncertainty and mistrust, is that the security of self is emphasized. Of course we all know this at a core level, but ultimately we can only rely on ourselves and can only control our personal reaction to things/events in our respective environments.

I am focusing on these goals for 2010 - growth, renewal, assurance of self and to maintain joy, positivity in the face of any and all negativity, opposition and fickle behaviours. I hope that you also will find a way to not only be productive and joyful, but to grow and thrive in this difficult, mercurial environment.

A great support to maintaining this course is to choose healthy foods and activities -- too often in my life, as a woman and as a mother, I have acquiesced, editing myself and my needs at times to almost extinction. I will no longer "go there". In particular, the past six months have allowed no time for some of my loves: belly dance, walking outdoors (the tread mill is sooooo soul sucking!) and guitar/African drums/music.

In the last few weeks of 2009 I was trying in earnest to follow a healthy diet that allowed for more carbohydrates, versus the Atkins-styled high protein/low carb eating plan that had been so beneficial for me. Unfortunately, I am just finding that with even a modest increase in carbs, I bloat and become more sluggish (this is amplified by the cold weather and short days) -- also, if I have some carbs, even healthy/high fibre/low sugar selections, it soon becomes a downward spiral common to the carb-addicted where I begin to want more and more carbs and I experience sugar cravings.

Suiting Up!
So... back to low carb for this lady! I am looking forward to fitting into some jackets (...and one darling grey pant suit in particular) this spring/summer. I will emerge from the ice and snow like a shimmering butterfly from the chrysalis!

I would also like to share a personal recipe for you. It is quick, low carb and high fibre and it was an experiment that worked out well :). Here it is... and "no", it has nothing to do with Dr. Seuss!

Pam's Green Eggs

3 hard boiled eggs
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise or peppercorn ranch salad dressing
salt, pepper and dill weed to your taste
Approximately one cup of broccoli florets

Place all ingredients in a food chopper or processor and blend to a spreadable consistency. Great in a flax or whole wheat tortilla as a wrap sandwich, or served on a small bed of mixed salad greens.

Enjoy!