Month: September 2023

British Homemade Baked Beans

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British Homemade Baked Beans

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Baked beans, something a lot of Quebecers love. The traditional recipe has lots of molasses and brown sugar. I was looking for something that would have a little less sugar. After a some research I came across a few different recipes for British Baked Beans. This is a tomato based recipe. I had never had these so I thought, what the heck. Turns out this is quite good.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp of sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp of pepper
  • 2 tsp of sugar (preferably brown)
  • 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
  • 800 gr of cannellini beans or navy beans canned (see below for raw beans)
  • 400 ml of Passata (or ground or crushed tomatoes in a can, more economical)
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp of parsley (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the red onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Add salt, pepper, sugar, smoked paprika, and oregano to the onion mixture.
  3. Pour in the passata, worcestershire sauce, and drained and rinsed beans.
  4. Simmer for 15 minutes or until you achieve your required sauce thickness.

Nutritional facts per serving

  • Calories 242
  • Fat 3 g
  • Sugar 5 g
  • Carbohydrates 42 g
  • Protein 14 g
  • Fibre 10 g

This was pretty easy. I personally don’t like canned beans so I used raw. I soaked them overnight. Then simmered them for about 1-1/2 hours or until they were tender but not quite mushy. To get 800 gr you need 650 gr of raw beans. I also used cannellini beans. If you are someone who likes beans but is watching your sugar and fat intake, this is the recipe to go with.

This goes great with breakfast for extra protein, with lunch as a side, or served with toast. Of course, if you want some spice you can always add some hot peppers. How you serve it, when you serve it, or with what you serve it, is all up to you. Just have fun and make it your own.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

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Slow Cooker Apple Butter

  • Servings: Makes 1 litre or 4 cups
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Apple season is upon us. When a coworker brought me apples from her back yard, I was wondering what to do with them and then someone suggested apple butter. I’d never made apple butter, so a trusted aunt gave me her recipe.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs of cored and diced apples
  • 3 tbsp of maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp of ground allspice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Tiny pinch of kosher salt

Directions

  1. Make sure to weigh your apples after they are cored.
  2. Place at bottom of large slow cooker (5 quart or larger)
  3. Top with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and stir to combine.
  4. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, stirring once halfway through, until apples are very tender and brown.
  5. Transfer the apples to a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. You will need to do this in batches. Then return to the slow cooker.
  6. Turn the slow cooker to high and let the apple butter continue to cook uncovered for 2 additional hours or until it reached its desired thickness. Stir occasionally and add in vanilla and salt.
  7. Depending on how sweet the apple is that you’ve used, you may feel you need to add some more maple syrup.

Nutritional facts per Serving (2 tbsp)

  • Calories 56
  • Fat 1 g
  • Sugar 11 g
  • Carbohydrates 14 g
  • Protein 1 g
  • Fibre 4 g

This is easy. Due to the fact that you don’t peel the apples, it adds extra fibre. Mine turned out, not as thick as I’d have liked but it was still great. I only cooked it another hour thinking it was thick enough. Should have followed the recipe. I was told that depending on the sugar content of your apple, example honeycrisp, it will be sweeter and will thicken more quickly. You can store this in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for several months. Just thaw in the fridge overnight.

With most of my recipes, you can alter this, a little sweeter, a little less, thicker, more cinammon. Macintosh apples, honeycrisp, Gala, whichever you choose. This is a great way to use apples that you have too many off. So have fun and make this your own.