Monday 14 October 2024

FAMILY DELIGHT BEAUTIFUL BAKED BEANS: frugal, high fibre, low-sugar, versatile

Baked beans cooked from scratch are a revelation...they're low in added sugar and are very tasty

first posted Feb 2016 as Beautiful Baked Beans; updated 10/24
 Nearly Sugar-free Baked Beans, from Scratch
'Better than you-know-who's and better for you!' Taster
























    

Baked beans from dry instead of from tins saves money, provides high grade plant protein with little effort, use time productively and is abase for a variety of  savoury comforting food. 

Dried beans and pulses are relatively cheap but require soaking overnight. They also need boiling and draining.  Twice.  But you can get on with other things during these stages. 

The results - tender beans with just a touch of resistance - are lovely.  The Beans absorb the juices they're cooked in and unlike tinned versions, levels of sugar are almost Nil. What's not to like?

Boston Baked Beans - sweet & salty with an undercurrent of heat - are a classic American dish.  67's version makes it more tomato-y and moderates the heat.  The base recipe is Vegan but there's a variation for carnivores and a less spicy kids' version that is also a little sweeter without adding sugar.   

The beans freeze well.

Cost: £3-4, more for carnivores (cut costs by making your own sun-blush tomato bombs)  
Feeds: 6-8

Ingred:
   450 gm/16 oz dried haricot beans (the best you can afford)
   2 cloves garlic, grated or minced (opt) 
   1 lge onion, thinly sliced (opt)
   1 small red chilli, deseeded and cut into fine strips, or 1/3 tsp chilli flakes 
   1 bay leaf
   2-3 tbsp molasses or black treacle
   2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup
   1 tsp dry mustard OR 1.5 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
   1/2 tsp dried ginger or 2-3 med slices of fresh ginger 
   1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
   1/3 tsp salt
   350 gm sun-blush tomatoes (sun-dried will be too salty) (Make your own sun blush toms
    
Carnivore version:
    350 gm/12 oz shredded cooked ham hock (Frugal Food: Ham Hock) or (for those without cholesterol issues) raw unsmoked back bacon
   
Kids' version:
   No chilli or ginger and only half the mustard; unsweetened tomato juice (opt)

Method:

  1. Soak beans overnight
  2. Drain; put beans in a large pan and cover with 3 pints water; bring to boil; simmer 2 mins; drain & return to pan
  3. Add garlic & onion if using, chili & bay leaf to beans.  Add 3 pints/1 1/2 litre water; bring to the boil; reduce heat to medium, cover, cook gently until beans are tender, 45 mins - 1 hour 
  4. Drain in a sieve, reserving liquid  
  5. Measure 1 pint liquid and stir in molasses, ketchup, mustard, ginger, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
  6. Add liquid to beans.  Halve sunblush tomatoes or cut into thirds OR chop coarsely; stir into beans  
  7. This is your base; divide according to the number of carnivores and vegetarians and proceed as below. 
  8. Preheat oven to 40 f, 200c, 180 fan; gas 6.  The full recipe will bake in a 4-pint/ 2 1/4 litre baking dish. Adjust cooking vessel/s according to proportion of carnivores and vegetarians.  Cover dish/es and bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until beans have absorbed sauce and are tender 
  9. Slow Cooker: 5-7 hours on low; check level of liquid after 4 hours.  When beans are tender with just a bit of resistance, check seasoning.  
  10. Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving

Carnivores: Before baking:
     If using shredded ham hock, bury in the body of the beans along with the bone from the knuckle 
    If using raw bacon, separate pieces and scatter; push below surface of beans

Kids: 
    Half an hour before end of cooking, add sliced cooked sausages or vegetarian frankfurters (Tivali are great); if not sweet enough for the kids' palates, add 1/4-1/2 mug tomato juice

Comment:
'The beans were a great winter warmer and the little bit of spice livened it up.  It felt like guilt-free comfort food.' 20+ fund-raiser
'Better than you-know-who's and better for you!' Retired writer


Tips:
Remember: beans need to be teamed with wheat, rice, cheese, eggs or animal protein  to provide all essential amino acids

Serving Suggestions:
  • succulent casserole for an informal party
  • with crusty bread & salad for supper
  • on wholemeal toast, sprinkled with cheese for a light supper
  • as part of an English breakfast
  • with poached eggs for brunch
  • on wholemeal toast for brekkie
  • cold from the fridge, eaten with a spoon after the pub
                                                            
                                                      More triple duty dishes, use 67 search function...

Please make a Comment in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.  

Tuesday 8 October 2024

COUPLE'S KUNG PAO CHICKEN: low-fat, high fibre, fodmap friendly

This dish, adapted from Eating Well, is one of those wonderful quick & tasty mains for weeknight evenings. 
Who doesn't love authentic Chinese food that's easy to make at home!


It's healthy; the chicken breast is low in fat, the mixed veg adds gut-friendly fibre and the sauce is flavourful without overwhelmng. 

Moreover, the recipe is fodmap friendly!

If there are issues with high blood pressure, reduce soy sauce by half.

67 tested this at lunchtime and wanted a carb-free meal but 5-minute Chinese noodles or frozen cooked defrosted rice would be good matches.   


Cost:   £3.50'ish
Feeds: 2 with leftovers (singletons: halve the recipe)

Ingreds: 
   226g/8oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
   (1) 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce + 1/2 tsp sherry + 1/4 tsp cornstarch +      (add later) 1 tsp sesame oil 
   (2) 1/2 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tb low-salt broth + 1/2 tsp sherry + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar + 1 tsp chilli crisp  
   1 tb veg oil, not olive
   1.5 slices fresh ginger, peeled & smashed
   1/3 each red/green or mixed color bell peppers in 1/4 inch slices 
   generous handful of green beans, trimmed 
   1 med carrot in matchsticks
   2 tb unsalted roasted peanuts or almonds (opt)

Method:

DAIRY-FREE PLUM CARDOMOM CRUMBLE CAKE: dairy-free spelt flour with option for regular ingredients

At this time of year, plums are one of 67's favourite cake toppings.

Juicy colourful purple plums buried in nutty crumble on a tender sponge


Sadly, ripen-at-home punnets are no longer as budget-friendly as they have been over recent years but they are still cheaper than standard plums and represent good value.

A 400g punnet of purple plums from M&S costs £1.90 (compared to £2.50+) but contains at least 10 shiny fat specimens.  It's enough for two 18 cm/7inch cakes. 

This Plum Crumble recipe, dairy-free and made with organic spelt flour, produces a moist cake with a tender crumb.  If budget is your concern, conventional wheat flour and butter will save a few pennies.  

The recipe is not difficult to follow but preparing as much as you can before starting mixing makes 

life easier.

Cost: £4'ish for organic spelt flour, less for wheat
Makes: 1 x 7 inch/18 cm cake; 6-8 servings

Ingred:

Cake: 
          142g/5oz plant butter, measured when solid but softened  (67 prefers Tomor brand, from Kosher outlets and online)        
          142 gm/5oz sugar
          3 large eggs at room temperature  

         150g/5.2 oz white spelt flour + 46g/1.6oz wholemeal spelt 
                      OR 196.5g/7oz plain white spelt flour.
          1 tsp bkg pwder
          pinch salt
         1 tsp vanilla   


 Topping: 

   6 small plums
   1 tbsp cognac or grape juice

   100g/3.5 oz soft brown sugar
   1 generous tbsp cardomum 
   seeds from 3 cardamom pods (opt)
   1/3 cup chopped nuts  
          

Method:

Cake:

EARLY AUTUMN COMFORT FOOD


FROM THE ARCHIVES

Warming early autumn dishes that are healthy, easy and a bit unusual (in a good way!): 


triple duty, extremely quick & easy, satisfying
Wonderful bowlful of flavours & textures, ready in minutes!



 Low-fat, carb-free, prep ahead; triple duty - all that & slides down like silk! 
               Wonderfully delicate, velvety textured soup - with a tiny kick!



 
effort-free, delicious, budget-friendly
'the prep is utterly simple, containing cauliflower and little else; deliciously smooth, and full of the essence of cauliflower'

 



Vegan Fresh Tomato Pizza (No Cheese or Yeast!)
Baked raw tomatoes and piquant anti-pasti multiply the deliciusness 
of this simple pizza - just 15 mins to prep base





Potato & Artichoke Pizza (Cheese & Yeast-free!)
Unexpected, amazing, stonkingly delicious  - just 15 mins to prep base
(Dijon Green Beans on the side)




Please leave a comment in the box below.

This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.