Slow Cooker Recipe: Baked Beans

A favorite in both the US and the UK, baked beans are a great side dish for many meals. They are sweet, tangy, and loaded with plenty of protein. They work great as a side to a burger, or a topping for other dishes like sweet potatoes. Today, most of us are probably familiar with canned baked beans, but traditionally they were slow cooked in a ceramic or cast-iron beanpot. Since most of us probably don't have a beanpot laying around, we were wondering if there was a way to make this great side using a slow cooker.

The trick to getting this dish perfect was not only to nail the consistency, but to get that deep, tangy yet sweet flavor. For the consistency, the trick was right in the ingredients. If you were to take the beans and slow cook them unseasoned for a long time, they would end up mushy. What stops this recipe from turning into a big puddle of mush? It turns out it's the sugar and molasses. The calcium from the molasses as well as the sugar both harden the beans, allowing you to cook them for a long time without risking them turning mushy. to get the flavor right, we also added some garlic, onions, mustard, and of course bacon to perfect the baked beans recipe. Keep reading below to read how we made this fantastic side!

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

(makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 1lb dry white beans
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2lb salt pork cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with 2" of water. Soak overnight and drain.
2. Mix the molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cloves with the tomato paste, chicken broth, and hot water.
3. Line the bottom of the slow cooker with half the salt pork (choose the fattiest pieces). Layer over it with half of the dried beans. Add all of the onions and garlic in a layer, then top with the remaining beans and remaining salt pork. Pour the water/tomato sauce mixture over the beans.
4. Cover and cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-12 hours, or until the beans are tender. Check the water level a few hours in. If the beans need more water, add some. Add salt to taste if needed.
5. Enjoy!

Snack Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Wondering what to do with your pumpkin seeds after carving your jack-o-lantern or making deliciouspumpkin recipes? Don't let them go to waste!

Instead, roast them up and turn them into a great dessert or snack. Check below for two great roasted pumpkin seed recipes...

Basic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F
2. Toss seeds in a bowl with melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds out on a bakin sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

  

Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a bowl, toss the seeds with melted butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and toass again.
3. Spread seeds out on a lined baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the seeds are golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

Southwestern Side Dish: Black Bean Quinoa

Quinoa is absolutely a delicious side dish that can be mixed with a large variety of ingredients. You can go a light route and simply mix it with fresh herbs, or your can go for the brighter salad look and mix with some vegetables.

For our quinoa, we wanted to make a fresh-tasting salad with a combination of legumes and vegetables. We mixed in some tomatoes, black beans, and corn for a more southwestern tasting side dish. This could easily be served next to a variety of Mexican dishes, or even as a filling in burritos. Keep reading below for this fantastic, simple recipe!

Black Bean Quinoa Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dried quinoa cooked in a rice cooker with 2 cups water)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 6 green onions, root removed, white and green parts chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Whisk together the olive oil, cumin, chili powder, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cayenne pepper Set aside.
2. Prepare the quinoa, and quile the quinoa is cooking, rinse and drain the beans, then chop the vegetables. When the quinoa is done cooking, mix together the beans, vegetables, and quinoa in a large bowl. Fold in the spice and oil mixture.
3. Set the quinoa in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
4. Enjoy!