A Twist on Baked Beans

Recipes, Vegan & Vegetarian

1 Comment

23 Jun 2010

It’s grilling season! What’s the one thing you always find at a summertime cookout? Baked beans.

I just tried baked beans for the first time this summer. I know – all these years, you’d think they’d have been one of my favorite foods – so sweet and smoky. But no. I thought they looked weird. Strange color. Mushy. So I never tried them. But when I finally did (since this is the Year of Trying New Foods), whaddya know – I loved ‘em. Doggone it.

So last night when I dug through my produce drawers in the fridge to see what had to be used up, imagine my glee when I found a couple corn on the cob! (Corns on the cob? Corn on the cobs? Whatever!) I’ll take any excuse these days to throw veggies on the grill.

What goes great with grilled corn on the cob? A grilled veggie burger or veggie dog, of course! (I went veggie burger, to have an excuse to try out a new jar of pickles I got at the Lockport Farmers’ Market – a spicy dill pickle). And… baked beans!

I was feeling creative as I dug through the pantry, so instead of whipping up traditional baked beans, I went with a new twist on an old favorite: BBQ baked lentils.

These took a little while to prepare, as the lentils take a half hour to cook, and then the baking process takes another hour – but really, I only spent 5 minutes or so actually tending to the prep. The rest of the time was unattended cook time. So, they’re easy! If you plan ahead just a bit to fit them into your schedule, they’re well worth the wait.

Lentils are a great source of plant-based protein (third highest behind soybeans and hemp). When not going with the traditional cookout meal, I could see having these lentils on top of a salad or in a wrap (hmmm that may have to be my lunch today!) They’d even be good mixed with some brown rice and a side of greens for a complete protein and some vitamin C to help with the absorption of all that good iron in the lentils.

Behold: a typical summertime meal!

BBQ Baked Lentils

Posted June 23, 2010 by Shelly in Posted In: Side Dishes

When I look up lentils in most of my cookbooks, I'm lead down a path of soups, with the occasional cold salad thrown in for good measure. But, it's summertime as I pen this note, and I was seeking something different! Enter: barbeque baked lentils. Lentils are a great plant-based protein source (third highest behind soybeans and hemp). This recipe makes a great grilling sidekick, next to a veggie burger and some grilled corn on the cob! I prepared my lentils in my rice cooker, but you could just as well do it the old fashioned way in a saucepan on the stove (bring to a boil then simmer 30 minutes or so).

Details

• Prep Time:
  5 min
• Cook Time:
  90 min
• Ready In:
  1 hour, 35 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dried brown lentils
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup onion diced (about 1/2 of a large onion)
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons brown mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Put lentils and water into the rice cooker and set to cook. It should take about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, ginger, vanilla, pepper, salt, and liquid smoke (all ingredients except the onion) in a small bowl.
4. When the lentils are done, drain them but reserve the cooking liquid. If you have less than 1/2 cup, add water to the 1/2 cup mark.
5. Add the cooking liquid/water to the sauce bowl and stir.
6. Combine lentils and onion in a covered casserole dish. Add the sauce and stir to combine.
7. Bake at 350F for one hour.

Approximately 238 calories, 1g fat, 46g carbs, 15g fiber, and 13g protein per serving.

Posted: June 23, 2010 at 12:28 pm
{Tags: bbq, grill, lentils, Recipes}
 Email This Post |  Print This Post