Weekend Beans

I realize the title of this post is called "Weekend Beans" and it's well, not the weekend, but that was when they got ate. Another good reason why I call them weekend beans? Because the recipe below makes enough for two servings, or two meals. I took these beans to work both nights this past weekend and they were gone even before I had time to get sick of leftovers, lol. Which, if you make beans from scratch very often, it's pretty easy to wind up making a TON of beans! Of course, since my recipe makes two servings of beans, you could easily double it to get enough for more than one day's worth of leftovers or to feed a couple more people.

That's another good point. These beans were made from dried, so that's a huge money saver. Seriously. A pound of red beans is about $1.50 (although, I think they're actually a little cheaper than that around here). Then say, one full bag contains about 2 cups dried beans (it's probably more, lol). If you make half the bag W(1 cup) and split what you make between two people (that would be two servings apiece since 1/4 cup dried is one serving), your meal of beans is only costing you $0.38! Talk about economical! Show me the beans!

Of course, spices and whatnot up the cost a little bit, but bottom line is: beans are cheap.

And healthy.

And since I've been working on my healthy eating (less processed food. I've gotten lazy), beans are the perfect food to get plenty of.

I also made a batch of cornbread, and I ask you, what good is that without a pot of beans?!

These are my "comfort" beans. The kind Mom made for my Dad and I. Of course, she used ham in hers and a little butter. I use a few spices, a little oil, and some liquid smoke. They're a little plain (which is how I like them) so they go best with some cornbread or rice and some caramelized onions on top. Oh, and Taco Bell hot sauce... but I'll leave that to your discretion!

Weekend Beans:
3/4 c. dried "small red beans" (that's what the bag says)
1 bay leaf
3 Tb. minced yellow onion
1/2 Tb. garlic powder
1/2 Tb. onion powder
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke
Sea salt to taste

1. Rinse and pick through beans. Get rid of any stones or bad beans. Rinse beans and if any float to the surface, toss 'em.

2. Cover them with water (about 2 inches above the surface of the beans), bring them to a boil, and let them boil 3 minutes.

3. Once they're done boiling, cover them and let them soak for about an hour to an hour and a half.

4. Once the beans are done soaking, drain the water, rinse them a few times, and cover them with enough water to go about 1 inch above the surface of the beans.

5. Bring them to a boil, add the onion, bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder, and liquid smoke. NOT THE SALT. Cover them, reduce the heat to a simmer and let them cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour or until the beans are tender.

6. Once they're done cooking, remove a little of the broth (although you don't have too), give them a few good mashes with a potato masher to thicken them a little, and add the salt to taste.

Serve them with a grain and or cornbread, and some caramelized onions and you have a hearty meal!

Since I made this into two servings, each serving contains 110 calories, 2.25 grams of fat (from the olive oil. The beans themselves are fat free), and 10.5 grams of protein. You also get 22.5% of your RDA of iron and 24 grams of fiber (!).

Ahh. Good stuff. Hearty winter food for sure!