Stovetop Apple Baked Beans

Have you checked out some of the other blogs on the Great Vegan Bean Book Blog Tour yet?  I keep bookmarking more recipes to try. I feel like the majority of the cookbook is earmarked, to be honest.

I thought it might be nice to cook up a bunch more of the recipes and let you know how they were.. but then I made my second dish and decided to not delay my post any longer. The beans were fabulous.

Everyone has their go-to baked bean recipe. I did not grow up with baked beans, so I keep trying out new versions. Mango BBQ Beans are one of my favourites, but I also enjoyed the robust Slow-Cooked Nova Scotian Baked Beans with blackstrap molasses and pumpkin seed butter.

Like the Mango BBQ beans, these apple baked beans are simply simmered on the stovetop. They are also sweetened with fruit and since I used pureed canned tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, the sauce was lighter. A dash of molasses, Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar make a complex sauce which is also flavoured with rosemary, thyme and smoked paprika. Weird, but it works. Very, very well. The beans probably do not need such a long simmer, but I decided to go a bit lazy with my food prep. Since I had Macintosh apples, which turn to mush when heated, I thinly sliced them. Thus, I had to wait for the slices to turn to mush. If you have an apple that keeps its shape, you will need to chop it up more finely.

Most bean-centric dishes make good leftovers, but I loved these beans cold, too. I served them on top of fresh baby spinach for a nice, light meal.

PS. The winner of The Great Vegan Bean Book giveaway is babette from Vegan in Montreal. Congratulations!

Stovetop Apple Baked Beans
Adapted from The Great Vegan Bean Book

2 cups cooked white kidney beans (or Great Northern beans, or your favourite pinto bean), rinsed and drained if canned
2 apples, peeled – thinly slice if Macintosh or finely chopped if a firmer apple
14.5 oz crushed tomatoes, or pureed diced tomatoes with juice (I used the latter)
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp molasses
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, ground if possible
additional water to thing, if desired (I did not add any)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium saucepot, combine all ingredients except salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until your apples have baked down into mush.

2. Serve warm, but it is also just as good cold as a salad with some spinach (yum!).

Serves 4.