Typically when we think of Southern comfort foods, we think fried, high fat, unhealthy and delicious. Not so in the case of beans and cornbread! Add a little beer to the mix (an idea I got from Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian) and you've got yourself and delicious, comforting AND healthy Meatless Monday meal!
Someone once told me that if I didn't like the weather in Georgia, just wait 20 minutes. This saying has never been more true! One Monday I am leaving work early due to an ice storm, and by Friday I'm running outside in shorts. That particular Monday I was craving something warm and comforting to keep my mind off the teases of an early Spring. Searching through my Vegetarian Bible I found a beer glazed beans recipe that sounded delicious. My version turned out more like a soup than simply beans, due to several adjustments made because of a lack of ingredients. However, with a simple cornbread for dipping, this dish turned out to be exactly what I was craving! Beans offer tons of fiber, perfect for when Heart Month is still fresh in our minds. Add lots of pepper, salt just enough and you won't miss that extra sodium at all.
Beer Beans & Cornbread
(adapted from Beer Glazed Beans, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 cup beer (I used a local Georgia beer, Sweetwater 420 but anything you like the taste of will do. Light beer, however, might not provide enough flavor)
- 3 cans beans (I used a combination of navy and kidney beans)
- 1 T chili powder
- 1 T honey
- S+P
Pour in the cup of beer (I actually ended up using the whole bottle! Again, make sure you really like the flavor of the beer because you will taste it!).
Add beans, chili powder, honey, S+P. Bring to a good bubble (not quite a boil) and let cook for approximatley 15 minutes or until liquid has thickened. Serve over a thick slice of cornbread!
Buttermilk Cornbread
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