Look What I Can Do With Great Northern Beans!

I've been working for about a month setting up my year long pantry. Part of the "work" (which is so much fun for me) is finding new ways to cook with beans. I googled Great Northern Beans (since I have 50 # of them) and just LOOK what I found at Cooks.com! I've never been so excited about beans up until today!

Some of the beans in my new year long pantry.

GREAT NORTHERN BEAN STEW
1 #ground beef
1 c. coarsely chopped onions
1 c. thinly sliced carrots
2 c. chopped cabbage
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 lg. can Great Northern beans, undrained
1 c. water
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef and onions; drain. Stir in all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. 6 (1 cup) servings.

GREAT NORTHERN BAKED BEANS
32 oz cans of Great Northern Beans, drained
1 ham steak cut into cubes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 lg. sweet onion, chopped
2 bottles of ketchup
1/3 to 1/2 c. of prepared mustard
3 c. of packed brown sugar

Combine ingredients. Cook in a uncovered crock pot 8 to 12 hours or overnight on low heat.

GREAT NORTHERN BEANS
2 ham hocks
1 whole onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
6 potatoes, cubed
4 carrots, sliced
2 tbsp. oil
1 chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 (14 1/2 oz.) canned tomatoes, chopped

Cook beans and ham hocks until tender. Salt and pepper to taste (I add a little red pepper). Add whole onion, celery and carrots. Cook about 15 minutes. Saute chopped onion and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes to onion and green pepper. Cook about 5 minutes. Put all together in beans and cook 30 minutes. Take ham off bone and add to the bean soup.

This recipe REALLY excites me because I grow Kale in my garden.

WHITE BEAN AND KALE SALAD
1 cup great northern beans, soaked overnight in 1 quart water
½ medium sweet onion, cut into thin half-moon slices
¼ cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 cups coarsely chopped kale
2 tablespoons currants
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
Ground black pepper to taste

Drain beans. Add 6 cups of water and cook over medium heat until tender, approximately 40 to 45 minutes. Sauté onion in large pan in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.

Sauté kale in large pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir while cooking to avoid sticking.Just before removing kale from pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Set aside in a medium-sized bowl. When beans are tender, remove from heat, drain, and place in refrigerator to cool. Once beans have cooled for 10 minutes, toss them with kale, currants, lemon juice, salt, chili pepper, and sautéed onion. Add black pepper and additional salt to taste.

BEAN AND BARLEY SALAD
3 cups water
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked pink beans, drained
1 cup cooked great northern beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
1/3 cup canola oil

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and add barley. Cook over medium heat for 40 minutes or until tender-firm. Remove from heat. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Drain again. In serving bowl combine cooked barley, chick peas, beans, onion, parsley and jalapeno peppers. In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic. Mix thoroughly.

Whisk in canola (I won't use canola - I'll use olive oil) until evenly mixed. Add to beans mixture. Toss gently. Serve immediately at room temperature. (May be store in a covered container in refrigerator for 24 hours). 11 servings.

Related Posts
1. The Simple Home Pantry
2. Tuscan Kale Salad

If you have any great bean recipes, please post a comment with the link to your recipe!

Look What I Can Do With Great Northern Beans!

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/02/look-what-i-can-do-with-great-northern.html