This recipe for baked beans is a favorite for an old-fashioned, soul-satisfying dish. The secret of its fabulous flavor is the Southern seasoning and the long baking time, which allows the seasonings to blend.
The practically fat-free seasoning is also wonderful for flavoring vegetables, soups and stews of all types. I am including it as a separate recipe, complete with its own nutritional information. However, it is included in the nutritional information for classic baked beans.
CLASSIC BAKED BEANS
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Soaking time: 8 hours
Cooking time: 5 1/2 hours
Yield: Eight 1-cup servings
Adapted from “Jeanne Jones’ Homestyle Cooking Made Healthy.”
1 pound small white beans, soaked all day or overnight
3 tablespoons molasses
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 cups Southern seasoning, recipe follows
1. Rinse, drain and pick over beans. Place beans in large pot; cover with at least 2 inches of cold water. Heat to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until tender, 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Drain beans thoroughly; return to pot. Add remaining ingredients; mix well.
3. Spray bean pot or 2-quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray; add bean mixture to pot. Cover; bake 4 hours, stirring every hour. Uncover beans; bake 30 more minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……….. 270 Fat …………. 2 g Saturated fat .. 0.5 g
% calories from fat .. 7 Cholesterol …. 9 mg Sodium …….. 520 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 48 g Protein …….. 16 g Fiber ……….. 14 g
SOUTHERN SEASONING
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Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
Cooling time: Overnight
Yield: 6 cups
Use frozen cubes of this seasoning broth to season soups, stews and casseroles.
1 to 2 pounds ham hocks or smoked pork hocks
8 to 10 cups water, or to cover
1. Put ham hocks in deep pot or soup kettle; cover with water. Heat to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, until meat starts to fall off bones, about 3 hours.
2. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. Remove fat congealed on top. Remove ham hocks from liquid; discard bones, skin and fat. Shred meat. Return to liquid; mix well.
3. Spoon mixture into ice cube trays; freeze. Pop cubes of “seasoning” from trays; store in plastic freezer bags. Two cubes equal about 1/4 cup.
Nutrition information per cup:
Calories …………. 33 Fat ………. 1.2 g Saturated fat .. 0.4 g
% calories from fat .. 33 Cholesterol .. 12 mg Sodium …….. 290 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 0 g Protein …….. 5 g Fiber ………… 0 g
Q–Here is a recipe for chocolate chiffon pie, which is a favorite in our family. We are concerned about the raw eggs. Would you modify the recipe so we can eat it and not worry?
Robin M. Godwin, Winston-Salem, N.C.
CHOCOLATE CHIFFON PIE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Yield: 2 pies, 6 servings each
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, grated
1/2 cup hot double-strength coffee
3 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 graham cracker pie shells
Whipped cream, optional
1. Sprinkle gelatin over water; soften 5 minutes. Melt chocolate in hot coffee. Stir gelatin into chocolate mixture until it is dissolved. Beat egg yolks until light; stir into chocolate mixture along with 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt and vanilla. Cool.
2. Beat remaining 1/2 cup sugar with egg whites until stiff. Fold into chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Divide evenly between pie shells. Chill until firm, 2 hours. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 310 Fat ……….. 14 g Saturated fat .. 6 g
% calories from fat .. 41 Cholesterol .. 55 mg Sodium …… 290 mg
Carbohydrates …… 45 g Protein …….. 5 g Fiber ………. 1 g
A–Egg substitute is pasteurized, so it can safely be used to replace egg yolks in recipes that are not cooked. I first tried powdered egg whites to replace the raw egg whites, but they quickly went flat. Adding fat-free non-dairy whipped topping resulted in a fluffier pie. I did not replace the unsweetened chocolate with something lighter because it is the primary ingredient in these pies. The only other fat was in the crusts, so I opted to leave the chocolate in and use less.
WORRY-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIFFON PIE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
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Yield: 2 pies, 6 servings each
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 (1 1/2 ounces) squares unsweetened chocolate, grated
1/2 cup hot double-strength decaffeinated coffee
1/3 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
8 ounces fat-free non-dairy whipped topping
2 low-fat graham cracker pie shells
1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water; soften 5 minutes. Melt chocolate in hot coffee. Stir gelatin into chocolate mixture until it is dissolved. Beat egg substitute and sugar together 1 minute; add to chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Cool.
2. Fold whipped topping into chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Divide evenly between pie shells. Chill until firm, 2 hours.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 210 Fat …………. 6 g Saturated fat .. 2 g
% calories from fat .. 26 Cholesterol …. 0 mg Sodium …… 150 mg
Carbohydrates …… 35 g Protein ……… 3 g Fiber ………. 1 g
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