I really love baked beans. Who doesn’t? What I don’t love is spending hours cooking them in a hot kitchen when it’s already 80 degrees outside. Why can’t people appreciate baked beans more in the winter when we’re all freezing? It’s a mystery.

Last week on the 4th I needed a vegetarian dish that could sit in a cooler all day. Immediately my mind jumped to baked beans, but as soon as I ruled out cooking those for 4 hours I remembered this old favorite.

I first posted this recipe over a year ago. The photos weren’t that good, the recipe wasn’t very clearly written, and my readership was drastically lower than what it is today, so I figured it’d be best to just give it a whole new post. And it definitely deserves one.

You can use three cans of any type of beans; I think the ones listed have the most neutral flavor so they take on the sauce well. To make this completely vegan, you can substitute maple syrup or agave for the honey.

Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Vinegar Bean Salad

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4-6 servings):

• 1 15oz can of chickpeas
• 1 15oz can of pinto bean
• 1 15oz can of cannellini beans
• 1 onion, julienned
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for finishing(optional)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the different beans.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat.
3. Add in the julienned onions and sauté for about 10-15 minutes until the onion has turned translucent and slightly crusty.
4. Remove from the heat and add it in with the beans.
5. Reduce the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan to about half of its original volume by bringing it to a rolling boil for 5 or so minutes. If it over-reduces and starts to harden into a taffy, remove the pan from the heat and stir in some hot water to thin.
6. Add the reduced vinegar, honey, salt and extra virgin olive oil if using to the beans and onions.
7. Mix well until the sauce coats all of the beans. Serve hot or cold.

20 minutes for a tasty bowl of beans? I’ll take that.

It’s really hard to get good gluten-free vegetarian food at most Asian restaurants. Whenever I do find it, it’s usually in the form of fried tofu. Don’t get me wrong—I do love getting golden and greasy tofu now and again, especially when someone else is making it. But it’s a heavy thing to eat again and again.

This tofu has a texture closure to fried tofu than any baked tofu I’ve ever had thanks to the corn starch while still not being overly salty or heavy. You can cook a big pot of brown rice and stir fry some vegetables and have your own take-out meal at home without the take-out.

To make this gluten-free, make sure to use a gluten-free tamari in place of the soy sauce. You can also substitute tapioca starch in place of the corn starch and agave for the honey.

Baked Sesame Tofu

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 2 servings):

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the tofu into even segments
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl.
4. One at a time, dip the pieces of tofu in the sauce and lay them out on a non-stick baking surface. Pour any remaining sauce on top of the tofu.
5. Bake for 40 minutes until the outside is golden and the edges brown. Turn once halfway through baking.
6. Serve hot with rice and vegetables and extra soy sauce.