Last year I attended a talk about healthy eating and the one thing that stuck with me was the recommendation to eat a big variety of food, counting spices. Gleaning from similar talks (lectures about nutrition apparently bring in the money at PBS), I picked up that an easy way to incorporate ginger into your diet is to add a pinch to oatmeal. Among other things, ginger is an anti-inflammatory medicine that can ease arthritis pain. Maybe it would make me feel a little less creaky after a day working in the yard? Eventually, I was putting a combination of spices in my oatmeal or warmed with fruit that would be added on top of it or some yogurt. A little ginger, cinnamon and vanilla swirled into a combination of frozen peaches and blueberries that are heated in the microwave for a couple of minutes fills the air with the smell of baked a pie. It’s really good.
Last night, noting that he had picked up some Field Roast Vegetarian Frankfurters, Brian suggested I have beans and weenies for dinner (He was settling on yogurt and fruit – I was in the mood for something hot). Along with The Honeymooners, the dish was the Saturday special when he was growing up and it remains a go-to favorite in our own home. With only a few minutes before the Cleveland-Golden State game was to start, it sounded perfect…only this time I decided to jazz it up.
While it seemed like it could have gone either way, it turned out really good.
- Olive Oil
- 2 Field Roast Vegetarian Frankfurters OR a substitute of your choice, cut lengthwise and then sliced into half circles
- Onion, a handful, chopped
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans, 16 oz can
- Cinnamon, a couple of shakes
- Ginger, a pinch
- Oregano, a pinch - don't overdo it
- Warm some oil in a saucepan
- sauté the onion and red pepper flakes for a few minutes
- add the frankfurters and brown
- add the baked beans and enough water to rinse the can mostly clean
- stir in cinnamon, ginger and oregano
- bring to a bubble
- simmer for 10 minutes
In the past, I’ve tried to make baked beans from scratch because I’m not a big fan of “a can of this a can of that”. They weren’t very good. I’ll have to give it another shot.
I bet Noah would love this…Jacob has despised beans and franks from early on.
I can sympathize with Jacob, saronack! I’m not sure beans and franks were always my favorite either. I’ve grown to like the standard-issue can of beans just fine, especially if they are sitting next to my potato salad (sitting next to some fried chicken). But taking a minute to add a little more flavor makes this a super easy standalone dish.