Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you…

Oh sorry.

Hey there!

Can you believe Christmas is LESS than a week away? How the heck did that happen?

I have been a busy busy bee the past few weeks and I am so behind on Christmas shopping. So today after work I am going crazy all over Austin to get my gifts for my little loved ones!

Making a big ole pot o beans is perfect during the winter months. You can just throw them in the trusty crock pot and then head out to finish your Christmas shopping.

My dad makes some of the most incredible pinto beans. They are hearty with a swift kick of pepper and are simply delicious so I’ll be sharing his recipe with a little twist from muah.

 

 

Oh hey Frosty!

I made some polenta cakes and served a heaping spoonful of beans right on top.

Deliciouso!

Ingredients

For the beans:

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 thick sliced ham, chopped (you can also use bacon)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper, divided

1 Tablespoon salt, divided

pinch of cayenne if desired

For the polenta cakes:

2 cups polenta, fine corn meal

4 cups water

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

pinch of salt, or 2

2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil

 

Recipe:

For the beans:

Wash the beans and pick out any rocks or other foreign pieces. Soak overnight in about a quart of water. Make sure there are about 2 inches of water over the beans.

To the crockpot add the chopped onion, ham, garlic powder, a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the beans and their soaking water to the pot. Cook on medium low for at least 5 hours. Sometimes I even let mine go for 10 hours! Stir occasionally, and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Just remember the beans will get spicier the longer they cook, but the longer they cook the better.

For the polenta cakes:

Spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. In a large sauce pan bring the water and stock to a boil. Season with salt and gradually pour in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the polenta absorbs all of the moisture.

Transfer polenta to prepared baking dish. Cover with saran wrap smoothing it right on top of the polenta. Place in the fridge for about an hour to set up.

To make the cakes: cut the polenta into large squares. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Once the oil is hot add your polenta squares and cook until the cakes are golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel and let cool about 1 minute.