It's Cold and snowy on this last day of January so a perfect day for some stew and bread making. Yesterday at the market I browsed through the bulk foods section and saw these super colorful bean mixes and knew that they would make a great stew.
This also reminded me to start keeping a jar for when you only have a few beans left and not enough for a whole recipe- why not just toss them together and make your own mix. That's probably what the store does to stretch their profit a little. It's frugal and a great idea.
The Liquid smoke and veggie crumbles give this almost a chili taste.
Soak the beans overnight or use the following quick soak method in a pressure cooker. Add 5 cups of water and 2 cups of beans in a pressure cooker. Bring to pressure then remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Drain liquid.
Ingredients:
3 Quarts Veggie broth
1 Onion diced
3 stalks celery sliced
4 medium carrots diced
2 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Cups mixed bean mix, soaked overnight
dash of Liquid smoke
1 tsp. Kitchen Banquet sauce
1 pkg Veggie crumbles
Sprig of fresh rosemary
In a 4-6 Qt. Dutch oven saute the onions, carrots, and celery together until the onions become translucent. Add the broth and bring low boil. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a low boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for about 1 hour or until beans are tender. Beans will soak up a lot of flavor so add salt and pepper at the end. You will probably need about 1-2 TBSP salt. Serve hot with fresh bread.
