You may recall we recently had a Barbecue show on An Organic Conversation with Nancy Wiemer, columnist for the Santa Cruz Sentinel,  and Chris Farotte, Meat & Seafood coordinator from New Leaf Community Markets in Santa Cruz, CA.

Since Barbecue season is in full swing and one of the things I love most about outdoor cooking are the side dishes that go along with whatever you are grilling, I thought I would write about one of my favorites – Baked beans.

The other night while I was at the Strawberry Music festival, my friend Deb Poole introduced me to some of the best-baked beans I’ve ever had. They were vegetarian and had just the right amount of sweet to heat.

If you like baked beans you’ll love this recipe.

Deb didn’t have the recipe written down so I adapted a quick and tasty one from this one from www.cooks.com and came up with a winner.

BARBECUED BAKED BEANS
2 (16 oz.) cans pork & beans (drained) or vegetarian baked beans
3/4 c. barbecue sauce
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tart apple (peeled, cored and chopped) we used Pink Lady
1/2 sm. onion (chopped)
2 tbsp. golden raisins
3 strips bacon (optional)
In a 1 1/2 quart casserole, combine the drained pork and beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, apple, onion and raisins. Arrange the strips of halved bacon over the top of the bean mixture in the casserole. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Another favorite of mine is coleslaw and since this is prime New Zealand apple season I thought you might like to try one that uses apples as one of the ingredients.

This Apple Coleslaw, adapted from one I found on www.allrecipes.com is basic coleslaw with a nice surprise when you add Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples.
You’ll need:
4 cups shredded organic green and red cabbage
1 cup shredded organic carrot
1 tart organic apple – peeled, cored and
Coarsely shredded
2 tablespoons honey
1-tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1-tablespoon pineapple juice (optional)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 dash salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the shredded cabbage and carrot together in a bowl with the sliced apple, and toss to combine. In a separate bowl, stir together the honey, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, and mayonnaise until the honey and sugar have dissolved completely.

Pour over the salad, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, and toss again. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serves 6

Add these sides to some grilled corn and your favorite grilled entrée and you’ve got a summer meal that can’t be beat.

Posted in "For the Love of Produce" by MM, Blog |