Four Bean Medley Recipes

Steps:

• In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 12 ingredients. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until onion and peppers are tender. Discard bay leaves.

Steps:

• Toss vegetables together in a medium bowl.
• In a medium saute pan, heat the butter and water together over medium heat. Add the vegetables to the pan and turn the heat to medium high. Toss the vegetables, by gently moving the pan back and forth over the flame. Cook the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the vegetables to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
• Cook the vegetables in 1 to 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter, without the water. Do this over high heat and brown and crisp the vegetables slightly.
• Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, minced shallot, a teaspoon of grated peeled fresh ginger to the pan before adding the vegetables. - Enhance the vegetables at the end of cooking with a tablespoon or so of minced fresh herbs, like chopped flat-leaf parsley, dill, mint, basil, cilantro, or thyme.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Fill a large bowl with ice water, and put a colander or strainer in it. Add the vegetable to the boiling water and cook, uncovered, until crisp tender, or the desired degree of doneness. Scoop the vegetable from the water and immediately put them in the ice water, to stop the cooking and set their color. Cool and drain, and use as desired. When blanching a mix of vegetables, don't cook them together since they may not all cook at the same time. Start with the lightest colored or mildest flavored vegetable, and blanch and refresh each vegetable, one after the other, until cooked as desired.

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, saute the bacon until very crispy and all of the fat is rendered, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain. Set aside. Remove all but 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings from the pan and save for another use. To the hot bacon drippings add the onion and cook until lightly caramelized, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the corn, thyme, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beans, remaining teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to a brisk simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is almost completely reduced, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the green onions, stir to combine, then cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, to allow flavors to marry. Reheat slowly, if necessary, before serving.

Steps:

• In large pan combine onion and bacon or sausage. Saute until onions are tender and meat is cooked through.
• Add beans and stir.
• Add remaining ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Cook until heated through.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• In a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish add the brown sugar, ketchup, dijon mustard, and black pepper stirring until well combined.
• Gently stir in the beans and cover casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes are until beans are heated through.

Steps:

• Brown ground chuck with the onion until done. Drain fat.
• Drain 1 can pork 'n beans, kidney beans and lima beans. Add all beans into the meat mixture and pour into a 2 quart baking dish.
• Add bacon, BBQ sauce, sugar, vinegar, molasses, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
• Cover and bake for 1 hour in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Brown bacon in a large stockpot until crisp.
• Drain on paper towels reserving 3-4 tablespoons drippings.
• Saute onions in bacon fat until softened and translucent.
• Add brown sugar and vinegar.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and beans.
• Bring back to a boil.
• Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 1 1/4 hours covered.
• Add bacon bits to top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.