Mexican Baked Beans

Photo: flickr user www.theedinburghblog.co.uk

Ingredients

2 cups Dried white beans

Water

3 Jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 Green or red pepper, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1 teaspoon Garlic powder (or 2-3 minced cloves garlic)

29 ounces Can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons Chili powder

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 cup Molasses

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Cover the beans with water and soak overnight. In the morning, drain the beans and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about an hour.

Place the peppers, onion, garlic powder or garlic in a saucepan and heat, covered, over low heat (no need for oil, the vegetable juices that are released will keep everything from sticking to the pan.) Add the tomatoes and spices and molasses, and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drain the beans and place them in a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato mixture over, and stir gently until beans and sauce are mixed. Bake, uncovered, for 3 hours, until mixture is no longer soupy, and beans are soft.

Serves 6.

Served with 1/2 cup of rice, you have a complete protein, and the dish racks up only 446 calories per serving and a measly 1.35 g fat. Another suggestion would be to use cooked corn - it adds the same number of calories as the rice, and only 1 g fat to the existing 1 and a smidge. And it's yummy, too.