Maple-Baked Beans

I'm still not completely in love with beans, but I'm trying! Baked beans is one of the few ways I enjoy eating them. I've tried a few recipes and these two are my favourite. I don't have a photo of the second recipe but I remember really liking it, so I wanted to include it. They're pretty similar so you can't go wrong either way. The first recipe is from my new go to cookbook, Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection. The recipes in this book use easy to find ingredients for the most part and there's a really good variety of recipes. I usually try at least 1 new recipe from it every week. I just bought Cooking Light - Way to Cook Vegetarian, hoping that it would be as good as the Canadian Living one but I'm not sure it will be. Haven't tried anything yet from it though, have you guys?

Abby playing on the couch with her favourite cow toy.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black Bean and Zucchini Chilaquiles
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon
Frijoles, Etc. Casserole
Refried Beans

Maple-Baked Beans
Adapted from Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection

3 cups dried navy beans
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups (500 mL) tomato sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp molasses
1 1/2 cups bean cooking liquid, vegetable broth or water

Rinse and soak dried beans overnight in three times their volume of water. (Or for quick-soak method, bring to boil; boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain.

In saucepan, cover beans again with three times their volume of water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.

In saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, apple, garlic, mustard, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper until softened, about 8 minutes.

Stir in tomato puree maple syrup, vinegar and molasses; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Scrape into food processor; pour in bean cooking liquid and puree until smooth.

In bean pot or 16-cup (4 L) casserole, combine beans and sauce. Cover and bake in 300F oven for 2 hours. Uncover and bake until thickened and beans are coated, about 1 hour.

Baked Beans
Inspired by Dinner & Dessert & Lisa's Kitchen

1 1/2 cups dried navy beans, rinsed and picked over
1/2 cup boiling water
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt

Soak beans overnight. Drain, then cover with water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Be careful not to overcook the beans as they will turn to mush when you bake them.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid. Combine the beans in a casserole dish with remaining ingredients. Bake covered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours; uncover for the last hour of cooking. If they become too dry, add a little reserved bean water.