FRENCH CANADIAN-STYLE VEGAN MAPLE BAKED BEANS

This is my first blog post in a month!  I've been taking a bit of a rest from blogging in the last few months, but am feeling more inspired since the New Year.

My husband, who was born and raised in Quebec City, has been requesting that I make the sort of French-Canadian baked beans that he was used to back home in Quebec, but vegan, of course.  And no brown sugar or molasses; just real Canadian maple syrup for the sweetener. The Quebec version of this common North American meal is also not quite as sweet as what I grew up with in the USA. 

I hope you'll enjoy this as much as we did! It makes alot, but leftovers can be frozen.

Just in case you wondered:
DIFFERENT WAYS TO SERVE BAKED BEANS: 

1.) We like ours with just a green salad or cooked greens, and crunchy artisan bread or cornbread. Braised cabbage would be a great as a vegetable side dish, too.

2.) Some good vegan sausages or sliced vegan “ham” or vegan “bacon” alongside would be good.  Or seitan “ribs”, perhaps?

3.) Leftovers are great as “beans on toast” or baked bean “Sloppy Joes”.

4.) Try them on top of split baked potatoes, or split baked sweet potatoes.

5.) Coleslaw makes a good side dish with baked beans.

6.) Pickles on the side?

7.) Heat leftover beans with chunks of veggie hotdogs or spicy vegan sausage.

8.) Corn on the cob!

9.) If you like beans for breakfast, serve with some scrambled tofu and hash browns.

Printable Copy (Includes Chili Sauce recipe)

BRYANNA'S FRENCH CANADIAN-STYLE VEGAN MAPLE BAKED BEANS
Serves 10-12

Ingredients:
4 cups (about 2 lbs.) dried small white beans or navy beans (which are also called white pea bean, Boston bean, Yankee bean or fagioli, depending on where you live), 
(Other possibilities are cannellini beans--also called white kidney beans or fazolia)-- OR Great Northern beans OR marrow beans)

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup real maple syrup (preferably the darker kind-- Grade B)

3/4 cup bottled chili sauce (the spicy, sweet-ish sauce-- Heinz makes it), or use a favorite tomatoey BBQ sauce, or the easy homemade recipe* at the end of this recipe)

2 tablespoons Chinese toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon mustard powder (such as Coleman's or Keen's)

1 tablespoon fine salt

OPTIONAL:  1/4 cup of vegan “bacon bits” or 1 cup of chopped vegan “ham” or “bacon” of your choice

Instructions:
Soak the beans in lots of water overnight.  

The next day, drain them in a colander.  Place the soaked beans in a large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot with a fitted lid. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let stand, covered for 1 hour. After an hour, if there is not about a 1/2-inch of water over the beans, add some to that level

Turn your oven to 300°F.  (I use my counter-top oven for this job-- saves energy.) While it heats up, add the remaining ingredients to the pot of beans and mix gently to distribute evenly.

Cover and bake for 4 hours.  Check after 2 hours and add some water if the mixture looks too dry.  (Do the same when they are fully-cooked.) You don't want the beans swimming in liquid, but you don't want them to be dry either.

*EASY HOMEMADE CHILI SAUCE
Makes about 11/2 cups

This sauce is great baked on top of a vegan meatloaf, and it can also be used in homemade Thousand Island Dressing, on burgers, vegan "ribs" and "hot dogs". 

6 oz. can of good-quality tomato paste (I used Kirkland organic.)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup agave syrup, maple syrup or brown rice syrup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (here's my homemade recipe)
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. EACH ground cloves, garlic granules or powder, and chili flakes
a few grindings of black pepper

Mix the ingredients together well in a 1-quart saucepan.  Bring to a low boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook until thickened (almost the consistency of ketchup-- it will thicken  a bit more as it cools).  Keep in a jar in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!