Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Cranberry Creations

Not the actual berries, the beans.

I had a Rancho Gordo bag of cranberry beans and a bunch of kale and decided to combine them according to a recipe I saw on the NYTimes once. Except upon closer inspection, that recipe was way too complicated (cook beans with a cheesecloth of various ingredients? cook another pot with pierced cherry tomatoes? I don't think so). But I liked the combo of beans, kale, and tomatoes. One of my bean cookbooks had a recipe for a cranberry bean soup with an entire head of garlic. Hmmmm, yum. And so, with a modicum of bean experience, I made up dinner. And surprisingly, it's one of the best bean dishes I've ever had!

The kids had chicken.

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Red, White, and Greens with Beans Soup

1/2 lb cranberry beans, soaked in salted water overnight
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
1 head garlic, peeled
half bunch of kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Place beans and their brine in slow cooker. Set on HIGH and cook for 2-3 hours.

Add diced tomatoes, garlic, and kale. Season as necessary. Continue to cook on LOW for 4-6+ more hours.

Mommy Hungry

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