VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS

This Vegetarian Baked Beans recipe is easy to make in the slow cooker See how easy it is to achieve all the flavor of old-fashioned New England baked beans, without the meat.

Ingredients:

*1 pound dried beans (such as Great Northern)

*1 large onion, diced fine (about 1 2/3 cups) — save the ends

1 cup water

1 can 6 ounces tomato paste

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

4 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (a vegetarian version)

1 1/2 Tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

8 whole cloves (optional)

Instructions:

The night before, pick through the beans to remove any stones, then place the beans in a bowl with enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Soak overnight.

In the morning, mix together all ingredients except the beans, onion, and cloves in a large bowl.

In the bottom of a minimum 4-quart slow cooker layer the onion, then add the beans which have been drained.

Pour the liquid mixture over thee beans, then add up to an additional 3 cups of water until the tops of the beans are just submerged.

For extra flavor, take the reserved onion end and press 8 cloves into it in a circle Place the onion end into the center of the beans. Remove before eating.

Additional Note:

If vegetarian beans will be in the slow cooker for less than 8 hours, parboil them first for about 30 minutes before adding them. If the cook time will be longer than 8 hours, there is no need to parboil.