Maple Ginger Baked Beans

The cold weather put me in the mood for a nice pot of baked beans. As often happens, life got in the way of my plans and I completely forgot to soak the beans overnight. So I came up with this using canned beans. The crock pot is great for busy days, just throw everything in and when you come back later, your meal is ready. These beans are good served with a nice crusty whole grain bread and a salad. They are also good served over brown rice or quinoa.

Ginger, long used in herbal remedies is a great addition in your cooking. It's a good source of potassium and magnesium. It is often used to reduce nausea, motion sickness and indigestion, and helps reduce gas, so it is great to combine with beans.

Maple Ginger Baked Beans

• 24 oz. jar great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1/2 c. maple syrup
• 2 T. prepared yellow mustard
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
• 1/2 tsp. blackstrap molasses
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 5-6 hrs. If you need it ready sooner, cook on high for 2-3 hrs.