Honolulu Skillet Beans

We also call this recipe "Hula Beans". It's from "The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" By Molly Katzen and was given to Karen by our friend, Ann a librarian in the at the Main Library downtown. Her husband, Brad, is a dentist. They are two of the nicest people we know and are very health conscious. They eat lots of organics, and stuff that is just too good for you, like tofu. Ann brought this dish to a dinner gathering at the home of our mutual friend, Jenny, who introduced Karen and I to Ann and Brad. Karen just fell in love with this dish and we make it often.

This recipe can be very sweet, depending on the brand of pineapple you use. We found that Dole Brand Crushed Pineapple in natural juices works best. Other brands, especially store brands have turned out with a too sweet edge to them.

You can use many varieties and mixes of bean in this dish, but try to have one light and one dark. We’ve used cannelini, and great northern beans, small black beans, small red beans, and adzuki beans. The adzuki beans are a bit hard to find, but well worth the effort! Check you local natural foods store; we get ours at Wild Oats.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoons oil
2 cans of beans (small white, black, red, adzuki
1 can crushed pineapple in natural juices (Don’t use anything with any extra sugar added)

Sauce ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce
(if you don’t have Hoisin sauce, get some! Otherwise, use 1 Tablespoon molasses + 1 Tablespoon vinigar +1 teaspoon hot sauce)
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
2 Tablespoons catsup
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cumin

Instructions:
Rinse the beans.
Combine all sauce ingredients
Saute the onions over medium heat until soft in oil.
Add the beans, sauce and pineapple. Stir together gently (don’t mash those beans!)
Heat gently for a couple of minutes.

Serve with rice for a meal!

Options:
Saute some minced garlic and/or chopped green pepper with the onions.
Add grated peel of an orange into the pot when adding sauce.