Quick & Easy Vegan Baked Beans

Have you ever really wanted to have Baked Beans on a hot summer day, but, you did not want to heat up the house or have the time/patience to wait for the slow cooker? Enter these super easy “made from scratch” stove top vegan baked beans that take less than 20 minutes to make.  All you need is any can of beans and I am not talking about baked beans in a can because you are going to make your our baked bean sauce.  I used these Smartlife Vegan Hot Dogs to turn these into Frank & Beans ~ the perfect 4th of July barbecue side.  Whether you are looking for a Vegan or Vegetarian BBQ side dish or not, I bet everyone at your table will dig these sweet and smoky baked beans.

QUICK & EASY VEGETARIAN BAKED BEANS (print it!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• 2 SmartLife Smart Dogs, halved and diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp Sriracha, optional
• 1/4 cup cilantro and green onion, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add Smart Dogs and cook approximately 2 minutes to slightly brown stirring frequently.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add onion, bell pepper and garlic to the pan and saute until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together sauce by combining barbecue sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and sriracha.
3. Add kidney beans and barbecue sauce to the pepper and onion mix, reducing heat to medium low.  Bring to a boil and simmer 7-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add Smart Dogs and cilantro/green onion.

Makes 6 servings, 1/2 cup each, 4 SmartPoints

Nutritional information per serving

STEP – BY – STEP:

The folks at Lightlife asked me if I could come up with my favorite way to grill up a veggie dog this summer using their Smart Dogs Vegan Dogs.  I am not usually a fan of the veggie alternative meats, but, I was definitely up for the recipe challenge to see if I could fool The Husband with a healthier alternative to his beloved hot dogs.

These Veggie Hot Dogs come in at only 1 SmartPoint and actually look like hot dogs making them worth a try in my book.

I could’ve taken the easy way out and just grilled them up then topped them with simple ketchup & mustard.

Or, dressed up my veggie dog with all the fixin’s like pickles, onion & tomato.  But, why stop there?

I took my “franks”, adding beans and a spiced up barbecue sauce making a simply delicious “baked bean” that The Husband ate telling me that my beans were good.  He will never know they are vegan and I am not telling him 😉

I am not actually sure if you are supposed to do this with Smart Dogs, but, I wanted a little “crisp” on my veggie dogs so I “fried” them up for a couple of minutes in avocado oil until slightly browned.  It’s ok if they stick a bit to the pan as that creates another layer of flavor making crunchy bits in the beans.

To the same pan, add in the onion, bell pepper and garlic sauteing until softened, about 4-5 minutes.

Whisk together your “homemade” baked bean sauce while the veggies cook.

Reduce the heat to medium low, then add the beans and sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 7-8 minutes until slightly thickened.

Remove from heat, add the veggie dogs back to the pan then brighten the flavor with a little fresh cilantro and green onion.  Enjoy as a side with your dressed up veggie dog with all the fixin’s above.

For a filling vegetarian spin, I took a one grilled Lightlife Smart Dog in a hot dog bun, then, topped it with 1/4 cup of my Quick & Easy Vegan Baked Beans, 1/2  oz Trader Joe’s Light Mexican Blend Cheese and a little more cilantro.

All melted together for one seriously delicious Cheesy, Baked Bean Hot Dog. The sweet & spicy beans blend so well with the smoky dog and melted cheese while the cilantro brightens up the flavor.

Tip: Feel free to microwave for up to 30 seconds if  your cheese doesn’t melt right away. (7 SmartPoints).

Thanks to the folks at LightLife for sponsoring this post and asking me to help create delicious ways to use their Non-GMO Vegan Smart Dogs.  All opinions are my own.

Night all!