Another Recipe for the Imminent Bacon Shortage

If I tell you that I make pink beans and rice with no pork, I am certain you will balk.

I mean, WHO DOES that?

The people who buy the vegetarian refried beans do! Duh!

I have nothing against lard. It is fantastic in pie crusts and beans, I could go on. But those of us in our 40s+ know that if you want to have great skin and a strong cardiovascular system, you will want to be eating lots of beans and less lard. Period.

Yes, beans are these magical items that cause the body to produce nitric oxide, possibly the most important molecule in the body. According to Nobel laureate Dr. Louis Ignarro, “Blood vessels use nitric oxide to signal the surrounding smooth muscle to relax, thus dilating the arteries, increasing blood flow, and maintaining normal blood pressure. These blood vessels deliver oxygen and nutrients to, as well as remove waste products from, every cell in your body.”

And, beans are great for your skin. I should know, because for a two-week period when I was broke while living in New York City, I had to go through my cabinets and eat only the food that was already in my kitchen because I couldn’t afford groceries. I found lots of beans – I used to buy a bag of one type or other and then use one cup of them, once. The bag with the remaining beans then sat in the cabinet forever.

That week, I made bean dips, bean soups, bean salads. I ate beans and lentils for two weeks straight. And no, I didn’t have gas, because I cooked them with Kombu, a seaweed that apparently diminishes this effect on our digestion.

My skin was fabulous. All acne cleared up immediately. I knew it was the beans because I’ve done brown rice fasts and juice fasts and the like, but nothing affected my skin like the beans.

You’d think I’d decide, once I had money again, to continue eating lots of beans? Please. I went right back to eating bacon cheeseburgers. My skin broke out again, of course. But I digress.

I love the style of beans that you get at your Puerto Rican or Cuban restaurants, the kind of delicately flavored pink beans I’d have when my Spanish coworkers shared their lunch. So, I was determined to recreate that, without the pork. I adapted the recipe on the back of the bag of Goya Pink Beans and I think I’ve succeeded. These are our favorite beans!

Scarlet’s Pink Beans

Serves 4-6

½ lb dry pink beans

4 cups water

2-inch piece Kombu seaweed

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped

½ med-large green pepper, chopped

2-4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup Goya tomato sauce

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

¼ tsp oregano

Handful of fresh cilantro tops (w/ stem attached, not just leaves)

¼ tsp liquid smoke

Cooked white rice for serving (I just cook white basmati rice in a rice cooker, according to directions, adding a tablespoon of butter before I turn it on)

Sort and wash beans. In a large saucepan, soak the beans in 4 cups water with the 2-inch piece of Kombu seaweed. Do not drain.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and green pepper and watch, stirring frequently, as you mince the garlic.

Add garlic to the skillet as the onion and pepper begin to be tender. Stir for a minute or two and add this mixture to the pot of beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce heat immediately to a simmer. Cover the pot halfway and simmer until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Add more hot water if necessary.

Once beans are cooked to your satisfaction, stir in the Goya tomato sauce, salt, ground pepper, oregano and cilantro. Simmer 10 minutes longer.

Remove from heat. Add liquid smoke and stir. To serve, remove the stringy cilantro and serve over hot cooked white rice.