Beans bakin' in beer

Yup, beer. What more could you want in a light meal or snack?

This is a slow-cook dish, the kind that'll certainly have you sitting potside, waiting for it to be done.

And the dish couldn't be heartier, tastier or easier. The beans don't even need pre-soaking.

Beans bakin' in beer
Into a slow-cooker (or large pot) dump these ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 2 bottles of beer
• 2 chopped onions
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cups navy beans (dried)

Cook — covered and on low heat — until tender (approx 10 hours), stirring occasionally.

Variation: Leave out half of the regular molasses and substitute in blackstrap molasses. Going entirely blackstrap may veer the taste toward bitter, so if you choose to do this, consider adding extra brown sugar.

That's it. Just bake 'em slow and spoon 'em up.