alternative sauce for baked beans?

[creations]

Does anyone make their own sauce for baked beans?
DS loves the baked beans that come in tom sauce but due to salt and sugar levels I don't like to offer them too often.  Sometimes I use the cans of beans (borloti, or black eyed, haricot etc, or a mexican mix) that are precooked but just come in water.  But he will eat so few with out a sauce.  ATM I am add a teaspoon of ketchup or mayo but I'd love to get some recipes for alternative sauces for beans.  Preferably low/no salt or sugar but even recipes with salt and sugar would offer a change up of flavours for him.

[Papaya]

Ooo, just off to bed but will be back with ideas

[creations]

Hey I hope so

Looking forward to them.

[Papaya]

This recipe for African beans was a hit with F. No idea how it got the name, it's probably not very African. I'll give you the original recipe and you can adapt (cos I know you will anyway )


•   1˝ cups black-eyed beans. Cook for 30 – 45 minutes (black-eyed beans don't need soaking. Or use two cans of whatever beans you like)

Sauce:
•   2 chopped onions - sauté in a little oil until they’re softish.
•   1 small can tomato paste (or chopped tomatoes but then you will need to “reduce” the sauce a bit).
•   ˝ can coconut cream
•   2 tsp paprika
•   ˝ tsp (or more or less) chili powder
•   ˝ tsp cumin
•   1 teaspoon sugar
•   1 teaspoon salt
Stir together till combined, if necessary reduce to thicken, but if you keep the beans warm in the sauce before serving it will thicken up a bit then.
When the beans are cooked, drain and mix the sauce into them.
Serve with rice. Serves 4 as a main meal.

If serving with rice, I add veges after the onion and cook for a few mins before adding everything else - chopped carrot, mushrooms and broccoli are nice. Either way, leftovers are always great on toast the next day.

Or how about something like Butter Chickpeas (think butter chicken - this is most definitely NOT Indian but is quick and tasty)

2tsps each curry powder and garam marsala
1 tsp each ginger and cumin
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/2 C milk
300gr chickpeas
200gr boiled cubed potatos
1-2 tsps coriander
onion and garlic, as much as you like

Sauté onions and garlic, add spices and fry over low heat for a minute or two. Add everything else and simmer. If you wanted it more to serve with bread, you could omit the potato perhaps.

I make the African beans without salt or sugar and they taste fine (DH and I add salt to taste). With the butter chickpeas it would obviously depend on your choice of soup.

[creations]

Ooh thank you!  They both sound great!
When I lived in Kenya I LOVED maragwe (beans) and was determined to find out how they were cooked, clearly not determined enough though as no one ever did give me a recipe for them.  People mostly thought I was a bit mad as they are a poor persons staple diet and being white I was seen as rich and should be eating something 'better'.  I'll be trying out your African beans for sure and see if they are anything like the maragwe I had in Kenya.  They were usually served with chapati (which are different from Indian chapati) which were to die for.

Nuala, you know me so well, yes I'll end up adapting the recipes, I'd have to skip the ginger as I'm intolerant.
Thank you for taking the time xx

[Papaya]

Mmmmm, beans of any sort are great. I just googled maragwe, and it sounds like that is probably what this is based on.

I always have a batch of dhal in the freezer and it's often what DH requests for a weekend lunch - we both love it, just served with rice and perhaps a little prawn pickle or some fried anchovies - and yet that is definitely the poor person's food in India!

[creations]

Funnily enough I just googled maragwe too - I haven't tried to find it for years as I never had any success before and just never thought to re-try! I'm so daft!
I don't feel totally convinced by the recipes I've found but will try them out, the thing that makes me sceptical is that most of them give chapati recipes that are for indian chapati, not Kenyan which involves a lot more prep and a LOT of oil.

[creations]

We tried your African beans today Nuala, yum yum!
DP and I loved them, but DS refused to even put one near his mouth!
I don't know if he could smell something he didn't fancy or if he just wasn't in the mood for beans today (he's so into beans he's having them almost every day but who knows he might have had enough by now?) but he wouldn't even taste.
Wondering if perhaps he doesn't like coconut as I baked a banana and coconut loaf last night, gave him some today for snack and he ate a bit and spat it out   He is certainly more fussy than he used to be.

Not at all like 'maragwe' from Kenya, but, like I said, DP and I loved them (DP said they were the best beans he's ever had), very tasty and will be having them again (even if it means giving DS a different sauce for his beans!).  Thank you x

[Papaya]

Glad you and DH liked the beans even if DS didn't this time!

Wondering if perhaps he doesn't like coconut

Proof again that our LOs have the opposite sense of taste (although I often wonder if they are twins in other regards - they always seem to have upset sleep at the same time!). F cannot get enough coconut. Just as well, as I give her an awful lot of it in different forms, with her being MPI

[creations]

Well just tried a coconut experiment, and he guzzled a small cup of coconut milk like it was the best thing ever.
Must be something else putting him off my coconut and banana cake and the beans.

they always seem to have upset sleep at the same time!

Was she up crying every 10 to 20 mins through the night last night? 
We eventually had a block of sleep from 1am to 4.30am.  Poor boy!  Poor me!

[Papaya]

Poor both of you indeed! Hope last night was better. F has actually started STTN again for the past several nights, after a loooong time of not but we are still getting silly nap and/or bt resistance. Canines, I say Could be the reason for your LO's disturbed sleep and not wanting to try new things? F is definitely more keen on the old favourites when teething.

[creations]

We've had such a long time of teething but I don't think this recent disturbance is teeth.
I strongly suspect now that he had a silent reflux flare up as I had dropped his meds a minuscule amount with hopes of a gradual wean.  Have put meds back up the last couple days and he is still disturbed but improving so could well have been that.  Feel terrible for causing him pain now

We've gone right OT from the beans now, oops!

[Lemonthyme]

Sorry I missed this post, here's a basic tomato sauce recipe with no salt or sugar but loads of hidden veggies.  Might work for the beans:

http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/homemade-tomato-sauce-for-babies.html