Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried pea beans or small navy beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup minced carrot
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 small sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated and minced
• 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes, crushed
• 3 tablespoons soy bacon bits
• 1/4 cup unsulferated molasses
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup Spice Exchange Bourbon Rosemary-Chipotle Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 whole cloves, ground in a spice mill
• Water to cover, if necessary

Instructions:

Rinse and pick over the beans; place them in a heavy, large pot, cover with hot water, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat, cover, and let stand for one hour. Drain off the water, add enough cold water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beans are almost tender. The cooking time will vary, according to the altitude, but usually 1 to 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion, carrot, and garlic and saute until the onion is wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the sundried tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, soy bits, molasses, vinegar, Spice Exchange Bourbon Rosemary-Chipotle Hot Sauce, salt, , mustard, and cloves and stir.

Place the beans and cooking liquid in a 3 quart ovenproof casserole. Stir the sauteed mixture into the beans and add water to barely cover the beans, if necessary.

Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 1 hour, covered. Remove the cover and continue baking for an additional 1 1/2 hours. Add more water to keep the beans barely covered.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings