January 2, 2012: Navy Beans With Leeks and Bacon Recipe

Well, here it is – the start of a new year. Although I’m not one to make resolutions per se, I do think about things I want to accomplish in the upcoming months. And one of those always seems to be “lose weight”. Ugh! For someone who truly loves food and cooking, it’s difficult to eat less but nevertheless, that’s what I’m aiming to achieve this year.

Here’s a recipe, courtesy of Relish.com, for a very hearty main dish that has 350 calories (for a sixth of the total prepared recipe). If you want fewer calories, you can cut the olive oil in half. It’s so filling it should be easier to eat less of it. Serve this dish with a tossed green salad and low fat dressing for a healthful meal.

Navy Beans With Leeks and Bacon

1 pound dried navy or small white beans

4 slices thick bacon (or 6 slices regular bacon)

2 T. olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and white and tender green parts sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. kosher salt

Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Place beans in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to two inches above beans. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for one hour minimum. Drain water from beans. Cover with fresh, cold water and bring to a boil again. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour, until beans are tender but not mushy. Drain beans, reserving about a cup of the cooking water.

Fry bacon at medium-high heat in a skillet, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel or paper plate. Add olive oil to skillet. Add leeks and garlic; sauté 10 minutes. Add mixture to beans. Crumble bacon and add to beans along with salt and pepper. Add reserved cooking water if mixture is too dry.

Serves 6