Ingredient of the week: Baked beans

Are you looking to vary your breakfast menu? Add baked beans on your list. Baked beans on toast, for example, are just delicious! These are white beans, first parboiled then baked in sauce at a low temperature for a long time. 

Regular intake of beans will have you meet the required recommended quantity of zinc, selenium, Vitamin B, B6, potassium and magnesium. They also provide vegetable protein and help regulate bowel movements. Three heaped tablespoons of baked beans will help you meet your breakfast vegetable requirement.

Quick homemade recipe: Pre-heat oven. In a cooking pot, heat oil, add chopped onion, cook until soft. Add garlic, cook, add molasses (optional), sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Add Worcestershire sauce, mix, then transfer to a baking casserole and bake for an hour. When the sauce thickens slightly, your beans are ready to eat. Serve on toast, on their own, with eggs, in salad or with potatoes.

Canned baked beans are available in most supermarkets. Packaged as baked beans in tomato sauce, they cost from Sh100 for a 300g can to Sh600 for a 3kg can.