Not-So-British Beans on Toast

I bought a 20oz bag of mixed dried beans from the grocery store. The plan was to make them into soup, so I put them in the crockpot with seasonings and a can of diced tomatoes. When I came back in the morning, more liquid had evaporated than I expected. The resulting mixture had the consistency of refried beans, but without the massive quantities of fat. It was not what I intended, but it was a pleasantly tasty surprise. They reminded me of baked beans, but with a decidedly more "grown up" flavor (like, not just sugar). This, in turn, reminded me of being back in the UK and eating beans on toast regularly for breakfast or as a light meal. I think it's time that Americans adopt this custom. It's quick, cheap, vegetarian and pretty wholesome. A perfect snack for when you sit down to watch Dr. Who (yeah, I know what you Anglophiles get up to).

I put the beans on my favorite toast (Alvarado St. California Complete Protein), and added the vegan trifecta; hot sauce, avocado and nutritional yeast.

20oz bag of mixed beans (I think mine contained kidney beans, cannellini beans, black eye peas, lentils)

1 tsp salt

1tsp sugar

1 tsp spice mix (including paprika, chili flakes, cinnamon, cumin)

2 slices bread, toasted

1/2 avocado

1 tsp nutritional yeast

Hot, hot sauce

(You could also try adding some chopped cilantro, salsa fresca, or cashew nacho cheese)

Put the beans, seasonings and a can of tomatoes in the crockpot. Add water to reach the "full" line. Cook overnight. Then, toast the bread and put the beans on top. One cup seems to be about the right amount for an individual serving. Add toppings and serve. (Seriously, vegans, you have to add nutritional yeast. If you're anything like me, you probably forget to take your B12 consistently, which is yet another good reason to add this delicious, pungent ingredient to your food. As for hot sauce; well, everyone has their favorite hot sauce, it's a very personal matter, don't ask me why. David recently bought this Rancho Gordo Felicidad Chipotle Salsa and passed it along to me because it wasn't to his taste. I, on the other hand, think it's excellent, but am trying to offload some Cholula Chili Lime sauce. The lime seems slightly artificial-y to me and it overwhelms the other flavors.)

Total calories per serving, 530.