Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans (52 Method Continues)

 Today I'm sharing my newest recipe for Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken baked beans.  The original recipe on my blog is here ( using the solar oven to bake them).   The jar recipe is different. It cooks on the stove in 20-25 minutes and looks and tastes um...(what's the word?)...pretty! Colorful! Delightful! It has a sweet, sour, tangy, luscious, slightly peppery sauce. I love the sweet chunks of pineapple with the fresh taste of the peppers, garlic and onions. The chicken is chunky and firm. The beans are perfectly tender. Serve it over rice and it's a "topper" or serve it with a chunk of sweet homemade Maori Bread. 

My 52 jar method Meals in a jar will be new all week! So, if you like what you  see, plan on visiting all week. I'll try to have at least 4 new posts up this week with new recipes and some that I've revised to be more natural and user-friendly. If you are new to the meals in a jar, go here and get some details on how the meals are done as well as the basic safety guidelines. If your scroll through the rest of the 52 jar method posts, there are a lot more recipes, ideas, and helpful tips when making the meals. I answer a lot of questions in the comment sections as well. If I had to re-cap each detail in each new post, it would take a lot of time and space. So. That being said there are a few things I will always re-cap in each post.

1. You will be using a method some have called "dry pack canning" but it's actually called Vacuum packing. No liquid or pressure canning is necessary. If you opt to use the freeze dried meat in the recipes  NOTE: The repacking of Freeze Dried Meat must be done within 24-48 hours of opening the can and must be done in a dry environment. Once repacked you must use an oxygen absorber to make sure there is a vacuum oxygen free environment. I recommend using a 300 cc oxygen absorber for each jar. This will make the vacuum packing effective. You can use a food Saver with a jar attachment for this in place of the oxygen absorber, but will need to make sure your machine is designed to be used with the jar attachment. Some of the food Savers are called "meal savers" and are actually not designed to use with the attachment. I called the FoodSaver company myself to be sure that the attachment I had was right for the machine I was using. Thanks Mom (yes my mother bought me one!) for the big FoodSaver! I love it!! It's shiny and silver and fun, fun, fun! Yes. I'm planning on doing a tutorial on making the jars with one! 

2. You can also pack in mylar bags (the ones that are silver-colored), but again need to use the oxygen absorber. This size I use is designed to absorb a gallon size amount of air, but I'd rather err on the side of over-vacuum than not enough. No. You can't use the foodSaver clear plastic bags for long term storage. They are not designed for that purpose. When I say "long term" I'm talking 3-5 years. 

3. Enjoy. Share these recipes with your friend! Get the word out that they are here!  PLEASE...make sure my name stays with the recipes.  Try to think how it would feel if you had worked on the recipes yourself. You'd want not only the credit, but also a way for people to contact you if they had questions. I ask you to please be mindful of that. Plus, they are my copy-written work and that is just the law. Thanks. 

Preparing Wisely in Mesa, AZ had these quick cook Whole navy beans in the store. I was so excited to see them and use them! I bought two cans of them a week ago and have enjoyed playing with them in my recipes. I'm totally impressed with how firm and perfect the little beans turn out when cooked. Yes, they also only take 20 minutes to cook so they're perfect for the meal-in-a-jar scenario. 

 When I  the white beans to make the Polynesian sweet and sour chicken baked beans...they looked awesome. They tasted awesome. I'm a fan. 

 I got a few new things to play with for my meals in a jar too.  dehydrated Jalapeno, dehydrated minced garlic,   Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder and   NOH terriyaki powder in a bulk bag. I also use ultra gel and dehydrated honey in this recipe. Honeyville  carries the ultra gel and dehydrated honey in their retail stores but not their online store. 

Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans in a Jar 

2 cups Quick Cook Red Beans or Quick cook Navy Beans

1 cup Freeze Dried Chicken OR Freeze Dried Turkey 

1/4 cup Dehydrated onion 

1/2 Cup freeze dried  bell peppers Freeze Dried Bell Peppers

1/2 cup Freeze Dried Pineapple

1/4 cup  NOH terriyaki powder ( get packets here OR 1/4 cup seasoning from the bulk bag)

2T  Golden Balsamic Vinegar Powder

1/4 cup dehydrated honey 

1 tsp dehydrated Jalapeno (optional)

1T  dehydrated minced garlic

2T Ultra gel OR cornstarch

Jar Directions: Put ingredients in a WIDE mouth quart jar, shaking the powdered ingredients in before adding the bell pepper and pineapple. Top with a 300 cc oxygen absorber and a new canning lid.  

The re-use of canning lids from wet packed goods like jams and fruit is not recommended by the jar companies, as a vacuum seal can't be guaranteed. I actually asked the experts at our local extension office about that! They said that anywhere we wanted to ensure a good seal, to NEVER re-use the lids from wet canned items. Again, if you use a FoodSaver with the jar attachment, make sure it is for the jar you are using and that the machine is not a "mealsaver" but the actual FoodSaver machine with the attachment port.  This meal will be shelf stable 5-7 years. 

To prepare the meal: 

Add 5 cups of water and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Solar cooker, same amount of time in direct sunlight.

There you go! 
Make sure my name stays with the picture if you do decide to share it or  

Come back soon for more! I'll be here all week. 

Always My Very Best, 

Your Friend Chef Tess

If you share, be sure you have my name in the description when you .

Polynesian Style Sweet and Sour White Beans

Mondays I try to share a little something on cooking with food storage. This is a totally different spin on traditional beans and rice. Let's face it, who wants to eat the same old staples every day? I don't. I want variety. I want zip-booom-bah! I want a gorgeous sun kissed Polynesian man with ripped abs and a grass skirt. Okay. I'm kidding. I don't need the man. My husband Ace can pull off a grass skirt in a pinch. Did I say pull off? I meant...wear one. I meant pull off the look. Oh wow. I'm having hot flashes from the Solar Oven. Swoon. (Long pause...) Are you still there?  Okay...let's talk beans.  Quite some time ago I gave a beginners tutorial on how to cook a pot of beans from dry beans. I know there are some people out there who have no idea how to do that and they rely on the pre-cooked cans. Dry beans are a much cheaper option. If you missed that little hum-ding-er-of-a-good time-Tutorial...look here . Were's starting today at the point were the 1 lb bag of small white beans has been soaked overnight in about a gallon of water and 1T of baking soda. The baking soda helps with what I'm going to call, "digestive issues"...(I think we all know what I'm talking about without saying the ugly word right?) I cook my beans in my solar oven with the black pot. These white beans  work just as well in a crock pot on low for 4 hours. In Arizona, I use my solar oven like a crock pot almost year round...except for the short rainy season and the few cloudy days we do have. I use a Global Sun Oven . It's my favorite appliance ever.  

You will need:

1 lb Small White Navy Beans (soaked overnight in one gallon of water and 1T baking soda, drained and rinsed)

1/2 cup dehydrated onion (or 1 cup fresh)

1/4 cup dehydrated bell pepper (or 1/2 cup fresh)

1/2 cup of my Chef Tess peach mango jalapeño jam

3 cloves garlic (or 1 1/2 tsp granulated)

1/3 cup Hoisin sauce sauce

1/3 cup vinegar (your choice...but I love pineapple or rice vinegar here)

2 tsp sesame oil or 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

8 oz crushed drained  pineapple (optional)

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Place the drained beans in a crock pot (or solar oven pot)

 add 1/2 cup dehydrated onion or 1 cup fresh chopped onion.

Add 1/4 cup dehydrated chopped bell peppers or 1/2 cup chopped fresh bell pepper.

Add 4 cups of water and simmer on low for 3-4 hours. Solar cooker, same amount of time in direct sunlight.

When they are cooked and tender they will look all steamy and hot-flash-invoking. See? I wasn't kidding.

 Add my Peach Mango Jalapeño Jam.  Yes, we ought to keep cases of it in our food storage. As it sits...this is what's left. I'm seriously in trouble too. Ace needs jam. It's like his own personal heroin. Well, that and his wife. She's pretty much a heroine. The " : mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero"...not the opioid drug...Please don't be confused. That's called a "play on words" people.

 Then add the garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, pineapple and fresh cilantro. Cook 5-10 minutes more if desired. I serve it up on a warm bed of jasmine rice with some chopped cilantro and fine chopped red cabbage...

Prepare yourself for some happiness right there. It's really amazing. Not your regular pot of beans I dare say. Not by a long shot. Oh...and if you can get your significant other to sport a grass skirt while he serves this to you...even better.  Ace wouldn't do it if I paid him.
There you go. Make some beans baby!