Sorry to hear about the dental work and hope you have a speedy recovery, but thanks for sharing the recipe. I'm always looking for something new (and inexpensive) for vegetarian meals. I used this Q & E recipe recently, and it made a nice bean spread.

Garbanzo Bean Sandwiches [Pitas]

(source: Betty Crocker Cookbook - Heart Health Edition)

1 can (15-16-oz.) garbanzo beans rinsed and drained (I made my own)
1/2 c. water
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 T. chopped walnuts
1 T. finely chopped onion (I used fresh chives)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 whole wheat pita breads (6-inch)
Lettuce leaves
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (3/4 c.)
1/2 medium cucumber, sliced and slices cut into fourths
1/2 c. cucumber-ranch dressing

1. In food processor or blender, place beans, water, parsley, walnuts, onion and garlic. Cover and process until smooth.

2. Cut each pita bread in half to form 2 pockets; line with lettuce. Spoon 2 T. bean spread into each pita half. Add tomato, cucumber and dressing.

-Grainlady

I just dug this up the other night, I've had this recipe for years
Baked Beans
Ingredients
1 lb (454 g) dried navy beans, (2-1/2 cups/625 ml)
2/3 cup (150 mL) bottled strained tomatoes
1/3 cup (75 mL) packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) cooking molasses or blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp (15 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 oz (113 g) slab bacon, diced
2 oz (57 g) salt pork, diced
Preparation
Rinse and soak dried beans overnight in three times their volume of water. (Or for quick-soak method, bring to boil; boil gently for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain.

In saucepan, cover beans again with three times their volume of water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups (500 mL) of the liquid.

In small bowl, whisk together tomatoes, brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, mustard and salt.

In bean pot or 16-cup (4 L) casserole, combine beans, reserved cooking liquid, tomato mixture, onion, bacon and salt pork. Cover and bake in 300F (150C) oven for 2 hours.

Uncover and bake until sauce is thickened and coats beans, about 2 hours. (Make- ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 3 days.)
Source : Canadian Living Magazine

susytwo, add my thanks for the gigantes recipe. It sound really good. My dad used to regularly make Greek style bean soup out of Great northern beans. He'd make a different bean soup each week and portion it up for his daily lunches. The ingredients are similar to the gigantes recipe you posted.

Greek Bean Soup

Here's a very good tasting recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I've made it several times, and it always turns out well. However, because of my husband's low sodium restrictions, I have adjusted things a bit. My notes are included. The biggest change I've made is that I use the traditional overnight soak, whereas Cook's starts with the dry beans and adds all the flavorings at the beginning. I did that once and found it took forever to get the beans softened enough to eat.

Barbecued Baked Beans Recipe
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated 2/2005
Serves 6 to 8

4 slices bacon, chopped fine (I either just use 2 slices low sodium bacon or omit altogether)
1 onion , minced
4 cloves garlic , minced
1 pound dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over (See Notes)
8 cups water
1 cup strong coffee, black
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used 1/2 cup Heinz No Salt Added Ketchup & 1 tsp. The Spice House Salt Free Spicy West Indies Barbecue Seasoning)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons brown mustard, prepared (I used a salt free mustard)
1 tablespoon mild molasses
Hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
Ground black pepper

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the beans, water , coffee, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, & 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring every hour, until the beans are tender, about 4 hours. (I used slow cooker and cooked beans first without ketchup, mustard & molasses)

3. Remove the lid and continue to bake, uncovered, until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Notes : I soaked the beans overnight & rinsed. I cooked them in water for 45 minutes at a very low simmer with 1 bay leaf, 4 small cloves garlic cut in chunks, and a tea ball filled with whole peppercorns, & allspice. I drained them, reserving the cooking water. I sauteed the onion, garlic, & 1/2 a jalapeno pepper in olive oil. I added the beans & used Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Broth to cover, along with the coffee, and brown sugar. I dumped this all in the slow cooker. I added the molasses, prepared mustard & barbecue sauce (ketchup & spice blend) AFTER the beans became tender. I added 1 tsp. of liquid smoke near the end. I only added ladles of reserved bean cooking liquid if the beans seemed too dry.