Sunday, June 6, 2010

Vegan Mexican Crock Pot Bean Soup

I cannot say enough about this weekend- it was just lovely. This morning started off the way every great Sunday should, with brunch at Charleston’s Cafe. Josh had an apple parfait and I had a blueberry parfait with no honey. 

After brunch, I hit up some GTL (in a different order). I went to our development pool to get some sun and to work on switching up some of my choreography.

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When I got home, I threw together dinner (more on that later), put in some laundry, and went for a run/walk with Josh. I think we’re going to try to make running/walking together a weekly activity. Its great to have some time to just catch up.

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For dinner tonight, I tested out a product I received from the CSN stores(disclaimer: I received this product for free), the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6 Quart Slow Cooker:

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My other slow cooker is much smaller/older, so I was super excited to test out this new toy. For my first test run, I decided to create a recipe based on a recipe from the wonderful Angharad and this recipe

Vegan Mexican Crock Pot Bean Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dried beans (I used 1 cup pinto, 1 cup small red)
  • 2 carrots, chopped (~3 oz)
  • 1 small onion, chopped (~1.7 oz)
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper  (recommend puling this back to 1/8 teaspoon or eliminating if you’re not a heat fan!)
  • 4 cups vegetarian vegetable broth
  • 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
  • Toppings (jalapeno, cheese (for non-vegan), lime or lime juice, tortilla chips, tortilla, sour cream (for non-vegan), avocado, or Greek yogurt (for non-vegan)

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Directions:

Place all ingredients in crock pot/slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Top & Enjoy!

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The slow cooker worked really well. I love that it has a “warm” setting. I also enjoy the locking option for travel and the spoon hold on top (no more messy counter top!!).

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Look for a CSN stores giveaway coming up in a future post!

Do you have a slow cooker/crock pot? Any favorite recipes?

45 comments:

Sarah said...

How nice to get a big new crock pot!! And free too! Having a crock pot with enough space makes a big difference, I know mine will get too small fast.

I love the idea of this soup! Mexican flavors are lighter in soup form, no? Plus all the yummy toppings are fun.

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

I dont have a crock pot b/c they are the opposite of "high raw"..haha! but seriously i want one b/c for scott, if i could make stuff in it and have dinner "done" without thinking that would be choice. however, most recipes call for a jar of salsa or similar and the sodium in many slow cooker recipes scares me. But girl you make me wanna get one!
ox

Anonymous said...

I have 3 crockpots. One is a rice cooker/crock pot combo and the other two are traditional crock pots. Since I make my work lunch soups in advance, it saves time to get all 3 going at once. Of course, my kitchen looks like a disaster afterwards, but that's besides the point. ;)

Matt and I used to run together before his knees started bothering him again - it really is good couple time.

Have a great week!

Lauren said...

Sounds like a perfect weekend! :)

I love my crockpot but only seem to use it during the winter. I need to find more uses for it in the summer. THe soup looks like a perfect reason! :)

Julie said...

yeaaaah a crockpot!!!! thats so exciting for you :) i bet that soup will be so good the next day eaten cold :) mmmmm i just can't think of hot food as i'm sitting here sweating my bijeesies off haha

i love your couples parfait and run day :) what a good tradition!

Megan D said...

Aren't crockpots great?! I love just throwing stuff in there and a few hours later you have a meal! My mom makes a great mexican dip in the crockpot. Love that you GTL-ed today :)

Heather said...

I love your tradition of walking/running together! It's the little things, right?
I'm so jealous of your pool time. It was only 65 here in Cleveland today! Boo......

vanillasugarblog said...

i was pretty much poolside a lot this weekend as we had really humid weather which i hate.

Angharad said...

Yay! Thanks for the shout out! I would love love love to own a slow cooker - it sounds like a dream to just pop all those ingredients in at the start of the day and come home to a delicious meal all cooked!

Agreed on the running together thing as well - I love running with Dan when I can drag him out!

Esi said...

So glad you had a wonderful weekend! I did too!! Have fun with the new crock pot.

Bridget said...

I love my crock pot and I always forget to use it!! That soup sounds great though, and I like that it uses dried beans so you dont have to worry about canned ones getting too mushy and that it's an 8-10 hour cook time so I can do it while we're at work! Sounds like a great weekeknd :)

Krista said...

Glad to hear you had a fab weekend!

I love my crockpot. Have plans to use it tomorrow. Mine's an oldie, though....12+ years! Meh, it still works great. Love CSN Stores, too!!

Nicole Carrillo said...

Crock pot post! My mom's kinda scarred me as a kid, 'cause it was always full of cooked carrots (grossed me out - but now hold a huge part in my heart!) and weird meats. But recently I've longed for one. It seems to nice to think I could just fill it, leave it, then have a meal to last me a couple days. Mmmm slow cooked carrots + potatoes. The possibilites are endless.

Have a great week, girl!

Priyanka@thehealthydiary said...

Nice crockpot..I have a tiny one which barely fits anything. I love the flavor combination.

sophia said...

I do have a crockpot...I think the same as you! I made all sorts of things: chicken stock, chicken porridge, Korean-style beans, coconut jam....I posted recipes on my blog if you ever wanna take a look.

Crockpots are SO easy. And really healthy. I hope you have fun with it!

BroccoliHut said...

I wish I had a crock pot of my own! I've used my mom's a few times to make oatmeal:)

tam said...

Sounds like the perfect sunday and dinner looks fab, thanks for your words of advice x x

Lindsay @ http://pancakesnpajamas.blogspot.com/ said...

I have the same crock pot! It's a great one to take to pot lucks. We use it a lot for work parties during the holidays. Gotta say I'd have much rather been at the pool yesterday. It was beautiful outside!

Simply Life said...

i love using the slow cooker whenever I can - this looks great!

THANK YOU for the comment on my new layout - I actually really appreciate what you said! Now if only I could figure out how to do it? I'm a bit slow at these things so we'll see what I can do! :)

Stephanie @cookinfanatic said...

I have the Hamilton Beach Set It And Forget It and I love it! It has so many settings and even a thermometer to read the temp of large items too! Love poolside time, seriously my favorite :)

Brittany said...

I love my crock pot. It's awesome to come home to a fully cooked meal after work.

The latest crock pot dish I made was Gina's eggplant curry. It was delicious!!

Jessica said...

Fabulous to get such a great crock pot!
I love GTL...cracks me up everytime!
Sounds like a great weekend! Hub's and I did some weeding together, that's our 'run/walk'. QUality time is what matters.
have a good week!

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

Oooh nice gift from CSN! I use my crockpot to make stock more than anything else. A few bones, onion, bay leaf, random veggies, a splash of vinegar and water overnight for a super nutritious, calcium-rich broth.

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

i dont have a crockpot (Tear) but I want one!! there are so many fabulous recipes and I love the idea of settin git up then leaving for the day and coming home to a wonderful smelling kitchen and dinner!!

love that pic of you in the sun!!! i am so happy summer has finally arrived!!

LOL to GTL :) i cant wait for jersey shore to come back, what an awful show but so so hilarioud to watch!!

lynn @ the actors diet said...

i love using my slow cooker - question - did you soak the dried beans first?

Anonymous said...

Hooray for parfaits! I think of you everytime I eat one now!

The soup looks great! I have a crock pot that I got from Kath's OpenSky store when there was a special deal on (it cost like $3 or something) but it's in America so I've not used it yet. Bookmarking this, for sure!

Just gave you a shout-out for the BAOK- I got the sweetest package today! Thanks so much for starting that!

Anonymous said...

I will definately have to try this recipe. We have been using often lately. It makes me nervous leaving it on while I'm gone...I know, i know. That's the whole point, but it still does. lol

RhodeyGirl said...

I'm so jealous your development has a pool!!

hbobier said...

Aah that pool looks amazing. It's been so rainy here I've hardly been able to use mine!

The Blonde Duck said...

LOVE your soup! Always looking for veggie soup recipes for Ben, got to bring that cholestoral down.

And that shoe pic is too cute.

Anonymous said...

I love making stews with my crock pot. It's good stuff!

Samantha Angela @ Bikini Birthday said...

I have a crockpot somewhere still in the box from my wedding. For some reason I find it intimidating.

Natalie said...

I have a bunch of crockpot recipes on my blog--I absolutely adore the crockpot :)

Paige (Running Around Normal) said...

GTL - lol. Cute pool pic! I wish we had a pool near by.
That recipe sounds amazing - my poor crock pot cracked on me!

Holly said...

i don't have a crockpot - how wrong is that? that soup looks amazing though!

happy monday dear :)

Stacey said...

GTL, your funny. Love that show and I love my slow cooker. I just used it yesterday. I have only had it for maybe a year. But the best purchase ever.

Nutritious is Delicious said...

Ahh the wonders of a crock pot! That soup looks absolutely delightful!

lee@In My Tummy said...

I don't have a crock pot but I registered for one so maybe soon!

Miz said...

I laugh that I have one but since it always seems hot to me here (tomorrow? 98!) I rarely get it out.

I need to move back north.

northISH anyway :)

Lori said...

What a great crock pot soup! I'll have to give this one a try. I use mine a lot especially for cooking dried beans for our rice and beans.

Jenna said...

i've been meaning to buy a crock pot b/c they seem to be so handy!

mexican and soup are two of my favorites..i need to try this recipe soon!!

Juliana said...

Erica, your bean soup looks yummie...just reminded me that I should use more my crockpot :-)

Janetha @ meals + moves said...

i LOVE my slow cooker! i need a bigger one though because the one we have is pretty tiny. the vegan soup looks awesome. i love how easy slow cookers make dinner! and don't you just love CSN stores?! we bought our kitchen and bathroom sinks from them.

Unknown said...

Yum! Looks great! I just bought a crock pot, maybe I'll give this a try!

Lele said...

That's so funny, I made crockpot soup too! And with totally similar ingredients! Except I'm crushin' on your chipotle powder... I've only ever used jarred chipotle but you don't use the whole jar and the rest of it ends up going bad and it's such a pain... your idea is better! Although I've gotta say, I made my soup with fresh poblano and it was reallllllllll tasty!