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<\/a><\/p>\nSort and wash 1lb. of Anasazi beans, removing any weird, stray bits or rocks (if you skip this step, don’t come whining to me when you get the debris!).<\/p>\n
Some folks soak, some folks don’t.\u00a0 I go either way, depending on time and energy before serving.\u00a0 These, I soaked in cold water for a couple of hours.\u00a0 Drain off the soaking water, then\u00a0into the slow cooker they go.\u00a0 Add cold, filtered water to cover and nothing else!\u00a0 I mean it, NOTHING ELSE.\u00a0 Here’s my very best bean-cooking tip:\u00a0 Cook your beans in water only!\u00a0 <\/strong>Seriously, if you go adding salt (this includes salty ham bone or stock) it will inhibit\u00a0the tenderization of the beans.\u00a0 Save your fat, salt, veggies and especially tomato products til the beans are as tender as you wish.\u00a0 Then, we party!<\/p>\n Turn the slow cooker on high and go to work, take a nap or wash the dog.\u00a0 (If you prefer to cook beans overnight, and I often do, skip the soak.\u00a0 Don’t skip the sort!\u00a0\u00a0 Throw the\u00a0rinsed\u00a0beans in the slow cooker, cover with water {use about 2 times the volume of beans},\u00a0turn on low and go to bed.\u00a0 In the morning, you will have tender beans just begging for some salt, veggies and whatever general loveliness you can dream up.)\u00a0 \u00a0OK, back to tonight’s meal:\u00a0 check the beans for desired tenderness in 4-6 hours.\u00a0 In my life, this works out to my lunch break.\u00a0 They were perfectly tender and I added:<\/p>\n 1\/2 chopped onion<\/p>\n 1 chopped red pepper<\/p>\n 1 chopped Anaheim pepper<\/p>\n 4 cloves garlic, minced<\/p>\n 1 stick celery, chopped<\/p>\n and, 1 head of broccoli*, chopped\u00a0(only because I needed to use it up – you can use virtually ANY veggie here – clean out your fridge, use what makes you happy!)<\/p>\n Here’s what we have:\u00a0 To this, I added a ham bone (also from Christmas) and turned\u00a0the setting to\u00a0low for the afternoon.\u00a0 If you are not adding a salt factor like a ham bone, you will need to add salt here.\u00a0 Start with a teaspoon and go from there, adjusting to your preference.\u00a0 When we walk in the door from a long day, it will be lovely, hearty and full of fiber.\u00a0 The bits of ham will fall off the bone and\u00a0*BONUS* morph\u00a0this soup into something wonderful.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The best part of\u00a0this meal is the add-ins.\u00a0\u00a0I dice fresh onion and\u00a0avocado as toppers.\u00a0 My husband will spoon in a bit of sour cream – oh, if only I had some\u00a0flat-leaf parsley!\u00a0 Either way, you won’t go wrong.\u00a0 This\u00a0bean and\u00a0veggie soup will do just fine on its own or, if you are wanting to show off a\u00a0little – bake a pan of corn bread and dine like Royalty!<\/p>\n *Rookie mistake:\u00a0 if I had been thinking when I chopped my veggies, I would have saved the broccoli, chopped it small and added it right before serving.\u00a0 The heat from\u00a0the simmering soup would turn it bright green, slightly crunchy\u00a0and perfect.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Next time…<\/p>\n P.S.\u00a0 So, I didn’t have parsley, but I DID have spinach!\u00a0 When things cook all day, I think it’s really\u00a0important to have something fresh to add in right at the end.\u00a0 So, here’s how I served the Anasazi bean and veggie soup:\u00a0 We had minced spinach (organic, please), green onions (also, organic), diced avocado and sour cream to customize to\u00a0individual preference.\u00a0 It was really good!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n