Next sunday's Din Din: Vegan Calico Bean Soup

*I just got a mixed 1 lb bag of beans from the store and it was yummy. I also added 1 can of tomato paste and substituted the onion flakes for a real onion. I could add some brown sugar too, if I wanted to increase flavor or if I were to have people over.

Family loves it! It's a keeper!

Thanks to crockpot 365--

1 pound assorted dried beans (I used small red, lima, northern, black-eyed peas, split peas, pinto)
2 cans (25-30 ounces approx) diced tomatoes (whatever you have on hand---flavored, Rotel, etc.)
3 tablespoons dried minced onion flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon celery seed (or chop up a bunch of celery if you already have it in the house)
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups broth
4 cups water

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Soak your beans overnight in enough water to cover completely with another 4 inches or so. Drain well and add to pot. If you don't have time to soak the beans for hours and hours, put them in a large stock pot with a bunch of water and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pot. Let your beans sit for an hour, then drain and use.

After the beans are in the slow cooker, add all of the spices and canned tomatoes. Pour in broth and water. Cover and cook on low for 10-20 hours, or until the beans have begun to split and thicken the broth. You can also remove about a cup of beans and blend, then stir back in to thicken the broth nicely (or do a few pulses with a hand mixer!)

The Verdict.

I'm the only one who has had this so far. The kids are getting pictures taken for softball, and I need to get out of here and join them on the field. I had 2 mugfulls for breakfast, and am leaving the pot on "warm" so we can all enjoy it for lunch (and probably dinner, too). The flavor is mild, and beany. I didn't add any salt to my servings, but some may wish for a bit more of a salty flavor. I plan on giving the kids a small bowl of shredded cheese to stir into their servings.

SLOW COOKER BEANS!

--bag of black beans (or other beans. but remember that kidney beans have that freaky toxin.)
--water
--crockpot (4 quarts and up)

The Directions.

Pour the entire bag of dried beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. If you see any beans that have broken in half, or skin that floats to the surface, get rid of it. Also pick out any beans that look shriveled and gross.

Dump all the beans into your crockpot. Add enough water to cover all the beans and an additional 2 inches.

Cover. Do not turn on. Let the beans soak for at least 6 hours, or overnight. If you live in a very warm area, and the crockpot won't be in a room that is climate-controlled, put the stoneware in the fridge. You don't want bacteria to have the opportunity to grow.

In the morning, dump the water, and rinse your beans. The water will be bean-colored.

Put the beans back into your crockpot and cover with enough fresh water to completely cover the beans with an extra 2-3 inches.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

The beans are done when they are bite-tender. Don't worry if the water hasn't all absorbed. You're going to dump it, anyway.

Drain the beans.

When cool, put 1 2/3 cups of beans into storage containers or freezer bags (you're adding this amount because you aren't adding filler-liquid like the cans have). The beans will store nicely in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 6 months.

Use as you would canned beans in your favorite recipe.

The Verdict.

I like knowing what is in my food. I like the idea that we can save money and reduce consumption by using dried beans.

This takes a while. When I do this again, I'm going to get quite a few bags of beans and do them all at once in a few crockpots. The kids liked picking through the beans to weed out the undesirables, and they will munch on black beans (and garbanzo and pinto and kidney) for a snack, which makes me happy.

I've found a chart that breaks down the energy consumption of kitchen appliances:
(First Energy Corp., Ohio--scroll to page 5)

it states that a crockpot costs 2 cents an hour to run. Which means that even with adding the cooking time/cost to the beans, it's cost-effective to cook your own.

THANKS AGAIN CROCKPOT 365!!

Slow Cooker as a RICE COOKER?!?!?

YAY! I found this website in my qwest to use my slow cooker as a pressure cooker, cause I always burn my rice and beans. I want a pressure cooker, but no funds right now...So...i'll let you know when I try THIS....

--1T butter

--1 cup white basmati rice (I'm listing this kind because that is what I used. I would imagine that any kind of white or brown rice would work, but I haven't actually tried any other out yet.)

--2 cups water

--pinch of salt

The Directions:

--rub butter on the inside of your crockpot stoneware

--put in rice

--stir in water and salt

--cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, checking every 45 minutes or so.

I cooked the above batch for 2 hours, 15 minutes and checked on it twice.

The Verdict:

Fluffy, lovely rice. I'm interested in trying this with larger quantities of rice and with different varieties.

THANKS Crockpot 365!!

V. Pancakes

These are altered from my sister in law. She makes the best pancakes!

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately then combine and cook em up.

DRY Ing:

2 cups flour (or 1 c. flour, 1 c. oats)

1 tsp salt

1 TBS baking powder

1/2 c. sugar (agave, maple syrup, turb. sugar)

Wet Ing:

2 flax eggs

1/4 c. oil or apple sauce

1 1/2 c. milk of your choice

I've also tried mix and match, pumpkin, cinnamon. banana walnut. chocolate chip. These don't even need syrup, they are good with apple sauce or topped with strawberries and bananas.

V. EASY! Maple dressing

2 TBS: Maple syrup

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sunflower oil (or any oil)

1 TBS: Soy Sauce

this makes a couple of servings.

Red Pepper Hummus

MY KIDS ATE VEGGIES!! They dipped fresh broccoli and carrots in this stuff, and I just felt dandy about the whole thing!

I am gonna try to add some tomato paste to add a little more flavor, but it is just delish as is. I'll let ya know about the tomato paste later.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. In an electric food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

FROM ALLRECIPES

V granola bars--Fruit and Nut bars NO SUGAR! Delish!

I added V. Chocolate chips, cause lets face it, everything is better with chocolate chips. Mike loves these and takes them to school every day where his friends love to steal them. The boys and I love them too! So in love with these bars...they are a staple.

Fruit & Nut Bars

These bars contain no oil and no sugar; they get their sweetness from dried fruit. They are also chock full of walnuts, which contain lots of those fabulous omega-3 fatty acids. These bars are wheat and soy-free -- great for those with allergy concerns.

makes 16 bars

1 cup whole spelt flour
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup prune purée or one 2.5 oz container baby prunes
½ cup currants or finely chopped raisins
½ cup dried apricots, chopped fine
1 cup walnuts, chopped
⅓ cup water

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Lightly coat an 8-inch x 8-inch pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead with your hands until a good, stiff dough forms. Add a tablespoon of water if the mixture is too dry. Press dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan. Cut into squares with a sharp knife before placing in the oven.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until baked through but still soft (don’t overbake them or the bars will be tough). Store leftover bars in the refrigerator.