Crockpots RULE!!

Yes, it's true, I have found another hobby: using my crockpot! Have you looked at the blog, http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/?? You need to. Right now! I have used my crockpot a lot this week and I love it! I tried her recipe for Cranberry Pork Roast, but I used a turkey roast because that is what I had on hand. Pretty good! Today I am using her Apricot Chicken recipe! It is similar to my recipe for Russian Chicken, only you plop it in the crockpot! Hooray!! Oh, and I tried her recipe for Split Pea and Barley Soup with Ham. Super dooper! We all love split pea soup, so I was excited to try her version with barley added! It was really good!! It is a great website!

Here is a great recipe I got from a magazine that I made this week. My kids gobbled it up and I thought they would hate it since it looked like mud. Black bean soup looks like mud but tastes divine! Can you say "cheap meal"??? I had most of the ingredients in my food storage, so I bet it cost me pennies to make. Yippee! Here ya go:

No soak Black Bean Soup
(Yes, NO SOAK!! It is hard for me to plan the night before when I want to use dry beans, since you need to soak them overnight. So this recipe was a dream come true for me!!)

1 T olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 T garlic or more if you want
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
5 cups water (I had to add more water throughout the day since my crockpot tends to cook fast and the water gets used up quick)
3 cups chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans of green chilies, undrained
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried thyme leaves
1 t salt
1\2 t black pepper
2 dried bay leaves (remove before serving)

1. Add olive oil to crock pot and saute onion on highest setting for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients to crock pot. Cover and cook on high for at least 8 hours.

2. Before serving, mash soup a little with a potato masher to break up some of the beans and to make the soup a little thicker.

3. Top with sour cream, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, onions, or our favorite: crushed tortilla chips.

This is seriously yummy! It works great as filling for a burrito the next day, if the soup is thick enough. Or as a dip for your chips or veggies!! YAY!