slow cooker – BIG EATS tiny kitchen

I recently brought this easy Black Bean Soup to a pot luck lunch party at my office. It was a breeze. I actually threw all of the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning in my office and let it cook there until lunch time. The big problem was that I let it cook in my office next to my desk. I nearly ate my arm off trying to not dive head first into the slow cooker and devour the entire thing.

But thankfully I had enough self control to hold off until it was time to serve so that everyone could try it. You’re welcome people!

I recommend this recipe for anyone looking for something super easy and cheap during the weeknight, weekend, or even for entertaining. This is an all around great soup! If you are going on a ski vacation and want to come home to something hearty and wholesome… this is your soup. If you are just coming home from a long work week, this is your soup. If you are having some friends over for game night, this is your soup.

I promise it to be a winner. It will satisfy both meat eaters and veggie eaters! It also will be easy on your pocket book and be super stress free.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Servings: 6 to 8
Time: 6 hours on low; 3 hours on high
Difficulty: Easy
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4 cans of black beans (undrained)*
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 cup salsa of choice (I use Trader Joe’s salsa)
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (reserve half of cilantro for topping)
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
Toppings: greek yogurt, chopped scallions, lime wedges

Instructions

Place two of the four cans of black beans (with liquid) in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender. Puree for about 15 seconds. Add pureed black beans and remaining ingredients through salsa into a slow cooker. Cook on low for at least 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Just before serving, stir in half of cilantro and juice of 1 lime. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with greek yogurt (or sour cream), chopped scallions, lime wedges, and additional cilantro.

*Note – this recipe can definitely be made with dried black beans but will take about 2 hours longer to cook. Rinse and soak them overnight. Drain them and then puree half of them (about 4 cups) with 2 cups of water. Add all ingredients to slow cooker as mentioned above. Cooking time will increase by 2 hours, with it taking 8 hours on low and 5 hours on high.

I have been in an alternate universe, my friends. A universe where people never sleep, the air smells like strawberry perfume, puke, and alcohol and no one seems to care that a burger costs $22. Ya….I speak of Vegas.

One of my oldest friends was getting hitched last weekend there. It was great to see him and his new wife as well as many old friends from college. It’s funny getting back together with friends that you don’t see that often, but when you do see them, it is as if no time has passed. But then the problem is that I feel like I have to cram so much fun into a condensed time span.

So what do you get when you concentrate fun in Vegas? Drinks that should never be THAT big, beer pong rallies (be sure close to your eyes when the ball hits the floor so that you don’t vom in your mouth), mechanical bull riding that felt like it lasted 10 minutes (I pulled a groin muscle doing this because I’m OLD), no sleep no sleep no sleep. It took only 12 hours for me and my husband to quickly realize that we were in our mid 30s, not early 20s. Ouch.

As a result, mama is in major decompression mode. No bright lights, no floral smells, no alcohol, no loud noises. All I need right now is to be wrapped up in a blanket like a human burrito while I listen to soul music on the record player. Put it on repeat please.

I also need a massive helping of this warm comfy soup to combat the outside temps that are in the teens!

Crockpot Beef and Mushroom Stew (Gluten Free and Paleo-Friendly)

Servings: 4 to 6
Time: 8 hours
Difficulty: Easy
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Ingredients

2 lbs beef stew meat (seasoned with salt and pepper)
2 onions, sliced in 1/4-inch slivers
10 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1 large carrot, sliced
2 cups diced potatoes
1 Tablespoon thyme
6 cups beef stock
1/2 cup dry sherry (optional)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place first six ingredients (stew through beef stock) in a crockpot. Cook on low for at least 8 hours.
In a small bowl, stir arrowroot powder into sherry until a smooth paste is formed. Add sherry mixture to the crockpot and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper as needed.