Slow Cooker Black Beans

       Have you ever tried to make dried beans on the stove top only to find after hours of cooking they are still hard? If you are like me, you have. One day I was talking to one of my coworkers and she said at her house they always made a big batch of beans in their slow cooker and if they had any leftovers they would freeze them for next time. This made me wonder how good the beans would be prepared in the slow cooker and how convenient this would be for days when we are busy with our activities. Some days you just do not have time to watch beans cooking on the stove. Am I right?

     I love my slow cooker. Who does not like just placing all of the ingredients into the cooker and setting the timer and going about your day without worrying about dinner or in this case beans?  Sometimes I forget how convenient the slow cooker can be when you have a busy schedule. These beans were so easy to make and they were delicious. I definitely will be giving this another try but with other beans in the future. Since we are a family of two I did not prepare a whole pound of beans but only prepared 2 cups of dried beans. This was plenty for us and we still had leftovers which I froze for next time.  The liquid the beans were cooked in tasted awesome on top of the rice we also prepared. I think these beans tasted a lot better than the canned beans you can buy at the store.

    Next time you are thinking about cooking beans, I hope you give the slow cooker method a try. Sometimes I forget things cooked very simply can also be very delicious.

Slow Cooker Black Beans

 

Melissa DeWees

 

Ingredients

 

1. 2 c of dried black beans soaked over night
2. 2 garlic cloves minced
3. 1 onion diced
4. 1 jalapeno diced with half of the seeds and ribs
5. 1 tsp. of cumin
6. 1 tsp. Mexican chile powder
7. 1/2 tsp. black pepper
8. 4 c of chicken broth
9. 2 bay leaves
10. 1/2 tsp. onion powder
11. 1 1/4 tsp. of salt or more if you like.

 

Directions

 

• Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray for easy clean up.
• Add all ingredients to the pot except the salt and set the timer for 8 hours.

 

 

 

• 1 hour before it is done add the salt.
• Taste the beans and if they are soft and the skin pulls away they are done.
• Adjust seasonings if necessary.