Slow Cooker Pinto Beans with Summer Veggies

Without my slow cooker, I would probably never make it to the Y for after-work exercise. My preferred recipes are all ones where I can just dump a bunch of stuff straight from the freezer into the cooker in 15 minutes or less (preferably less). In the right combinations, this works remarkably well. Beans are a great base - you have to remember to soak them overnight, but the time requirement is minimal. If you leave frozen tomatoes out overnight alongside the beans, they'll be fairly well thawed come morning (unlike the other veggies, you want the tomatoes thawed so that their liquid is available as cooking liquid for the beans).

2 cups dry pinto beans
Water
1 cup shredded zucchini (frozen is fine)
1-2 cups corn kernels (frozen is fine)
2 cups chopped/ground tomatoes (thawed if frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce for topping (optional)
Cheddar or jack cheese for topping (optional)

Soak the beans overnight in several times their volume of water. In the morning, drain and rinse.

In the slow cooker, combine beans, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, onions, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover all the beans but not have them swimming. Cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

When beans are tender, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice, topped with hot sauce and cheese at the table if desired.

Serves about 6.

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans and October Veggies

For nights when I know there won't be time to cook, I have found my slow cooker to be a life saver. Most often I use it to cook beans of some sort. This is what I made yesterday. Peppers from my garden, potatoes from The Kitchen Garden, garlic and onions from somewhere local but I can't remember where. This is moderately spicy--reduce the chipotles to one if you prefer something milder.

2 1/2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large bell peppers, diced
2 large potatoes, diced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
1 cup salsa (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the salt and pepper in a large slow cooker. Add water until the beans are completely covered. Cook on high until beans are tender (the time will vary depending on how old your beans are) or you get home--they do fine continuing to cook for quite a while after they become tender. Add salt and pepper to taste at the end. You could serve this as a soup, but I like to strain it and serve over rice with some cheddar cheese on top.