The idea of writing a post about what I’m feeding my kids these days has been spinning in my brain for the past few months, until I realized it would be a long paragraph. Right now, at 4 and 1 years old, children eat what we eat!
When Ben and I started introducing table food to Lincoln, we went at a snail’s pace. This time, we’ve been throwing EVERYTHING at Cam and it’s been wonderful. Since he doesn’t have any food allergies that we know of, he mostly eats what we eat, including the slow-cooked black bean and rice soup I’ve made about 10 times in the past two months.
He (and we) are obsessed!
Crock Pot Black Bean and Rice Soup
This is the second recipe I share in association with Mrs. Grimes beans, which originated in Grimes, IA in 1902. (Be sure to try the Fiesta Pork, Bean and Green Chili Chili I made using their chili peppers, so good!) Mrs. Grimes beans are available at Hy-Vee, Fareway and select Walmart stores. This time I present their black beans as the star of my hearty but healthy Slow Cooker black bean and rice soup.
Mrs. Grimes Black beans, peppers, onions, garlic, salsa, broth and dried herbs and spices are added to a slow cooker and then simmered until the vegetables are tender. To finish, half of the soup is mixed until thick and creamy and then mixed back into the soup with cooked white rice to create a delicious dish that feels stuck to the ribs, but is low-fat, crazy-healthy and gluten-free, of course.
As I always say, if a baby eats it, you know you have a winner, and both kids happily eat this soup every time I serve it for dinner. The leftovers get better and better, so the kids and I eat lunch bowls at least a couple of days later.
I like to cool Lincoln and Cameron’s bowls by stirring guacamole, which not only increases the good fat content for their growing bodies and brains, but keeps them full until the next meal. HAHAHA what am I saying we all know that children never stop eating. Anyway, I load Ben’s and my bowls with lots of sour cream, chopped avocado and lots of fresh cilantro.
Ready to dig?
How to make this recipe
To a 6-quart slow cooker add 2.15 oz cans Mrs. Grimes Black beans that have been drained and rinsed, plus chopped peppers, chopped jalapeno peppers, chopped yellow onion, chopped garlic cloves, sauce, chicken broth (use vegetable broth to keep this vegetarian/vegan recipe), plus herbs and spices including chili powder, cumin, salt, and dried oregano. Place a lid on top and then cook for 3-4 hours at HIGH, or 5-6 hours at LOW.
When the soup has 20 minutes left to cook, cook the long-grain white rice in a saucepan with chicken broth (or again, vegetable broth or water). While cooking, place 1/2 – 1/3 of the cooked soup in a blender (you may need to do this in batches, and never fill your blender more than half with hot liquids) and then mix until very smooth. Stir the rice and mixed soup in the slow cooker and then season to taste with fresh lemon juice and a little salt if needed.
The soup will thicken as it cools, so let it sit for 10 minutes or so before loading into bowls and topped with treats like chopped cilantro, avocado, and plenty of sour cream. I hope you like this delicious, hearty and healthy slow cooker recipe as much as we do, enjoy!
Faribault Foods sponsored this publication, and has paid me to write about their Mrs. Grimes Beans products. Faribault Foods provided me with samples free of charge. The opinions expressed here are my own and are based on my own experiences.
