Ingredients

SOAK, DRAIN, RESOAK, REDRAIN

•6 c dry mixed beans* of your choice

(ie: 3c kidney+ 3c mixed)

*Or just use 2 cans of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed well.

CHOP & SAUTE

•2 large onions

•4 celery stalks

•3c mushrooms

•1-2 cloves garlic

COARSELY CHOP

•4-5 cups of fresh veggies of your choice (shredded carrots, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers)

COMBINE IN HUGE CROCK POT

•20 oz can tomato sauce

•13 oz can tomato paste

•30 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)

•2c water

•1/2 cup of any Diana’s Sauce (Honey garlic or chicken/ribs gives a sweet underflavour. Smokehouse gives a smoky flavour)

1/4 cup brown sugar

4T Chilli powder

2T coarse sea salt

2T black pepper

2T dry mustard

1T cinnamon

1T nutmeg

2T tumeric

1T dried chillies

3T pulverized sea vegetables (ie: arame, wakame, etc. )

Preparation

  1. Prepare the dried beans the night before by repeatedly soaking and draining them until the water runs fairly clear.(at least 4 hours or even overnight) Canned beans work just fine, however. Just be sure to drain them and rinse them well. This is the step that reduces gassy after effects.

  2. Saute the first group of veggies

  3. Chop the second group of veggies

  4. Mix all the hot veggies, cold veggies, and all other ingredients in a very large crock pot.

  5. Stir well and often to avoid burning on the pot’s hot spots. If you are leaving it unattended for the day, that’s ok too.

  6. Cook 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

  7. IMPORTANT HINTS: About an hour before serving, have a small bowl to taste its progress. A spoonful is not enough to get a true reading on the spices and aftertastes. This is the time to add water, chilli powder, salt, etc. to fine tune the taste and consistency you want. If you like less spice, cut down the hot spices in the original recipe, and add more at the end. You can always add spice now, but if it’s too hot, you can’t take it out.