Brussel Sprouts and Beans

Jackson wanted me to make something with Brussel sprouts for dinner. He had bought a bunch and then we got more in the bountiful basket. I was thinking of making a soup in the crock pot with some dried beans. I decided to still do the bean soup but add Brussel sprouts as well. It turned out great. It may seem weird but each ingredient complimented each other well.


Ingredients


about 2 cups of dried beans (I used the miscellaneous bulk dried beans from Winco)
2 boxes of broth (vegetable, chicken, whatever you have or like to cook with)
about 1 cup of carrot juice (my new favorite cooking liquid!)
2 bay leaves (dried or fresh)
a few basil leaves and oregano leaves (fresh or dry but if using fresh dice up small)
some ground cumin
granulated garlic
Salt or salt substitute
Pepper 
Brussel Sprouts (end cut off and cut in half)
1 Peeled and chopped sweet potato
1/2 white onion chopped
celery diced
dried habanero flakes or red pepper flakes (Optional for a little heat)




I put the beans, broth, bay leaves, herbs, carrot juice and seasonings in the crockpot around 11:00am on high. At around 3:30pm I added the rest of the ingredients and let it cook an additional 2 hours. 

The Brussel Sprout is one of those vegetables that has a bad rap. It is really just a tiny delicious cabbage like vegetable but most people associate it as being yucky. It is a wonderful versatile little vegetable full of nutrients. I usually rinse the Brussel Sprouts and then cut the end off and peel the first layer off and discard. Then cut in half. 

I peeled the sweet potato and cut it into thirds to make it easier to chop so I didn't chop off a finger. 

I am usually not allowed to use knives unsupervised. Ha ha. Funny but true!

Many people don't cook with bay leaves. You can buy a bag of dried bay leaves in the spice aisle usually by the Mexican ingredients. They keep for a long time. Or you can buy the fresh and dry the ones you don't use to use later. My mom is an excellent cook. One of the many things she has taught me over the years is to save the inside of the celery stalk. The tender inside of the celery with the leaves are a great addition to any meal. Just chop and add to the dish for some extra flavor. 

Make sure to take out the bay leaves before serving. They should stay whole or if they to break apart it is usually in half and they are quite easy to remove. This was a great soup full of flavor and absolutely guilt free. Full of nutrients but not lacking any taste or flavor. Feel free to substitute any ingredients or change it up. You see I don't measure and you will rarely see measurements from me. I just add and taste and add and taste. Everyone's taste buds are different. Experiment and have fun in the kitchen. Don't be afraid to try new things!