Bean Medley

Photo: flickr user jenly

Ingredients

cup Pinto Beans

cup Navy Beans

Water for soaking

1 tablespoon White Wine

cup Onion chopped

4 Cloves Garlic minced

cup Carrots sliced thin

6 cups Water

2 teaspoons Bouillon Granules granules, Salt Free

2 tablespoons Parsley chopped

1 teaspoon liquid Barbecue Smoke

cup Split Peas

cup Lentils

cup pearl barley

Preparation

Wash and sort pinto and navy beans. Soak 8 hours or overnight. Saute onions, carrots and garlic in the white wine. Place drained beans in crockpot with sauteed vegetables, 6 cups of water, bouillon, parsley and liquid smoke. Cover and cook for at least 8 hours. Sort and rince split peas and lentils. Add peas, lentils and barley to crockpot. Cover and cook for at least 1 hour more. Season to taste.

6 servings at 219.4 calories and 1.1 grams total fat

I am sorry that I do not remember who it was that sugested sauteeing in the microwave, but I want to thank you, whoever you were, and report that it works beautifully. I used that technique on this recipe.

The original recipe called for cooking this along with some beef soup bones or short ribs. I had intended to make some defatted beef broth and use that instead of the water to cook it in, saving the beef to cut up in my SAD eating husbands portion. I may try this another time, although it was quite delicious as it was. I also think that when cooking it in the crockpot, it would be OK to put all of the ingredients in at once in the beginning instead of waiting to add the peas, lentils and barley later.