Crock Pot Pork and Beans

I love a good crock pot recipe. I try to use my crock pot at least once a week. This recipe is simple, healthy and oh so yummy. It makes a lot; which is great if you like leftovers. I found it over at My First Kitchen.

Ingredients:

• one 11-oz.(ish) bag of dried red kidney beans that have soaked overnight (soaking beans sounded like such a daunting task, but it's super easy and much healthier than canned, so give it a try; I think you'll like it)
  
• 1 lb. smoked pork sausage (we have tried a couple of different chicken sausages from Trader Joe's for this recipe, so get creative)
  
• 2 yellow onions, sliced (or diced... doesn't really matter)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tbsp. chili powder (I toned down the chili powder to just 1 tbsp or less if you don't like a lot of heat; the sausage will also give off some heat)
  
• 2 tsp. cumin
• one can of low-sodium chicken broth (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• a splash of Worcestershire
  
• 3-4 cups of cooked white rice (optional). (I used white basmati rice and it was so good. I recently read an article stating that white rice is actually easier for your body to digest and process than whole grain and basmati was the best to cook. Who knew?!)

Directions:

The recipe calls for cooking a lot of the ingredients prior to putting them in the crock pot. However, my crock pot usually cooks all day so the 2nd time I made this recipe I just threw all the ingredients (uncooked) into the crock pot and it worked just fine. Here are the directions as posted on My First Kitchen.

1. First, cook the sausage and onions. Slice the sausage into little medallions, and I'd go a bit thick with the slices. I cut mine thin-ish, and I wished for more texture with the end result. The meatiness is yummy. Cook those over medium heat in a skillet in a quick drizzle of canola or vegetable oil for just a minute or two until the edges get brown and yummy. No need to cook through. Take those out, and drain on a paper towel if you'd like. I personally like a little of the fat, so if you're cool with that, just dump them in the crock pot. Then add the onions to the same pan with the leftover drippings, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they're just browning, about two or three minutes. Take those out and add them to the crock pot.
2. Second, add the spices. Add a bit more oil to the pan (just a quick drizzle), turn the heat to low, and add the garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Stir for 30 seconds, and the heat will bring out a nice level of flavor from the spices. Pour in the chicken broth, and let the spices dissolve for another 30 seconds. Pour that into the crock pot along with the dried beans.
3. Add everything else. Add the two cups of water, the ketchup, the brown sugar, Worcestershire, and a few good pinches of salt and pepper to the pot, and turn to high. Cook for two hours. Then turn to low and cook another six or so. This is so the beans get hit in the beginning with some good heat to jump start the cooking process. This is only if you're using dry though. If you're using canned beans (probably three cans' worth), no need to start on high.