Cooler weather has found us, even in the desert. This time of year, I find the urge to eat soup every day and no room in the cupboard. That calls for an inventive soup in the slow cooker. I love crock pots because you can toss everything in with fairly little effort, leave it alone for hours (I went out to a reading event with our four year old) and the house smells like you’ve been laboring all day.

I began with wanting to use up a long stored can of red kidney beans in this recipe and then improvising with whatever veggies I had in the fridge which included carrots. After a few hours, when I tasted the broth and found it had quite a kick (and there were some yellowing potatoes on the counter) I threw those and a can of diced tomatoes in add more flavor. So delicious we will be fighting over leftovers !

The cupboard is full so I’m on a mission to empty before items spoil. I often am inspired by a central ingredient. First up: kidney beans. Soups on! #nomnomnom #homemade #veggie #vegan #instagood #instafood

A photo posted by Mo Phongsavan (@moha_doha) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:27am PST