Sweet Potato Black Bean Barley Soup

this sweet potato black bean barley soup is delicious and very fall-festive! I wanted something to come in from the cold to, with a fall flavor, and this was definitely one to fit the bill. this recipe was developed for my 1.5qt mini slow cooker. I prefer cooking the beans myself rather than using canned, so the mild prep work involved is about 20min of stirring beans and barley in separate pots over med-hi heat while I'm chopping veggies.

1/2 med sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1/2 cup black beans
1/4 cup barley
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1/2 carrot, grated or sliced thinly
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp basil
1 bouillon cube in 2 cups boiled water
1/4 cup tomato sauce
black pepper to taste

drain the beans and barley, and combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.

give it time, and stir occasionally. the barley an beans have soaked a lot of water up but will continue to drink, so you'll need to add a bit of water a couple hours in.

this is a great soup to get going when you have projects that beg attention! I accomplished a lot in six hours, and had a fantastic dish on the end of the day.

nothing quite like the smell of a good soup to fill the house! I rushed the process just a tic by cooking it on high for the first two hours, and then kicked it down to low for a few.

one great thing about a slow cooker is that you can have it ready in or around a time that works for you. I wasn't quite hungry by the time this soup was ready, so it cooked another half hour while I went for a quick walk to get quarters for laundry. what a thing to come home to that fall soup waft from beyond the front door! I topped it off with some pepperjack and additional pepper & basil, served with rounds of homemade cardamom & black pepper wheat bread. give it a try! I hope you find it delectable :)