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When my daughter was a little girl–not yet in school–the two of us belonged to a small local church whose members practiced a lot of fellowship. In other words, we loved to get together and eat. 🙂

One of our annual traditions was Souperbowl Sunday. Before the big game, the women of the church plugged in their slow cookers and honored all things soup. And Lord did we feast! Beef stew, chicken corn chowder, tomato consomme, we had it all.

This red bean soup was my contribution one year.. I used a ham bone I’d frozen after Christmas, but you can also use any cooked ham you dice up for the occasion.

Portuguese Red Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup dried red beans
6 cups water
2 onions, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1-4 pound cooked ham, cut in chunks
3 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1 8-ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant beef bouillon

Directions:
1. Soak the beans in water overnight, right in your slow cooker. Rinse the beans and use fresh water for cooking them. This cuts down on any gas they might cause.

2. Cover the beans and cook on high for two to three hours, or till tender.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serves 6 to 8. Enjoy!

About the Author

Jo Elizabeth Pinto was among the first blind students to integrate the public schools in the 1970’s. In 1992, she received a degree in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado. While teaching students how to use adaptive technology, she earned a second degree in 2004 from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in Nonprofit Management. She freelances as an editor and a braille proofreader.

As an author, Pinto entertains her readers while giving them food for thought. In her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, she draws on personal experience to illustrate that hope is always an action away.

Pinto lives in Colorado with her husband, her teenage daughter, her guide dog Spreckles, and an aging family cat named Sam-I-Am.

Her website is: http://www.brightsideauthor.com.