In the Fall and Winter, I pull out the crockpot and let it do the work for me. One of my favorite and easiest dishes is Southwestern Great Northern Beans. This is a hearty meal and takes just a few minutes to prep.

Here are the ingredients:

Diced onions

Bell peppers. You can use any type you like. All I had was yellow in the house but I also like red for a pop of color.

Chop up some turkey bacon. I chose turkey for flavor and health reasons. It seems to give beans more of  a vibrant flavor than pork to me.

I add Worcestershire sauce, oregano, McCormick’s Southwestern seasoning, vegetable broth, minced or fresh garlic,  onion powder, and Jamaican Allspice. Add of course–

Black pepper. I put it on everything. Add the seasonings to your taste.

The final ingredient is  Great Northern beans. Pick out all the discolored or bad looking beans, and give the remaining beans a good rinse.

Put all your ingredients in the slow cooker and set it on high. The beans will cook in about four hours.

After two hours, I check on the dish.  I add more seasonings and then let the beans continue to cook while I relax for another two hours.  By this time, the turkey bacon, onion and garlic will have your house smelling amazing.

The beans are done when they look like this. I scoop them into a bowl and add my secret ingredient that puts the  KICK in my southwestern beans.

Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa. Yummy. I get this from Costco for about $6.00 a jar. It’s quite simply the best jar of salsa I’ve ever tasted.

This dish is great with buttered biscuits or tortilla chips. Enjoy!!

Stay blessed.

Barbie