Crock-pot Jamaican Red Bean Soup

Birhane Silase Marley, Rastafarianism, and Ethiopian Orthodoxy have come up a couple of times in the last week, so I thought it would be appropriate to make something from Jamaica for dinner this week! I found this recipe intriguing as it combined a few things I'm not sure I would've mixed on my own, and I'm quite pleased by how it turned out! What follows is my modification of this recipe, which didn't require much tweaking to make it crockpoty awesomeness.

I have a weakness for thick, hearty soups and stews and this soup is neither, but I think that could be solved with a little flour and a quick blending of some of the veggies. If I get around to making this again any time soon I'll try a couple of

The final product with some sour cream!

things - perhaps some blended tofu? - and post any corrections or updates here, or possibly as a separate recipe.

Update: Okay, so, recommended addition number one: Sour cream!!! A nice big dollop preferably! Unless it's a fast day, in which case this is perfectly adequate on its own. Just ignore the sour cream in your fridge...and the parmesan, which would probably taste great in this too...and the homemade yogurt...nope, none of those would taste good with this on a fast day...

...but seriously, sour cream! You won't regret it! (Not till your next weigh-in anyways!)


Crock-pot Jamaican Red Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (crushed or minced)
1 large sweet potato (cubed)
4 medium carrots (cubed/chopped)
4 green onions or scallions (chopped)
15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
32-ounce can of kidney beans 
2 teaspoons of curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of thyme
2 1/2 cups of unsweetened coconut milk
3 1/2 cups of water
3 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon
Rice (if desired)

Directions
1) Lord, bless!
2) Turn the crock-pot on high, pour in the oil, and add the garlic.
3) Add the sweet potato, carrots, green onions, and tomatoes.
4) Add the seasonsings, liquids, and bouillon and mix thoroughly
5) Cover the crock-pot and leave it on high for 2 hours.
6) Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for another 6 hours.
7) If desired, cook up some rice to serve with the soup and enjoy!