I love my slow cooker and use it all the time.

Fall and winter mean soups, stews, chilis, and roasts! And that means it’s the busy season for my slow cooker.

It has already seen a ton of action and we are only a month in to fall!

When I was approached by Crown Publishing to review their newest cookbook for the slow cooker, I jumped at the chance!

The American Heart Association’s Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook is featured with 200 recipes that are geared towards a healthy lifestyle and diet.  They are easy to put together with ingredients that you’ll already have on hand.  Everything from roasts to shrimp and grits are featured in this cookbook.

Since we’re right smack in the middle of fall, I went with a soup recipe to try out.

Jamaican Bean and Vegetable Soup

Recipe from AHA’s Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook

Reprinted with permission

• 2 1/2 cups Fat-Free, low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 15.5oz Can No-Salt-Added Red Kidney or Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 14.5oz Can No-Salt-Added Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1 Medium Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 Medium Carrots, cut crosswise into 1/4-1/2 inche pieces
• 1/2 Medium Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1/2 Medium Onion, chopped
• 2 Medium Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

In the slow cooker, stir together all the ingredients.  Cook, covered, on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

I put this soup together in the morning to let it cook while Scott and I headed out for a nice hike.  We were gone all afternoon and came home to dinner ready and the house smelling amazing!

The soup was flavorful and full of warm spices to heat us right back up!

One thing that I loved about this cookbook is that the recipes can be easily adapted to what you have on hand.  I didn’t have plain diced tomatoes but I did have some with green chilis added.  That gave a nice little extra kick to the soup.

Some of the recipes do take some extra prep work or some extra work to finish them off (like making a gravy or sauce) but all of the recipes are easy to assemble and will help you learn how to utilize your slow cooker even more!

Disclaimer: I was provided this cookbook from Crown Publishing to review.  All opinions are my own.