OHMAGAWD. I have no kitchen.  PANIC. That’s me when I was told that in order to have a lovely sparkly new kitchen fitted, it would mean living sans kitchen for a month.  Originally I hadn’t given it much thought; ‘June will be warm, we can just eat salads’, I told myself (and a very unhappy looking Mr H). Well it turns out that you just can’t make those sort of assumptions in the UK, as I sit here now huddled in my dressing gown, listening to the wind and rain outside.

But Mr H was (as always) my saviour, and reminded me that whilst we may not have a kitchen we do of course have electricity, and that’s all we need to fire up my beloved slow cooker and Vitamix. So with a little temporary test kitchen set up in the lounge, I’ve been slow cooking away to my heart’s content. Although let’s be honest, truthfully I’ve been chucking things in to my slow cooker, and it’s been doing all the hard work. This is why I would totally one million percent recommend it; you can prepare your food in the morning, set the timer, and by the time you get home from work your dinner will be ready (and delicious).

This recipe is so good as the spices give it a real smokey taste, and the beans and veggies are so soft and tender that it’s a real comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 3 medium red onions, peeled and chopped into quarters
• 2 medium peppers, chopped into chunks
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp smoked chipotle
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• A generous pinch of Himalayan salt
• Optional: 1/3 cup corn

(NB the above three beans are my faves, but you could always sub them in for other types of beans if you prefer or if you can’t get hold of these ones)

So now for the easy bit. Fling all the ingredients into your slow cooker, give them a good stir and cook on a high setting for around 6 hours, or until it starts to thicken up. Serve with tortilla chips or brown rice and a generous dollop of guacamole – perfection!

Love, Mrs H xx