Crock Pot Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew

With spring around the corner, I have been thinking about what crock pot recipes to plan for this summer.  I love throwing a dinner into the crock pot in the morning on a beautiful day so that I can be outside in the late afternoon.  Plus I don't have to heat up my kitchen by turning the oven on... although now that we have gone vegan our oven doesn't see nearly as much use as it used to. 

Why It's So Awesome (aka, the nutritional stuff): 

Sweet Potatoes:  Provide vitamin A and potassium.  
Black Beans:  A good source of plant based, fat free protein, as well as fiber. 
Carrots:  Vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber. 

Crock Pot Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups water 
• 2 large sweet potatoes, pealed and chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces (or 8 oz baby carrots)
• 1 8oz container of sliced mushrooms 
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• salt to taste (I used 1 tsp)
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients except black beans in a crock pot.  Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.  Stir in black beans right before serving. 

Kid Verdict:  Our two "good" eaters (the younger two) liked it.  This was also a very easy dinner to mash up for the baby.  I just took his portion out before adding salt and removed the mushrooms from his, only because they don't mash very easily.  Our two picky kids (the 6 and 8 year-olds) did not like it .  I have long ago given up catering to the picky kids' tastes, so overall it was a successful dinner in my eyes!