Guest Author - Terri Perkins Fulton

Serves 6

14 ounces dried beans (a mix of black, white and pinto beans works well)
2 ham hocks
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chile powder
2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo from a can, minced
Juice of one lime
Water
Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro and grated jack cheese for serving

Rinse beans and place in crock pot. Add ham hocks and all other ingredients through lime juice. Fill crock pot with water to cover the mixture by 2 inches. Cover and put the crock pot on low heat. Cook overnight and throughout the next day. Remove meat from the ham hocks and discard the bones. Shred the meat and stir it back into soup. Season soup with salt to taste before serving.

Serve this delicious soup for dinner the day after you start it, with chopped cilantro and grated cheese sprinkled over each steaming bowl.

Note: This recipe is very convenient made in a crock pot but you must start it a day before you plan to serve it. (For example, prepare the ingredients and start the crock pot on Sunday night. Don't worry about it again until Monday dinner.) If you make this in a regular stew pot, soak the beans overnight and simmer the stew covered for about 2 hours until the beans are tender (you may have to add more liquid). You can also cut down the cooking time in the crock pot by soaking the beans overnight and then assembling everything in the morning. It will be perfect for dinner the same day.