Crock Pot Success At Last!

I've been doing a lot of crock-potting on Sundays, but this Sunday is the first time that I've stumbled across something I actually think I'll make again. It's black bean soup, and it's really, really easy, so I thought I'd post the recipe here.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

1 1/2 cups chopped vegetables (your choice: I used frozen chopped celery, onions, and peppers)
3 cans black beans, undrained
1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons taco sauce

Put everything in the crock pot and cook on low about 8 hours or high 5-6.

**My modifications:

• I used the entire bag of vegetables (more than 1 1/2 cups) and threw them in the blender beforehand so they weren't quite as chunky.
  
• I added a can of pinto beans, drained, because I had one and thought the soup could use some more beans.
  
• I only had regular diced tomatoes, so I used those and added Italian seasoning.
  
• I added a bunch of crushed garlic (the kind you just scoop out from the can) because everything is better with garlic.
  
• The original recipe calls for throwing the finished product into a blender to liquify it - I think this is messy and unnecessary. I like the soup unblended.

I thought this turned out delicious, and better still it required very little prep. I sprinkled some shredded cheddar on top before I ate it, and I think it would be good with cornbread. I'm interested to see how it tastes the second day once some of the flavors have blended.