Vegan Grocery Haul & Spicy Crockpot Soup!

My friend Robin made sure to point out to me today that I promised this post on Tuesday... and it's now Friday. I spent 2 nights cleaning for HOURS since my parents came into town yesterday afternoon. So unfortunately, bloggin went to the back burner. So here ya go, Robin! ;)

Grocery Haul

Here are the vegan-approved foods I picked up on my latest grocery store adventure:

Delicious produce...

• Anjou pears
• Honeycrisp apples
• Vine-ripened tomatoes
• Avocados
• Acorn squash
• Sweet potato
• Red onion

Pre-cut and pre-washed produce... it's more expensive, but SO worth it sometimes!

• Broccoli florets
• Stew mix of veggies... red potatoes, celery, & onion (I used this in my soup!)

• Black beans
• Garbanzo beans
• Pinto beans
• HUGE tub of salsa
• Unsweetened almond milk

The replacement for my beloved, non-vegan vanilla creamer. I got the unsweetened kind, because I wanted to keep the calories low. Since I add Sweet-n-Low to my coffee anyways, this works great. It is NOT a good substitute for the oatmeal. Still working on tweaking that recipe to be vegan and delicious....

And of course, I had to get some non-vegan goods for hungry hubby

• 2 Deli Roasted Chickens... Rosemary Garlic & BBQ
• Shredded cheese
• Spicy ranch (<--- completely necessary if I except HH to eat any type of salad!)

It was fairly easy to pick up vegan groceries at a mainstream grocery store. As much as I ADORE Whole Foods, it is just so expensive! Many bloggers refer to it as Whole Paycheck. Ha! I still need to make it there next week to pick up some Veganaise and other goodies, but it's nice to know I can eat vegan when I want to hit-up the "normal" store.

Spicy Vegetable Bean Soup via CrockPot

I love love love love love the CrockPot! Every time I use it, I think of those old rotiserrie chicken infomercials... SET IT- AND FORGET IT! ;) I can pile everything into the pot, turn it on high, and come back hours later to a delish dinner. I love this soup because I make it vegan in the pot, then add chicken to hungry hubby's bowl so it satisfies us both! Each time I make it, I tweak it a little depending on what veggies and beans I have on hand. Anything will work!

The goods:

• Carrots
• Sweet potato
• Red potato
• Onion
• Celery
• Broccoli
• Pinto beans
• Black beans
• Salsa - I used Pace Medium Picante Sauce
• A couple squirts of ketchup
• Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
• H2izzO

Here's the progression:

The taters and carrots have to go in first because they need the most heat!

Next comes the onions, celery, and broc. Just for the record or for your own skeptical Hungry Hubby, the broccoli tastes SO good in this soup. HH always can't believe he enjoys eating broc in this soup!

Next comes the beans! You can use any you have in the pantry.

Add the salsa, ketchup, and seasoning. Yes, I know this looks disgusting, but I promise it tastes so good! After this, add water to the top of the pot and stir 'er up - being careful to leave the potatoes and carrots on the bottom.

Let it cook on high for 5 hours, or on low ALL day. And here's the finished product:

I add shredded chicken to HH's bowl, plus some jalapenos and chopped avocado on top. YUM!

Do you have any good vegan crockpot recipes?!? Please share!