*Slow Cooker Beans & Rice

It is hot. H-O-T, hot. We're talking 100+ degrees outside, people. Welcome to summertime in Texas! As a native, I don't really mind it. Well, I don't love it, but I am used to it. Okay, okay, I'm as used to it as I can get. During the summer in Texas we sweat a lot, swim a lot, play in any kind of water a lot, own lots of shorts and flip flops and revive in the shade. This is the time of year when it's 95 in the shade and you cannot believe you hear yourself say, "Man, this feels nice!" When you've seen the outdoor thermometer read 104 several days in a row you quickly learn how to keep the inside as cool as possible. And since I like the inside of my house cold rather than cool, I've got a lot of tricks under my sleeve; keep the blinds closed, fans on high, lights off as much as possible, exhaust fan on when washing/drying clothes or showering and NOT TURNING THE OVEN ON! I don't know about yours, but my oven seems to heat my house in a heartbeat. It's probably because our kitchen opens into our living room, where we spend a lot of time. This time of year we eat lots of fruit, I make lots of sandwiches and salads - it's almost too hot to even care to eat! But I also lean on my crock pot quite a bit in the summertime when we need a hot meal. Mine doesn't give off much heat at all and not only do I not have to crank the oven, I don't have to slave over a hot stove either! So here's a yummy crock pot recipe:
3 c water
1 c dried red kidney beans
1 c chopped onion (I always cook with yellow)
1 c chopped green bell pepper
3/4 c chopped celery
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 (14 ounce) package turkey smoked sausage
1 bay leaf
5 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
3 c hot, cooked long-grain rice
1/4 c chopped green onions

Combine first 12 ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high 5 hours. Discard bay leaf; stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings with green onions. Makes 4 servings (1 cup bean mixture, 3/4 cup rice and 1 tbsp green onions)

I think a little cheese sprinkled on top would be delicious, but I am an over cheeser and I refrained.

*From that favorite cookbook of mine: Cooking Light: Cook Smart Eat Well