Savory Crock- Pot Garden Stew

This is an easy and tasty stew. The addition of bacon, leeks, and assorted seasonings and garden vegetables nicely complement the potato base. It's quite satisfying as is, but feel free to make good use of your gardening labors and add any other fresh vegetables from your garden. A handful of fresh green beans worked quite well in this stew, but I think snap peas would probably be a nice addition, too. Served with a hearty roll (such as fresh baked multi-grain sesame rolls) or tasty cheese bread, this stew makes a satisfying meal.

• Ready In: 6 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 5  slices bacon
• 2  medium potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1  leek, chopped (white bulb and light green parts only)
• 1  cup pearl barley
• 2  celery ribs, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  herbes de provence
• 1  teaspoon low sodium salt
• 2  teaspoons  minced garlic
• 1  cup apple cider
• 3 1⁄2-5  cups water
• 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies, undrained
• 4  button mushrooms, sliced

Directions

1. Place paper towel on a micro-wave safe dish. Lay 5 strips of uncooked bacon on top of paper towel. Cover bacon; cook in microwave on High setting for 5 to 5½ minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. With kitchen shears or knife, cut cooked bacon strips into 1-inch pieces.
2. Place cooked bacon, potatoes, chopped leek, barley, celery, herbes de Provence, salt, garlic, apple cider, and undrained canned tomatoes in crock pot. Then add enough water to reach the consistency of vegetable soup (about 3 1/2 to 5 cups should be sufficient). Stir to thoroughly blend all ingredients.
3. Cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours total. Occasionally stir the stew to be sure everything cooks evenly. If a lot of the liquid is absorbed during the cooking process, just add additional water as needed (about ½ cup at a time) to maintain a soupy consistency.
4. One hour before serving, add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook another hour (on Low setting), or until mushrooms are tender and cooked through.
5. Serve hot.