Vegetarian Slow Cooker Baked Beans

Instructions:

The night before, pick through the beans to remove any stones, then place in a bowl and cover with enough water to cover the beans by two inches. Soak overnight.

In the morning, mix together all ingredients except the beans, onion, and cloves in a large bowl.

In the bottom of minimum 4-quart slow cooker, layer the diced onion, then add the beans*.

Pour the liquid mixture over the beans, then add up to an additional 3 cups of water until the tops of the beans are just submerged.

For extra flavor, take the reserved onion end and press 8 cloves into it in a circle. I used a skewer to make the holes before inserting the cloves. (I also used more than 8 cloves, which I think overpowered the beans a bit, so in the future I will be using less!) Place the onion end into the center of the beans. Remove before eating.

Cook the beans on high for 6-8 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours. I left mine in the pot on low for around 12 hours (it was a long day), and as you might expect, they taste better the longer they sit.

Additional Notes:

If the beans will be in the slow cooker for less than 8 hours, parboil them first for 30 minutes before adding them. If the cook time will be longer than 8 hours, there is no need to parboil.