You can come home after a long day of work, errands, volunteering or whatever else you do on your busy days to the welcoming aroma of this Slowcooker Shrimp and Sausage Soup.  If you are thinking shrimp in a slow cooker can't be right, you are only half wrong.  This tasty soup cooks for 6 to 8 hours in the slow cooker or crockpot then you add the shrimp after you get home.   They only have to cook for 15 minutes. This is a perfect way to enjoy a good soup shortly after arriving home from a long day.  And another good thing is that you can enjoy shrimp, sausage, tomatoes, potatoes, other vegetables, etc without having a kitchen full of dirty pots and pans.

SLOW COOKER SHRIMP AND SAUSAGE SOUP

1 can  (14 1/2-oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

4 medium red potatoes, washed & quartered

1/2 lb smoked sausage, sliced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 cup water

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt, optional

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

In a 3-quart slowcooker, combine the tomatoes, potatoes, sausage, bell pepper, celery, water, onion, paprika, garlic, thyme, and salt, if using.  Gently stir until all the vegetables are covered with liquid.  Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.  Turn the heat up to high and add the shrimp.  Push the shrimp down into the soup for them to cook properly.  Put the lid back on the slowcooker and cook for another 15 minutes or until the shrimp are just cooked through.  Garnish each bowl with a small amount of chopped cilantro, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings at 446 calories, 21 grams carbs and 35 grams protein each.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda's recipes and diabetic information visit her at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com