Hearty Vegetable Stew

Found this recipe labeled as a "soup" but it is so thick and wonderful I had to rename it as stew. A New fav for me - I'm going to make it again to use up the juice and freeze it for a rainy day.

Hearty Vegetable Stew (adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 small onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• 3 cups low-sodium tomato-vegetable juice (like V8, I used Mott's)
• 2 cups water
• 1 small zucchini, chopped (or 1 leek, but I didn't have one)
• 1 large or 2 small red potatoes, chopped
• 1 cup corn
• 1 can of no-salt beans, drained and rinsed (use what you like, mine were pinto)
• 1 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper (with 1/2 you do get a bit of a bite to it)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pinch of dry dill
• *I think 1 cup of green beans would also be FAB in this, but I didn't do it the first time)
• Optional - a cooked grain, rice, barley, quinoa, etc.

Throw everything in your slow cooker and cook it on low until veggies are tender. I let mine go all day (about 8 hours), then saved it in the fridge to eat the following day. Serve over the grain it you'd like.*

* I say to do it this way, because the original recipe called for rice in the stew, and it pretty much completely dissolved. Saucier stew over brown rice would have been better.