2 cups dry mixed beans or 1 cup dry navy beans and 1 cup mixed beans
2 cups diced ham (1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces; be sure ham has no sodium lactylate or sodium lactate or whey)
1 ham hock
2 cups chopped baby carrots (1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces)
6-8 cloves of garlic, smashed, and then diced small
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. mesquite flavor liquid smoke (to taste)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

On the stove-top, place the beans in a sauce pan and cover with 1 1/2-inches of water. Set on a cold burner and turn it on high. Bring to a rapid boil. Turn off burner immediately and remove pan from heat. Add the baking soda and stir in. Let sit for a minute to fizz and settle. Set pan back on burner and warm it on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove. Let sit 1 hour.

Pour the beans into a colander and rinse gently, but thoroughly under running, lukewarm, water.

Put the well-rinsed beans into an 8-quart soup pot on the stove.

Add ham, ham hock, garlic, carrots, and liquid smoke.

Fill the pot to 6 or 7-quart line with water.

Bring to a full round boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally, about every 1/2 hour or hour or so. Soup will thicken naturally.

When the beans start to make the water thick, remove the ham hock. Pull off good ham meat and chop to the same size as the rest of the ham, and return it to the pot, discard fatty waste and bone.

Continue cooking on medium-low to low heat until the soup is a nice thick consistency.

Note: This a durable recipe. You can always add more water if it gets too thick and if it is too thin, boil it down more.

Makes about 4-quarts depending on your thickness preference.

Serve with salad, Zesta brand Saltine Crackers (other brands may contain lactose), or Jiffy Brand Corn Muffins and honey made with a Lactose-free milk.

Note: The trick to keeping this lactose-free has to do with reading the labels on the ham, ham hock, crackers, and corn bread mixes. No milk or butter is needed to thicken this wonderful soup!

Submitted by: Holly Carmichael