SLOW COOKER FEIJOADA: 1) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and cook onion and mushrooms for 5-6 minutes or until softened, stirring every now and then. Add garlic and cook for 1 minutes or until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
Feijoada is a hearty stew of black beans and a variety of meats, braised with onions, garlic and spices until everything is meltingly tender. It's extremely popular in Brazil. Some consider it the national dish. This lightened up Brazilian feijoada recipe is adapted from Cooking Light.
Brazilians mash or simply blend a small number of cooked beans in the blender (1/2 to 2 cups depending on the amount of cooked beans) in order to make the feijoada broth thicker. It works because it releases some of the starch from the beans.
Spanish chorizo sausage and blood sausages make a delicious alternative. Both canned and dried black beans can be used to prepare feijoada. If you use dried beans, soak them in water overnight, discard the liquid, and cook them with desalted meat until they all become tender. In the case of canned beans, they should be added at the end.