Amy, that is good to know that you can skip the soak step with a crock pot. I read that soaking and then disgarding the soak water got rid of enzymes that makes beans hard to digest. (It also cuts down on cooking time.) Also I read that if you have a hard time digesting beans, it means you don’t get enough fiber in your diet and you just need to eat more to get your body used to it! Anyway, that’s also interesting that you throw them in with tomatoes, because usually the acid in tomatoes prevents beans from softening.