Brown ground beef with onion, peppers, and celery. Drain well and rinse with HOT water. Combine with all other ingredients EXCEPT rice in a large crockpot. Simmer on low 4 hours. Add rice about 30 minutes before serving. Add water as desired for the consistency you want. If you like a thick soup, don't add any water. If you like a thin soup, add as much as you like to it