Clean Eating Healthy Crockpot Black Bean Salsa Soup

Makes 10 servings, 1 cup each
This is one of Matt's favorite things that I make. He'll come home from work and sniff the air as he comes in the door. Then he'll get all excited and ask, "What's in the crockpot?" He's been known to squeal with glee when he finds out that it's this soup :) You know I'm all about sneaking veggies into everything and this soup is no exception. The first time I made this it was too hot for the boys to eat and I didn't want to wait for it to cool. I had two chunks of frozen pureed broccoli in the freezer so I tossed them in. Everyone ate it happily and the secret was all mine.


A few times later I didn't have any broccoli (it only happens once in a blue moon in our house) so I had to leave it out. Matt was in the middle of his bowl and he said, "Did you do something different this time? Not to be mean but it doesn't taste as good as usual." I told him the only difference was that I left out the broccoli. Then it happened. My husband, who thinks that the epitome of epicurean cuisine is white Wonder Bread and claims to hate most veggies, actually said, and I quote, "Don't leave the broccoli out again. It tastes much better when it's in there." Be still my beating heart :)

This soup is quick to throw together and you don't even have to defrost the meet first. Always a plus in my book. It's also really low in calories (only 122 per serving) but high in dietary fiber (6g) and protein (10g). This means that it's very filling so you get more bang for your caloric buck.

Garnished with a dollop of Homemade Yogurt :)

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into big chunks (can be frozen)
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 32oz carton all natural low sodium reduced fat chicken broth (4 cups)
• 2 12oz packages of frozen broccoli
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with juices
• 2 tsp cumin
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Shredded cheddar, plain non-fat yogurt or sour cream, sliced avocado, and chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

ONE: Cook the broccoli according to the package directions. Pour 2 cups of the broth into a blender or food processor. Add cooked broccoli and puree (if you don’t have a very good blender…Mom…you may want to add the broccoli a cup at a time and puree as you go).

TWO: Throw the broccoli mixture and everything else (except the garnishes) into the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5.

THREE: To thicken the broth before serving, use an immersion blender (seriously the coolest tool ever!) and blend everything right in the crock for about a minute or until it’s how you like it. If you don’t have an immersion blender, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and CAREFULLY (because it will be really hot) puree it in a regular blender and then add it back to the soup. You might also want to use two forks to shred up the chunks of chicken a bit.

Serve with the garnishes. We like to eat ours with whole grain tortilla chips or cheese quesadillas for dipping. Sometimes I stir ¼ cup of cooked brown rice into each serving. My Mom likes to add a little lime juice to hers while the boys are all about having a dollop of yogurt in theirs. Make it your own :)
 

Col likes his with extra cilantro



Toddler approved :)


Freeze 1 cup portions without the garnishes using the medium/large portions method.

NUTRITION INFO:
Per serving (before garnishes) – 122 Calories (10 Calories from Fat), 1g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 4mg Cholesterol, 41mg Sodium, 20g Total Carbohydrates, 6g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugars, 10g Protein, 1% DV Vitamin A, 9% DV Vitamin C, 4% DV Calcium, 13% DV Iron