Creamy Chicken Salsa Soup (Holy Mary this tastes amazing)

A couple years ago a friend of mine made something like this soup for me. I loved it, and a year or so after that I made something like that soup for my family. My family loved it, but stupid me didn't write down what I did. So basically this soup is like Yellow Ledbetter; it changes every time. Last year I tried making this soup again and it was a complete disaster. This year I think it came out really, really well and I *think* it's as close as I'm going to get to what I made my for my family. Either way, it's pretty tasty and pretty easy so I'm keeping it.

1 crockpot, any size

2 large chicken breasts

1 can of salsa

1 can of beans, any kind

1 can of diced tomatoes and chillies (Rotel is good)

1 small onion, diced

Chicken broth (I used the box kind)

1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese

Sour cream

At least 1 clove of garlic, minced

Garlic salt

White pepper

Smoked paprika

Optional: Literally any vegetable you want to add. The one I made for my family had bell pepper, onion, carrots, and yellow and green squash, and it was amazing. Tonight's batch has squash and corn.

Also optional: Rice. Or quinoa, if you swing that way.

Throw the chicken, salsa, beans, tomatoes, and onion into the crockpot. If you're adding other veggies, add them now. Sprinkle GENEROUSLY with garlic salt, white pepper, and paprika. Pour in just enough chicken broth to cover, and set on low for 8 hours.

Once the 8 hours are up, pull out the chicken breasts and shred. Then add the chicken, garlic, and cream cheese to the pot. Cook and stir until the cream cheese has blended into the soup (don't overcook! It will curdle! No queso fresco!).

I then like to cook a bag of that instant rice and throw it in. Deeeeeeeelicious!

Corn Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen sweet corn
1 bell pepper (orange or red)
1/4th  purple onion
fresh cilantro
1/2 lime ( or 3-4 squeezes from a plastic lime)
Sriracha
Basil (I use the kind that's already minced and in a tube)
salt and pepper


1) Throw the whole bag of corn in a large frying pan (frozen or thawed, it doesn't matter). I also used a pat of butter, but I really don't think it needs it.

2) Salt and pepper the corn liberally. Cook until the corn starts to brown. Stir and let the corn brown again. Remove from heat and put the corn in a mixing bowl.

3) Finely chop the bell pepper and the 1/4th of the onion (you want the pieces to be about the size of the corn kernels). Mince about 1/4th to 1/3rd cup of cilantro, depending on how much cilantro you like (this is an estimate. I used two handfuls of minced cilantro). Add all this to the mixing bowl.

4) Add the juice of 1/2 lime (or three squirts of a plastic lime), two squirts of Sriracha, and two squirts of the basil. Stir and taste test. Add more of the ingredients to taste, but I wouldn't recommend adding any more basil.

You should let the salad sit for a while to let the flavors blend. I let the salad sit in the fridge for about an hour before eating.

Eat it in butter lettuce tacos with this pork recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chinese-slow-cooked-pork-shoulder-recipe.html

Black Bean Sauce Stirfry

Lee Kum Kee Black Bean Sauce
1 block extra firm tofu
1 small sweet onion
1 bell pepper
at least 5 baby bella mushrooms
soy sauce
minced garlic
coconut oil

1) Mix two heaping tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee sauce with one tsp of minced garlic (about a clove), a dash of soy sauce, and a tablespoon or two of water. Chop the tofu into one inch cubes and coat in the sauce (use all the sauce). Let marinate for about 30 minutes.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large pan and throw in the tofu. Cook until crispy on all sides.

3) Add pepper, onion, mushrooms, and another two heaping tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee sauce. Heat until cooked through.