Black Bean and Chicken Soup(or Why Cumin Is So Important)

So, I made this a week or so ago, and it was bland, tasteless, yuck, just plain not good. I made it again tonight and it was awesome! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. :)

Why was last week's batch so bad? I followed another person's recipe exactly, and didn't realize that this person was into bland tasting food. =P (After trying a few of her recipes, I found them to be lacking any real flavor, so when I see one I would like to try, I add things!)

So here's my version of a black bean and chicken soup recipe for the crockpot. The original recipe has mushrooms and sour cream, and much less cumin and salsa.

16oz dry black beans
1 large frozen chicken breast(or a couple small ones)
1cup frozen corn
16oz jarred salsa(I used pace)
2tsp cumin
4cups chicken broth

The night before making this, put the beans in a bowl, cover with water plus two inches, and let soak. In the morning, drain the beans and throw them in a large crockpot(4-6quarts).

Lay your frozen chicken breast on top of the beans, add the corn, salsa, and cumin. Pour the chicken broth over the whole thing, and let cook on high for 6-8 hours.

SOOOOOOOOOO good! Enjoy!

Poppyseed Dressing

1 tblsp. poppyseeds
3 tblsp. sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 tblsp. red wine vinegar
4 tblsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt

Mix all together and pour over your salad and mix well!

Curried Chicken Soup

2 oz. butter (which equals 2 tblsp.)
2 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chopped carrots
2 stalks celery
3 tblsp. flour
1 tblsp. curry powder
6 cups. chicken broth
1 lb. cooked chicken, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
3 tblsp. parsley
1 tblsp. dill

Saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery in butter. Stir in flour and curry powder. Then blend in stock and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. Whisk in sour cream and add parsley and dill. Serve with bread and peas.

Tip: For those of you who are veggie lovers, feel free to add up to 6 carrots into the soup. I tried it and it tasted very good.

Also, this soup hardly has a curry taste, but it's very yummy!