Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

I made this meal for the first time at our New Year's Eve party and it was a huge hit. This has become a great weeknight meal, because it takes just a little time to prepare, and it cooks for a very long time. I am out of the house for ten hours, so this meal is done right when I walk in the door. It doesn't get any better than that - except that it is also delicious! (The cooking time will depend a lot on how hard your water is and your altitude, so I recommend giving yourself a lot of time to cook it.)

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

1 lb. frozen chicken breasts
1 cup dried black beans
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz.)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional toppings)

You will need at least a 4 qt. crock pot to make this soup. The night before, put the dry beans in a bowl and add the garlic powder. Fill the bowl with boiling water (make sure the beans are covered by at least 2 inches of water) and let stand overnight.

In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. Add to the crock pot and spread evenly. Pour in the chicken and add the broth and salsa. Put in the corn, green pepper and onion, and add the spices. Stir, but don't disturb the beans. (Let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.)

Cover and cook on low for 10-11 hours. At this point, taste the beans and make sure they are soft. If not, put the crock pot on high, and cook for an additional hour. (Mine cooked for 10 1/2 hours on low.)

If you would like to thicken the broth (I did this), use your immersible blender to blend some of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into your crock pot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices. (If you plan to freeze this soup, do not add the sour cream to the part you are freezing. That will help it to freeze better.)

Source: adapted from the Crock Pot Lady