Rockn' those Black Eyed Peas...in a Soup!

I fixed this over the week-end and it was to die for. I know what you're saying....Soup in the summer, but it's too hot! Well, I know but it's quick and fast and oh so light and well...I've got a 6 year old that wants to go out to play right after dinner so I don't have all the time in the world....I gotta get out and play while the playings good, before we know it'll be way too cold and well, you know how I feel about the Winter months...Not my most favorite season up here in PA...
Although the vitamin packed, fiber loading, protein loving black eyed pea is the star of this soup...I want to talk a little about the under study that adds such a wonderful taste to this soup...One of my favorite spices...Cumin. Besides Cinnamon this is another spice that I could add to just about everything. I just love this spice!
Did you know???
Cumin seeds are a very good source of iron and a good source of manganese. Cumin seeds have traditionally been noted to be of benefit to the digestive system, and scientific research is beginning to bear out cumin's age-old reputation. Research has shown that cumin may stimulate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, compounds necessary for proper digestion and nutrient assimilation. Also Cumin seeds may have anti-carcinogenic properties. In one study, cumin was shown to protect laboratory animals from developing stomach or liver tumors. This cancer-protective effect may be due to cumin's potent free radical scavenging abilities as well as the ability it has shown to enhance the liver's detoxification enzymes. All these benefits are just another reason to add a little spice to our foods!

This is what you'll need...

I added this the next morning...

2 cans of black eyed peas, juice and all
1cup onion, diced ( I didn't have one on had so I used dried onion...about 2 tlbs)
1 can of white corn, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of crushed or diced tomatoes (didn't have any so I used Classico tomato sauce worked great!)
10oz chicken breast (about 2 breast)
6 cups of vegetable broth (in the can or bullion cubes are fine)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1 1/2tsp ground cumin
2tlbs of corn starch (this gets added near the end)


You can use a 5quart (if using a 5 use 5cups of broth) or 6quart slow cooker for this (I used 6) . I put all the ingredients, except the frozen Chicken & corn starch in my stoneware the night before. That way in the morning I just pulled it out of fridge, put the chicken (I put it in still frozen) in and it was ready to be put in the cooker. Cook on low for 8hrs or high for about 6hrs.

At about 6-7hrs take the chicken out and shred it by using 2 forks...

It should look like this afterwards. Set the chicken to the side.... This is the time you take the 2 tlbs of corn starch put it in a small bowl and add about a 1/4 of a cup of cold water, stir until it has dissolved completely. Stir the corn starch liquid into the soup.

Now with your handy dandy stick blender, blend just 2 pulses...you don't want to do it too much or you will puree everything (learn from experience) Now, add your chicken back in and let it finish cooking the remaining hour. Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome

Add some Texas Pete hot sauce and a dab of fat free sour cream and you've got yourself a meal...

We accompanied this with some Tastefully Simple Cheesy garlic biscuits made with only 1oz of 75% fat free Cabot cheddar cheese. It calls for 1 cup of water, you may want to decrease the water to about 3/4 of a cup or they could turn out looking like cookies...still yummy though :) http://www.tastefullysimple.com/   Here's a shout out to my friend Kris!

Here's the low down for the soup....

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 191.6

• Total Fat: 2.2 g
• Cholesterol: 20.5 mg
• Sodium: 1,126.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 34.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6.2 g
• Protein: 15.3 g