Chicken & Salsa

One of our favorite older shows is Seinfeld, and in my opinion, the best character is Elaine's on-again, off-again boyfriend Puddy. And the best episode is "The Face Painter" where Puddy asks, "How come people don't have dip for dinner? Why is it only a snack? Why can't it be a meal, you know?" So every time we have this, that's what I'm thinking. Dip CAN be a meal.

This is another one of those "trust me" recipes. Why is it that so many of my favorites just don't come across in the pictures? This one really is so, so good. I always thought of it as a meal that wasn't that great for you, but when I broke it down, it's not as bad as I thought. Salsa is pretty good for you, and since it makes a lot of servings, there isn't a whole lot of cream cheese in each serving. And if you get baked tortilla chips, even better!

There are two rules though: you need to make this a day ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge (it tastes so much better after it's been allowed to marinate together) and you have to use corn and black bean salsa. Okay, they both might just be my preferences, but I've made this so many times that I should know, right? The absolute best brand of salsa is the Meijer brand (if you live in the Midwest), or the Kroger Private Selection brand (I know it's available at Fred Meyer, and there are lots of Kroger chains under different names that probably carry it).

Printable Recipe

Chicken & Salsa

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen or fresh

1 jar (24 oz) corn and black bean salsa

12 oz. cream cheese

Tortilla chips

Place chicken in crock pot.

Pour salsa over top.

Cook on high 4 hours.

Remove chicken and shred.

Add cream cheese to salsa and mix until combined; add chicken to mixture.

Store for one day in refrigerator, then serve. May be served either cold or warm with tortilla chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

I was so impressed with this recipe. I was completely expecting it to not turn out--it sounds way too healthy to possibly be good. But oh my! It definitely did not taste like chickpeas. I liked it as is, my husband preferred it chilled, the boys loved it either way. My only change was that I used oatmeal instead of flax seed, just because I ran out of flax seed and forgot to get more. We will definitely be making this again!

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
from Green Lite Bites

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/8 tsp of salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
2-3 tbsp of oats or whole roasted flax seeds, ground
About 1/4 cup of milk
3 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Put the chickpeas, salt, vanilla, peanut butter, honey and oats or flax seeds in the food processor.

Turn on and drizzle the milk in a little at a time. I used the whole 1/4 cup.

Once smooth, fold in the chips. Reserve some to sprinkle on top.

Serve with graham crackers.