Week 32: Recipe #4--Mexican Haystacks

I found this recipe on a site called Yummy Fun (see link below).  I've heard of "haystacks" before, but have never tried them.  Oh my goodness, these were good.  This was one of my husband's favorite recipes on here by far.  He loved them.  Plus, it's a crockpot recipe, which I love.  We ate them just like the recipe suggests (over rice and tortilla chips, although we left out the bread sticks...), but I will put this over salad for leftovers to save on the carbs.  SO GOOD.  It was a little runnier the first time we ate it, but today reheated for lunch it was perfect.  This recipe makes a lot; I would probably half it next time.  I served this with fresh fruit.

Photo from www.jensyummyfun.com

You'll Need:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. sour cream (I substituted Greek yogurt for this)
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 med. sweet onion, diced
• 1 Tblsp. chicken bouillon
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dip (in other recipes I've noticed this generally makes things too salty, but that wasn't the case here)
• 3-4 frozen chicken breasts
• 2 can diced green chiles
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 2 cans black beans
• 2 cans Rotel (I used Rotel sauce, not sure if that's the same thing)
• fresh cilantro
• cheese

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients but chicken, beans, corn, and Rotel.  Heat until smooth and blend until creamy.  Immersion blender works best.  Then add remaining ingredients and let cook all day, stirring occasionally.  Once chicken is cooked it can either be removed from crockpot to be diced up or the longer it simmers, the closer you'll get to it shredded on it's own.
2. Serve over a bed of tortilla chips and rice with warm bread sticks.  Garnish with cheese and fresh cilantro.

Recipe and link:  http://www.jensyummyfun.com/2011/12/mexican-haystacks.html