Super Bowls: Buffalo Chicken Chili

I'll admit it. We're not really football people.

But, that doesn't mean we don't know great game day fare when we see it.  In fact, we've been known to throw a mean Super Bowl party... with an emphasis on Puppy Bowl and commercial watching, of course.

But even so...  it's really all about the food anyhow. Isn't it?

Since the Super Bowl tends to fall at one of the coldest times of the year, it's a great time for soup. And chili always seems to be a perennial favorite for parties. But, you don't need to make the same old boring recipe.

Creamy blue cheese, crisp celery, succulent chicken, and a nice hot sauce kick. These are the things that make the buffalo wing a perennial favorite. But, deep fried wings aren’t exactly every day fare.

This recipe pulls together all the flavors you love from buffalo chicken wings into a nourishing soup that’s perfect for a weeknight meal or an afternoon of watching football (or commercials) with friends. 

A topping of chopped celery and creamy Gorgonzola cheese gives the soup texture and an added layer of flavor. If you’re not a blue cheese lover (though we encourage you to give it another try), sub out the Gorgonzola for Feta cheese or Queso Fresco.  

For even more of that "chicken wing" feel, use shredded roasted chicken added toward the end of cooking instead of the ground chicken.  

Buffalo Chicken Chili

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Winter Comfort: Black Bean Chili with Mushrooms

It was four winters ago now that I discovered this fantastic chili recipe. I remember it well. I was sorting through cooking magazines on a Saturday afternoon when I came upon a copy of the new Eating Well. A long-time fan of the magazine, I was bummed out when they ceased publication in 1999 -- and equally thrilled when they revived the magazine in 2002. Although the new publication turned out to be a far cry from the original, I still enjoyed the intelligent articles and occasionally found a recipe that gave me inspiration.

Glancing through the recipes, I saw black bean mushroom chili... and I was intrigued enough to give the ingredient list a peek. Cardamom & mustard seeds... interesting. Tomatillos... nice. At the time, the recipe was a bit of a stretch for us; but, we were adventurous sorts. And it seemed to give us another option for using up all that quick roasted tomatillo sauce in the freezer.

I'm actually NOT a big fan of the crockpot, but I'm a huge fan of frying spices. So, when I saw that the instructions called for a nice singe on the mustard seeds, I was hopelessly hooked.
The first indication that the recipe would be a winner was the smell of the house when we walked in after a long day's work and found the chili bubbling away. Rich, savory... meaty even.
Spooning the soup into bowls, we noted that the color was fabulous. The beans were creamy and flavorful. And that cardamom? Well, it disappeared seamlessly into the dish, imparting intrigue to a soup that might otherwise have fallen a bit flat.
It's gotten to be such a staple around our house that I almost don't need a recipe. In fact, we've departed so far from the original in this case that I actually sat down the other night and typed out the entire process.
Try it for yourself!
Black Bean Chili with Mushrooms


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VegHead Chili

When we got home from Dallas, we surveyed the contents of the refrigerator.

• 2 small red cabbages (from our CSA booty)
• a few locally grown carrots
• 2 sleek leeks (locally grown, obtained at the co-op)
• a bunch of peppers (both sweet and hot) from the garden
• some lonely celery (I do not believe this was local...!!)
• 1 locally grown butternut squash (OK, not in the fridge... but close)
• a few onions (from last week's farmer's market)

Alright, alright. The outlook was better than expected. But, it still presented a few challenges for an entire week of eating.

Fortunately, I was saved by a few of my freezer staples: frozen roasted tomatoes from last summer's CSA and a bag of grilled corn (from earlier this summer when we were eating corn on the cob by the boatload). We also have a well-stocked pantry, so cans of beans (from MI), and spices (from Penzey's) were also readily available.

HaHA! I shouted (accompanied, of course, by the prerequisite menacing grin). And I began chopping.
Somewhere along the line, three beans escaped from their respective cans and posed for me on the cutting board... so I took a photo.
And a beer from Viking Brewery flung itself out of the fridge. So, I decided to make use of him. He turned out to be a secret ingredient (though I'm fairly certain that an ordinary stout would do in a pinch).
I roasted up a few poblanos from the garden, tossed in a few jalapenos. And WA-LA! Veg-head chili.
The cheese on top is truly gratuitous, considering the already delicious nature of this chili. But, we couldn't resist being a little bit indulgent.

This chili was a winner this week, not only because it tasted great, but also because it made a large enough pot to provide lots of leftovers for lunch (and another dinner).

If you're interested in the basic recipe, I'll share.
Veg-head Chili


NOTE on the Viking Hot Chocolate Beer: Pretty interesting stuff. A bit sweet for my taste -- which is why it ended up in the chili, rather than directly down the hatch. But, I like the adventurous folks over there at Viking. They get thumbs up for originality.



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