Game Day Chili Buffet.. and more!

There will not be a Super Bowl party at my house. I did, however, have a playoffs party last week when my Chicago Bears faced off against the Green Bay Packers--a game that determined who would go on to the Super Bowl. As you may have guessed, the Bears did not win. I could continue sulking, or I could share with you all of the delicious vegan food that kept my fellow Bears fans' tummies satisfied despite the very unsatisfying game. If you are having a vegan Super Bowl party, here are lots of ideas for you!

The main event was a chili buffet, but we'll get to that in a minute. My guests started the afternoon with a variety of appetizers.

Most of my guests were omnivores so my aim was to impress with vegan versions of several game day classics, starting with Tempeh Hot Wings. I served these with celery, carrots, and Isa's low-fat, ranch-style "Sanctuary Dressing", from her newest cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. The wings and dressing were gobbled up in no time!

Next up, vegan 'tater skins -- a first for me! These were made with Steve in mind, a potato skin fanatic. I followed Claryn's recipe, and they turned out awesome.

By special request, I made up a platter of Bianca's Deviled Tofu. These disappeared in no time per usual!

Always a crowd pleaser, and so easy to make, I had to include Kim's Hot Artichoke Dip with pita chips. There are never leftovers of this dish!

And somehow after all of that we had room for the chili buffet! I served this cornbread as a side dish on the buffet line. I had two pots of chili keeping warm on the stove, the black bean version pictured above (recipe to follow) and a White Chili as well. In a small crock pot set on low was a double batch of queso dip (changed up by pureeing it rather than leaving the tomatoes chunky, which was awesome by the way). I also cooked up a pound of whole wheat macaroni noodles, so chili mac would be an option.

I chopped up a tray of chili toppings which included cilantro, jalapenos, tomatoes, baby spinach, green onions, and avocado. On the side I put out a container of tofutti sour cream and a bowl of corn tortilla chips. The chips presented yet another option, chili cheese nachos. It was fun seeing what the guests chose to put in their bowls, and no two bowls were alike. Being the good blogger that I am I assaulted my guests with my camera to capture some of the bowls in action.

Mitch wasn't messing around! He smothered his chili in baby spinach, sour cream, and queso. I spy a few jalapenos on there too, and who knows what else he is hiding under there!

Chris had a little bit of everything in his bowl, good man! His chili met in the bowl with some baby spinach, jalapenos, cornbread, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Kerry kept it classic, topping her chili off with green onions and tomato, with a little cornbread on the side.

Candace got her mac n' cheese fix by tossing some noodles with queso and sprinkled it with spinach and jalapeno, no chili needed in this delicious bowl!

Steve went for a deluxe chili mac by layering noodles, queso, and chili and topping it off with sour cream, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapenos. Good one!

I only captured about half of the bowls, but you get the idea! The chili buffet turned out great. It seemed like everyone enjoyed personalizing their bowls, and most went back for seconds.

When all hope of winning the game was lost, I decided it was time to break out the cake to revive the solemn party. It did raise our spirits, if only for a little while. This recipe is from The Joy of Vegan Baking, and it is definitely one I will return to.

The party was a success, except for the whole Bears losing thing. This new chili recipe was the greatest success. My goal was for it to be flavorful, but for it to not overpower the accompaniments. Mild enough for those who can't tolerate heat, yet not too boring for those who love it. Considering this, my chili was the game-winning touchdown!

Game Day Chili for a Crowd
Serves 10-12

1 large white or yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp medium hot chili powder (or more to taste)
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
dash cayenne (optional)
4 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4 oz can diced green chilis
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce + 1 can of water
1 32 oz can petite or regular diced tomatoes, with liquid
1-1/2 cups frozen corn (or 1 can drained and rinsed)(optional)

Heat 1/4 cup of water in a large pot and add onion. Saute for about 3 minutes and then add the garlic. Continue to saute until the onion is softened.

Stir in the spices and saute for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Turn heat to high to bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer and partially cover the pot. Slow simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Serve hot with queso, over noodles, on top of nachos, or straight up with your favorite toppings.

Vegan MoFo #15: Homemade "Beef" and Sweet Potato Tacos

Ever since the massive positive response to my homemade vegan bacon recipe last week, I have wanted to share my favorite homemade ground beef substitute. It is another easy, affordable, freezer-friendly, gluten-free, and optionally soy-free recipe. A genius creation of Ricki Heller, this recipe is a blend of ground cauliflower, walnuts, and spices, roasted to perfection. So simple, so delicious, and surprisingly meaty!

I've had some serious cravings for Mexican ever since I saw Jessy's tostadas and Lisa Marie's tacos. I decided tacos were the perfect use for this homemade beef. Combined with sweet potatoes, black beans, corn and a generous drizzle of A-K's creamy pepita cilantro dressing, this was just what I was craving. This meal was rounded out by a side of spicy roasted kuri squash. It doesn't get much better than that!


The two stars of these tacos are the meat and the dressing, which are not my recipes. I've provided links to the original recipes below, along with my technique for assembling these tacos. This dish will be included in the November SOS Kitchen Challenge featuring sweet potatoes. To participate submit your own sweet or savory sweet potato dishes before the end of the month.


Homemade "Beef" and Sweet Potato Tacos 
with Creamy Pepita Cilantro Dressing
(Serves 4)

1 cup of Ricki's Meaty Veg-Based Ground "Meat"
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup corn kernels, frozen, fresh, or canned
1 cup cooked black beans
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Generous drizzle of A-K's Creamy Cilantro Pepita Dressing (not optional)
4 large or 6 small tortillas

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and continue to saute for another 3 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potatoes and saute for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Stir in the spices, corn, black beans, and "meat", and cook for 2-3 minutes, until hot. Serve inside tortillas of your choice with a big drizzle of dressing.

Vegan MoFo #10: Butternut Rancheros

Last year I discovered my devotion to all things butternut squash. I turned my nose up to all other types of winter squash and dedicated all of my time and energy to the butternut. This year has been the year of delicata, kabocha, kuri, and even a few acorns--it appears that I have turned my back on my old friend butternut. Isa reminded me what I have been missing without butternut in my life with this essential dish. Yes, essential. Butternut Rancheros are where it's at, made complete by a big pile of sauteed collard greens. Seriously, eat this.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

I have never met a bowl of vegan chili that I didn't like. If you ask me, vegans have one-up on the rest of the world when it comes to chili. Leave out the meat and you have more room for beans, grains, and fun veggie add-ins like peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms, celery, carrots--you name it. Start with some beans, tomatoes, and spice, and let your imagination go wild (well not too wild, no one wants broccoli in their chili). 

No two batches of chili are exactly the same, especially in my kitchen. For this year's first batch of chili I tried out two new ingredients: pumpkin puree and beer. This combination mingles with the tomato juices to deliver a unique, lip-smacking broth. The pumpkin and beer flavors are subtle in the, "ooh, what is that?" kind of way, peeking out from underneath the rich taste of the smoked paprika and sage. (By the way, this would be really, really lovely with handful of fresh chopped sage, if you have it.) 

I encourage you to try this pumpkin / beer combo, I think it will surprise you. 


Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
(adapted from (never home)maker)
Serves 4


1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups cooked black beans (or 2-15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or 1-15 oz can)
2-15 oz cans or 1-28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup hearty fall or winter beer (or sub vegetable broth)
1-1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tsp chili powder
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp rubbed sage
1/4 tsp cayenne


Heat 1/4 cup water in a large stock pot and add onion. Saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.


Add spices and stir to coat the onions, saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in beer and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes. 

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.


Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Garnish with vegan cheese and chopped green onion.

Fan of white chili? Try this version with tomatillos and roasted mushrooms, a favorite from 2009.

A Soupy Cinco de Mayo and Vegan Sour Cream

Guilty. I totally jumped on the Cinco de Mayo bandwagon. I would not normally be seduced by such a holiday, but the circumstances were just right this year, and I am so glad they were! We are all friends here, so there is no need for me to be modest. This soup seriously rocks. It is everything I could ask for in an entree soup. I am in love with this combination of beans, greens, and grains. This soup is accented by roasted tomatoes and sweet chewy bites of hominy, all in a spicy smoky broth. The name I had really wanted to give to this soup was Mexican Black Bean & Barley Soup with Hominy and Collard Greens, but I reigned myself in a bit. I dropped the Hominy and Collard Greens from the title, mind you they are just as prominent as the black beans and barley.

I thought this soup would do well with a dollop of vegan sour cream, so I decided to make some. This was my first experience with vegan sour cream, but with Vegan Epicurean as my guide I knew that I could do no wrong. I am also very enthused about these results! I had a couple of non-vegans around to try it and they were also impressed. Wouldn't you know, it is less than half the calories of dairy sour cream, at just 14 calories per tablespoon. You better believe you'll be seeing it again around here.


















Mexican Black Bean & Barley Soup
Serves 5-6

1 medium white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 serrano pepper, finely diced (about 2 tbsp)
2 ribs of celery, chopped
8 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup pearled barley
2 tsp dried thyme
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 large collard greens, center rib removed and chopped
1 15 oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes (or regular) with liquid
2 cups cooked black beans (or one can, drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp tomato paste
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper

Garnish:
Tofu sour cream (recipe below)
Toasted tortilla strips
Green onion

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, serrano pepper, and celery and saute for another 3 minutes.

Pour in the stock, barley, and spices, and turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling lower heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Stir in the collard greens and continue to simmer for about 8 minutes minutes. Test the barley for tenderness, and when it is to your liking mix in the hominy, tomatoes, and black beans and heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, lime juice, salt and pepper, and serve.

The toasted tortilla strips offer great extra flavor to the dish, as does the sour cream. Chopped cilantro is another option for garnish.

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Vegan Sour Cream
(Adapted from Vegan Epicurean)

12.3-ounce package of Mori Nu lite silken tofu (firm)
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon agave
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process several minutes, until very creamy and smooth. This will firm up a little when it chills. It is important to use the firm silken tofu to get the correct consistency. Refrigerate sour cream until it is ready to be used.

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I am submitting this soup to the No Croutons Required blogging event. This month's challenge is to create a Mexican inspired soup or salad. Perfect timing! You can vote on your favorite soup or salad May 21-31 over at Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen.

Spicy Mexi Millet

Are you familiar with millet? Until recently, my eyes passed over it at the store many times without giving it a second thought.


















At closer look I found out a few very interesting things about millet:

1.  It is a grain-like plant, the edible portion being the seeds.
2. Millet is a significant part of the diet in parts of Asia and Africa.
3. This crop does well in hot dry climates, where wheat and rice might not.
4. Just like the trendy seed quinoa, it is suitable for people following a gluten-free diet.
5. These seeds are made up of nearly 15% protein, along with being high in fiber, and containing minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. 
6. If you don't end up liking millet, you can serve it up in your backyard bird feeder or make beanbags with it.

After my first experience with millet I have decided that I will not be using it as bird seed. Millet can be eaten porridge-style for breakfast, it shines as a substitute for rice and other grains in side dishes, it is a common wheat substitute in gluten-free breads, and it can also be made into sweet dishes like pudding. Now I just wonder why a grain with such potential to appear in any meal of the day, and even dessert, doesn't get more press. 

 

I have only just begun experimenting with millet in my kitchen, but I am off to a great start with this Spicy Mexi Millet (thanks Jessy!). This dish is like Spanish rice, and it is great as a hearty side dish. I stuffed peppers with it one night, and another night served it burrito-style atop sauteed cabbage with a drizzle of queso and avocado slices. 

I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Spicy Mexi Millet

(adapted from happyveganface)

½ cup uncooked millet

1 cup water
1 cup cooked black beans (or pinto or kidney beans)
1 green pepper, diced small
1 small yellow onion, diced small

1 carrot, grated

1 large tomato, diced small
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded, finely diced
juice from ½ a lime

Place dry millet in a small pot and toast over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add in the water and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 15-18 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.

Spray a large skillet generously with cooking spray, and heat over medium high. Toss in the green pepper and onions and saute for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in garlic and jalapenos, and saute for another minute. Mix in your beans, carrots, and spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Last, stir in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Add the cooked millet to the skillet, stir in the lime juice and tomato paste, and serve.

Makes about 5-6 side dish servings, or stuffs an equal amount of peppers or tortillas.

Vegan Huevos Rancheros with Super-Easy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce & Spanish Homefries

Are you still with me after reading my title and a half for this posting..? Good!

When I tell my roommate what I'm making for dinner, sometimes I get a sideways look of skepticism -- this was definitely one of those nights. She always humors me, and 9 times out of 10 she's a fan of what I make (oh blasted for that 1 time out of 10 that ruins all my street cred). For my vegan readers, scrambled tofu in place of eggs is nothing new to you, but you should stick around for the sauce and the homefries! As for the rest of you, if you've never considered substituting tofu for eggs I encourage you to give it a try. Take it from my omnivore roommate, this was her favorite new recipe this month.

Muchas gracias to Justin for the Super-Easy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce recipe. This sauce was the inspiration for this meal and I built everything else around it.

Vegan Huevos Rancheros with Super-Easy Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

Los Huevos:

15 oz package firm or extra firm tofu
3/4 cup cooked black beans
3/4 cup diced bell peppers and onions
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce (from The Chubby Vegetarian):
14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
2 canned chipotle peppers
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Let's start with the sauce, since it is so super-easy. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place sauce into a pot with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and heat through. Easy, right? *Side note, I read on someone elses blog (and now I can't remember who to give them credit) about what they do with the rest of the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (because recipes never seem to use the whole can!). This blogger blends all of the peppers plus the sauce from the can until smooth and then pours it in the separate compartments of an ice cube trays and freezes it for single servings later. 

Let's get back on track here now (don't you love how drifty my posts are when I write the recipes out myself?). To turn my block of tofu into huevos I drained the tofu, sliced it in half depth-wise, and pressed a bit of the water out of it with clean dishtowels. Place the tofu into a bowl and mash with a wisk until well crumbled.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and add tofu. Fry tofu until any remaining water evaporates and the tofu starts to very lightly brown - 10 minutes or so. Stir in turmeric, cumin, peppers, and onions and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. (The turmeric will give your tofu an eggy yellow color!) Lastly, stir in beans and heat through.

I lightly fried corn tortillas in olive oil and then piled the huevos high on top, followed by 2 generous spoonfuls of the super-easy chipotle enchilada sauce, and finished off with avocado slices and cilantro. This amount of huevos will stuff about 8 small corn tortillas.


















Spanish Homefries
(adapted from VegCooking)

3 cups red potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks (yukons pictured above, but red better suits this recipe)
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

In a large pot, bring water to a rapid boil, add the potatoes, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.
Pour the olive oil over the potatoes, then the spices, and toss to coat.
Pour the entire mixture into a pan heated to medium-high heat and pan-fry for 10 minutes, or until the skin is crisp.
Makes 4 side servings.

Hearty Black Bean Soup

So wouldn't you know, two days after I bought Trader Joe's latin style black bean soup for the first time, the girls over at hungry like the wolf posted a recipe that uses it. Their recipe spices up this soup for a quick and easy lunch, but I wanted to have it for dinner so I added some veggies to turn this into a 1 bowl hearty meal.

The added veggies gave this soup a lot of substance without making it too heavy. In fact, this soup is very low in calories--each cup of the soup base is only 70 calories. So, the term hearty in the title of this recipe is really to describe the oodles of crunchy vegetables, but overall this soup is much lighter than say, black bean chili.

Hearty Black Bean Soup
(serves 3-4)

1 quart smooth pureed black bean soup base (I used Trader's Joes brand)
1-1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped red and green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup canned black beans
3/4 cup chunky salsa (I used HOT)
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy, or not at all if you don't)
1 tbsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minsed
3 tbsp lime juice
4 corn tortillas
Cheddar cheese for sprinkling

Heat oil or cooking spray in a large pot. Saute peppers and cabbage for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the corn tortillas into strips and drizzle lightly with olive oil and salt (low-cal option: spray with a bit of cooking spray instead). Bake strips at 350 for 10 minutes. Once the cabbage and peppers have had the chance to soften a bit, stir in green onions, black beans, garlic, and cumin and cook for an additional 3 minutes or so. Pour in black bean soup base and stir in salsa and cayenne pepper, tasting along the way for desired spiciness. Stir in lime juice and bring to temperature over medium heat. Serve into bowls and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and a handful of baked tortilla strips.

Additional options: I would have added in a few tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro at the same time as the lime juice, if I had some. Also I would have loved to try chipotle powder like the girls at hungry like the wolf used, but I settled for the cayenne pepper that I had on hand.

Here's a view of the soup without the extra toppings:

Thanks for the dinner inspiration girls!