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.

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.

Many updates and White Chili with Tomatillos and Roasted Mushrooms

We are officially at the halfway mark of the month of December and I find myself a few steps behind.  Each day I inch closer to catching up with all things Christmas, but today I had to admit to myself that my ambition exceeds my capabilities. This December has been so much more action packed than I am used to, but in a good way! Before I get to what I cooked up for dinner tonight I thought I'd take the opportunity to fill you in on the recent excitement around here, I do hope that you will indulge me.

First up, I won my first giveaway! In late November Alisa at One Frugal Foodie hosted a week of cookbook giveaways. I was lucky enough to win on the day that she was giving away her own cookbook, Go Dairy Free. I was giddy when the package arrived, and even more so when I opened it to find not just the book I expected, but also a copy of My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminksy. Double score! I dove right into both books and started making plans on which recipes I would be trying first. I also made plans to write up both books in time for the holidays, but this is where the whole ambition exceeding capabilities comes in. If you are still looking for last minute gift ideas these are both great books, but regrettably I won't be able to share my experiences with them until after the holidays. Stay tuned!

Another reason that this December has been more awesome than the average December, I had the opportunity to host a weekend for these three lovely ladies from Tennessee. This is my cousin, Aunt, and Grandma bundled up in front of "The Bean" in Chicago's Millenium Park. I took them downtown for a day of shopping at Macy's, including a visit to the seventh floor for some fine dining at The Walnut Room. Despite not living far away, this is a Christmas tradition that I haven't experienced in many years.

Here are some Walnut Room shots of the famous tree in the dining room and my yummy butternut squash tortellini. 









What a special treat it was to spend the whole weekend with some of my favorite relatives from afar, but they did not come just to see me, they came for a much bigger occasion. After having lots of fun in the Chicago area on Friday and Saturday, we packed up the cars Sunday morning and headed to Valparaiso, Indiana to see my little brother, Tim, graduate from college! It was a wonderful time surrounded by family and celebrating his great accomplishments. Now he will be moving home for one short month and then it's off to Arizona, where he landed his first job! We are all so super proud of him, but I am going to miss him like crazy!


So I do hope that you will excuse my absence in posting so far this month, but I have not stopped cooking and baking. I have a backlog of goodies that I will share as soon as possible. For now, here is a super yum white chili that I had for dinner tonight, that is perfect for the 10°F nights such as these.

White Chili with Tomatillos and Roasted Mushrooms
(adapted from The Chubby Vegetarian)

3-15 oz cans of white beans, I used 2 cannellini + 1 great northern

1 large white onion, diced

2 shallots, diced

2 tablespoons cumin

2 "Not-chick'n" bouillon cubes

1/2 cup white wine

1 large yellow bell peppers, diced

6-8 tomatillos, peeled and washed

20 oz white button mushrooms, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed

1 serrano pepper, stem removed

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss mushrooms with a tablespoon of olive oil and roast for 15 minutes. Set aside. In a large pot sauté onion and shallot with olive oil, cumin and bouillon cubes. Once the onion is translucent, add the peppers and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook until most of the wine has evaporated. Pulse tomatillos and hot peppers in the food processor until finely chopped. Add mixture to the pot along with the beans and mushrooms. Add enough water to cover and simmer for one hour. Whisk chickpea flour with some of the broth and add it all back to the pot. Cook for another 10 minutes. (This will thicken the chili.) Add salt and pepper to taste.