Zucchini Buffalo Chili Food

ZUCCHINI CHILI

Steps:

• Char the skins of the poblano chiles by placing them over a gas burner or under a hot broiler with the oven door slightly cracked. Turn the chiles until the skins are black. Remove and cool the chiles in a tightly covered bowl, then peel and finely chop or process into coarse puree in food processor.
• Heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add zucchini, onions, garlic, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, stir frequently for 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, and stir 1 minute more. Deglaze the pan with beer, stir in poblanos and beans and about half of the stock, bring to a bubble then reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes to combine flavors. Cool completely, cover and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.
• While the chili reheats make the rice. Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat and add the rice, toast a minute or 2, then stir in 1 1/2 cups stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook covered, over low heat 15 minutes.
• To food processor, add the spinach, cilantro, if using, and a little salt, and pulse into a fine paste. Stir the paste into the rice after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the rice stand another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve in shallow bowls with zucchini chili and toppings of choice to garnish.
• Toppers to choose from: crushed tortillas or warm soft tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheeses, scallions or finely chopped onions, lime wedges.

BUFFALO ZUCCHINI FRIES

Steps:

• Adjust 2 oven racks to the top and bottom third of an oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put the wire racks in the baking sheets and coat each generously with cooking spray.
• Combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cayenne in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Combine the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large plastic bag; combine the breadcrumbs and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a third large plastic bag.
• Add about half of the zucchini sticks to the bag with the flour and use a combination of your hands and shaking the bag to coat the zucchini. Remove the zucchini and shake off any excess flour. Transfer to the egg wash and repeat until coated. (It's less messy if you use only one hand for the dry ingredients and the other for the wet.) Let any excess egg drip off before transferring to the breadcrumb and repeat until fully coated (you'll still see some green and white of the zucchini peeking through the breading). Transfer to the prepared baking sheets and coat the breaded zucchini generously with cooking spray (there's no need to turn them). Repeat with the remaining zucchini.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom about halfway through, until golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the Buffalo sauce: Combine the hot sauce, butter and vinegar in a small saucepan and heat over medium, stirring, until all of the butter has melted and the sauce is warm. Set aside and keep warm.
• Arrange the fries on a platter and drizzle them with the Buffalo sauce. Sprinkle the blue cheese and celery leaves over the top. Serve with celery and carrot sticks if desired.

WEST TEXAS-STYLE BUFFALO CHILI

Steps:

• Soak beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse.
• In a large pot, combine beans with water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 to 2 hours, until tender. Once the beans have absorbed most of the water, and are starting to soften, season with chile powder, red pepper flakes, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Reserve the seeds.
• Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium low heat. Saute the onion and bell peppers for 3 minutes. Stir in diced zucchini, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and salsa. Season with jalapeno seeds and chili sauce, stir well, and leave on medium-low heat.
• Place ground buffalo meat in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir buffalo and vegetable mixture into beans. Continue to simmer for 1 hour.

ZUCCHINI CHILI

Steps:

• Char the skins of the poblano chiles by placing them over a gas burner or under a hot broiler with the oven door slightly cracked. Turn the chiles until the skins are black. Remove and cool the chiles in a tightly covered bowl, then peel and finely chop or process into coarse puree in food processor.
• Heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add zucchini, onions, garlic, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, stir frequently for 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, and stir 1 minute more. Deglaze the pan with beer, stir in poblanos and beans and about half of the stock, bring to a bubble then reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes to combine flavors. Cool completely, cover and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.
• While the chili reheats make the rice. Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat and add the rice, toast a minute or 2, then stir in 1 1/2 cups stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook covered, over low heat 15 minutes.
• To food processor, add the spinach, cilantro, if using, and a little salt, and pulse into a fine paste. Stir the paste into the rice after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the rice stand another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve in shallow bowls with zucchini chili and toppings of choice to garnish.
• Toppers to choose from: crushed tortillas or warm soft tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheeses, scallions or finely chopped onions, lime wedges.

ZUCCHINI BUFFALO CHILI

Steps:

• Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add oil, onion, zucchini, squash, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft.
• Add buffalo, cook and stir until brown.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and salt.
• If chili is too thick, add water or beer to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
• Ladle into bowls and serve piping hot. Garnish with cilantro and/or whatever you usually like atop your chili.

VEGETARIAN ZUCCHINI CHILI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large chili pot.
• Sauté all zucchini, squash, celery and chopped onion til tender - about 9 minutes.
• To the pot, add the sauce ingredients to the zucchini mixture.
• Simmer slowly, uncovered, 1-1/2 hour. Stir occasionally.
• Add olives, kidney beans, mushrooms, chunked onion, optional pepper. Simmer 30 minutes.
• Serve over slabs of firm polenta or rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

TURKEY OR BUFFALO CHILI

Steps:

• Brown meat and drain.
• Turn slow cooker to high. Add all ingredients except beans and zucchini, stir and cover.
• Partially drain beans and add beans and zucchini to crock pot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8.

BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place chicken in the pot. Cook and stir 7 to 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper, and cook and stir until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are beginning to soften, 3 to 4 more minutes.
• Stir in the hot sauce, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and white and red kidney beans. Bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat about 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended.

ZUCCHINI CHILI

Steps:

• In a large pot or Dutch oven, add 1 Tablespoon of oil and cook zucchini for about 5 minutes, until tender firm.
• Remove zucchini from the pan and set aside.
• In the same pan add ground beef, onion and green bell pepper.
• Cook until beef is cooked through and onion and pepper are soft.
• Add taco seasoning, coriander, oregano and tomato paste. Mix well.
• Add beef broth , salsa and green chilies. Bring to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes.
• Add zucchini and simmer for additional 15 minutes to meld the flavors and cook the zucchini down more.
• If the mixture is too thick, add ½ cup of water (or more, depending on how thick you like your chili).
• Serve with cheese, sour cream, green onions and Fritos.

BUFFALO CHILI

Steps:

• Wash and soak beans in BIG pot.
• Cook garlic, onion, celery and 1/2 the spices in olive oil in a skillet.
• Add buffalo meat and cook until brown.
• Rinse beans, and then add water and beef broth in bean pot.
• Add contents of skillet to bean pot.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the big pot.
• Cook for about 3 hours.