ArcaMax

Super Bowl

One of my favorite Super Bowl parties was one I called the Chili Championship.

Here’s how it works.

You set up a chili buffet and all the fixins. The reason this works really well is people can get up from the TV viewing area and go do self-service on the chili. At most Super Bowl parties before that one, I served appetizers during the first half and then served an entrée during half-time. Dessert later. That set up a time crunch for me and I didn’t get to watch as much football or the famous Super Bowl commercials. With the chili buffet I had a lot less work. Everyone loves chili too.

Another good thing about chili is many times it tastes even better on day 2 or day 3, so you can make it ahead and just reheat it. When you set up the buffet, the chili can be kept warm in crock pots, on the stove on a low simmer or even in pans kept on warm in the oven. They all work.

Now, for the real bonus. You can get others to bring chili.

If it’s a small party I go with just two chili choices and I probably have made both of them. But if it’s a big party; let’s say 20 to 40 you can go with six chili options. (I never do more than six; even if the party is bigger. Just too much to coordinate).

So you can choose up to six friends to each make a batch of chili. A batch that serves 10 is enough because people choose to sample more than one kind during the game. You can assign chili types to them so you don’t get all the same kind of chili or you can let them choose but you take a little more risk.

Think about it. There are so many different kinds of chili. The chili base might be made from beef brisket, or ground beef. Pork chili is a good southern one. Or it might be a chicken chili. There are ‘white’ chilies that have chicken broth and even cream in them. There are veggie chilies and of course there are more levels of spice than you can count. Not all chili has to be spicy. Some of it is really mild comfort food. Some folks add beans to their chili. Some add macaroni and even others add corn. I don’t add any of those things anymore because they have higher carbohydrate counts but if one of the chilies had any of those things in it I might have a bite or two.

I have a collection of small bowls that only hold one cup. Those work great for chili sampling. If you don’t have pottery bowls you can go to the party store and pick up some paper bowls. They have small and large ones that work perfectly. You can then recycle them and have less clean up. Super Bowl parties don’t have to be fancy affairs.

On the side, have bowls of chopped green onions, regular white or yellow onion, chopped tomato bits, sour cream, grated cheeses, minced cilantro. You get the idea. You can even have bacon bits for those who think everything is better with bacon. Garnishes make the chili a custom affair for each individual.

Another fun thing is to have an assortment of hot sauces in bottles by the fixins. People can tell funny stories of the hot sauce they brought to the party. My husband has a really funny story of the first time he tried Scorned Woman Hot Sauce. He hiccupped for about 30 minutes after he dipped into that one. Fried his taste buds. Not really so funny but when he tells the story it is. He boasts about how he loves hot sauce and spicy food but he’s never eaten that particular hot sauce a second time.

Of course you can always have a taste test and voting for your chili championship. Prizes too. And a Grand Prize ribbon. Let your chili imagination have as much fun as your guests.

To get you started with your Chili Championship inspirations I’m giving you two chili recipes. The poblano chili is very popular with our Plan Z Dieters. This one is a flavorful chili but even though it has the poblanos in it, it’s not a spicy chili. On the other hand, the Caribbean Chicken Chili is a SPICY one. That one’s a Plan Z diet item too. Who says a diet has to taste bad! You can always tone it down to a milder palate if you need to.

Enjoy the game. Enjoy the commercials.

Beefy Chili with Roasted Poblanos

Serves 4 – 6 in 1.5 cup servings. For tasting this will serve a lot more.

Ingredients:

2 lb of ground sirloin
2 large poblano peppers, seeded and cut into narrow strips
1 cup of red onions, diced
1 cup of Vidalia onions, diced
2 Tbl of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
2 Tbl of chili powder (you choose your favorite from mild to monster)
1 tsp of cumin
½ tsp of celery salt
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
15 oz can of diced tomatoes
3 cups or more of organic beef broth
Garnishes (See Note)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Place the poblano pepper strips on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Roast in your oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until they just barely start to char along the edges. They will sort of curl on the sides. They don’t all have to curl. Just a few. Then take them out and set them aside.

While they are roasting you can make the rest of your dish.

In a medium soup pot add a whisper of olive oil spray and then add your ground sirloin. Begin sautéing on medium and break it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until about half done. Add the two types of onion. Cook a minute and then add garlic, chili powder, cumin, celery salt. Stir. Make sure the beef is cooked all the way through and then add the tomatoes (both cans) and the beef broth.

How much beef broth you add in the end depends on how soupy you want your chili. In this version I like it soupier and with less tomato taste. You’ll need the full three cups to achieve that.

Cook until the liquid reduces slightly and flavors meld. This takes about 10 minutes. Then add the poblanos, heat and you’re ready to serve.

Garnishes: You can garnish your chili with lots of options: diced onion, diced red pepper, minced cilantro, bits of green chilies (from a can is fine) or bits of tomato. Take it easy on hot sauce but you can add a bit if you want the chili hotter. This is not a SPICY chili. This is a flavor-filled chili. You can always add more heat but you can’t get it back out very easily!

Caribbean Chicken Chili

This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. This is a really fun chili. I love making a “white chili” on occasion but most recipes are chockfull of navy beans. This one has no beans and packs a flavor punch! Add the spinach for some extra vitamins and color.

Servings: Serves 4 – 6 (Full portion is 1.5 cups. For a sampler party you can expect to feed a lot more)

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds of chicken breasts, no skin
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced (jar garlic will work)
2 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of dried thyme
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 Tbl of ground allspice
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
½ tsp of ground nutmeg
½ tsp of cayenne (or to taste)
½ tsp of grated sea salt
2 limes, juiced
¼ tsp of ground cloves
1 4 oz can of diced green chilies
32 oz of organic chicken broth (or more, to taste)
Baby spinach, finely chopped

Instructions:

While the chicken is cooking and cooling you can make your soup. In a soup pan, add the onion and toss it around. Just loosen it up. Then add the bell peppers with about .25 cup of the broth so nothing sticks to the pan. Add all of the spices and then the rest of the chicken broth and lime juice.

Add the chicken when you have it all torn apart. Let the whole mess cook for about 15 to 20 minutes to meld the flavors.

When you go to serve it add a small handful of baby spinach to each bowl and stir in. It will wilt immediately. It will add extra vitamins and color to the dish.

You can always add more heat to the chili with hot sauce or cayenne. As it is, this is a fairly spicy dish.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola