Thursday, January 5, 2012

Wings and Chili

We had company over the other other night to watch the Sugar Bowl (Go Michigan!) and I wanted to make some healthy and delicious versions of everybody's favorite football foods...wings and chili.  These two foods are known for being high in fat, and very unhealthy.  My renditions of these crowd favorites are much healthier without sacrificing any of the taste.  Our friend liked the wings so much he suggested I make them every time we have him over!  

Vegetarian Chili
makes about 6 servings
Ingredients:
(you can use really any veggies you have in the house that you think would be good in a chili)

2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup white mushrooms, chopped        
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz cans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
2 cups brown rice (optional)
½ avocado chopped (optional)
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
light sour-cream (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, bell pepper and serrano pepper. 
Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Stir in mushrooms and corn, cook until mushrooms start to brown, about 6 minutes.

Add spices, stir and cook for about 30 seconds or until fully incorporated.

Stir in tomatoes then add the stock, tomato sauce, and beans.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  The longer you simmer, the better the flavor! 

Make the rice ahead of time if you'd like, or start cooking it when you are waiting for the chili to boil. 

Layer the servings with about 1/3 cup of rice on the bottom of the bowl, followed by the chili, then a few pieces of the chopped avocado, green onions, and a small dollop of light sour cream.

My bowl of chili with all the trimmings.

Nutrition Information (per serving, including rice and all garnishes)
Calories: 265   Fat: 3g   Saturated Fat: 1g   Sugar: 7g   Sodium: 445mg   Protein: 12g

Boneless Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip
makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:
Wings
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (we bought ours from Whole Foods, Level 2 on their 5-Step Animal Welfare ratings scale)
2 tbsp flour
¼ tsp red pepper flakes 
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 cups whole grain wheat cereal, crushed
                                                           ½ cup store bought wing sauce
                                                           1 tbsp honey

Blue Cheese Dip
½ cup low-fat blue cheese crumbles
½ cup light sour cream
dash of garlic powder





Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spray a baking sheet with with cooking spray.  

Mix the flour, red pepper flakes and black pepper in an air-tight, large freezer bag.  

Prep the chicken by rinsing, patting dry, and cutting in to 24, bite-sized pieces.  

Put the chicken in the flour mixture bag and toss until all pieces are coated.  

Add the buttermilk and the Tobasco sauce to the bag and toss until coated.  

Place the crushed cereal in a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces, and coat all of the pieces in the cereal.  

Lay the chicken in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through.  

While the chicken is cooking, add the honey to the store-bought wing sauce and stir until combined.  

Prepare the blue cheese dip by mixing the crumbles, sour cream, and a dash of garlic powder.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Before serving the wings, gently toss them in the wing sauce and honey mixture, or serve that sauce on the side.  

Nutrition Information (per piece of chicken, without dip)
Calories: 47   Fat: 0g  Saturated Fat: 0g   Sugar: 1g   Sodium: 190mg   Protein: 4g

Nutrition Information (per tbsp of dip)
Calories: 15   Fat: 1g  Saturated Fat: 1g   Sugar: 0.5g   Sodium: 50mg   Protein: 1g

(Traditional chicken wings have about 100 calories per wing and 6 grams of fat!)

2 comments:

  1. Great blog :) I will have to try this recipe (although it's really depressing to realize how many calories must be in the wings that I normally consume!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marissa! Yeah, most wings are about 100 calories and 6 grams of fat per wing. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Delete