Chili Contest: Entry 9 + Crab Queso Dip

While the Illini loss was nothing short of TORTUROUS :(…it didn’t phase Lily. This dog is a SUN GODDESS! She will nap in the sun for hours and even when she’s indoors, she plops down where the sun is shining in. She barely moved from 10am to 7pm. LAY-Z!!

But yes, tough losses all around for the Big 10…thank goodness the food was good, at least!

Best Buffalo Chicken Chili from My Bizzy Kitchen

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large red pepper
5 cloves of garlic
5 Tbsp of chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Moore’s Wing Sauce
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) chili beans in sauce (do not drain)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in food processor to grind up  if you can find ground chicken breast, you can use that too. Heat oil and add chicken and cook about 10 minutes on medium heat until no longer pink.  Rinse out processor and add carrots, celery, garlic and red pepper and puree. Add to chicken mixture and cook about 5 minutes until veggies start to soften.

Next add the rest of the ingredients, put stove on simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Nutrition Information: 248 calories; 3.8 g. fat; 44 mg. cholesterol; 1362 mg. sodium; 25.3 g. carbohydrate; 10.8 g. fiber; 28.3 g. protein

Result: I made this recipe of Biz’s back in February, except I followed the directions this time…since I am now the proud owner of a food processor. And I liked the chili better this time! For whatever reason, it wasn’t as spicy (which was fine with me…still had plenty of spice!) and I LOVED the texture — dicing/grinding the meat and vegetables completely changed the chili (as gross as grinding your own meat is — it’s good!). The chili is low in calories and high in fiber like a lot of the chili recipe entries, and similarly, high in sodium. Just no getting around that with the canned goods!!! Mr. Prevention (got his buffalo chicken fix!) and I both loved it, thanks Biz! 😀

Aaaand…

Crab Queso Dip adapted from Homemade by Holman, inspired by Paula Deen

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large or 1 whole small onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced (I used 4 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-8 oz packages 1/3 less fat Neufchatel, cut into 1 oz pieces
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1 cup 2% skim milk
2 cups 2% sharp cheddar cheese, grated/shredded
12 oz lump crab meat
2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

In a dutch oven or large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic.  Cook 3-4 minutes until slightly softened.  Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese.  Stir to distribute and melt.  When melted, add sour cream and milk and stir to incorporate.  Mixture should be relatively smooth aside from the vegetables.  Add shredded cheese and stir to melt.  Add crab meat and spices.  Stir until well mixed and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with chips or transfer to a crockpot and set on “warm” setting to keep hot. Serves 15 as heavy appetizers.

Nutrition Information (per serving): 176 calories; 12.1 g. fat; 42 mg. cholesterol; 331 mg. sodium; 6.4 g. carbohydrate; 0.8 g. fiber; 12.3 g. protein

Result: As I was stirring this HUGE sauce pan full of cheesy queso I thought to myself, “Wow, Nicole…you’re such a stand-up dietitian!” That thought quickly passed as I tried the queso and my heart skipped a beat. It was really good. Mr. Prevention and I settled in for the Illini game and proceeded to make a substantial, and yet very small, dent in a bowl of this queso dip…the recipe makes a ton! I felt a bit guilty for my indulgence and then (never before!) I decided to calculate the nutrition stats. Like I said, this makes a TON and when the WHOLE recipe clocked in at just over 2,640 calories I was FLOORED! I checked my math, re-checked my math…yep. My best guess is that this appetizer would serve 15 for heavy, heavy appetizers and could easily serve 20 at a party with a large spread. Mmmm! Enjoy!

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My workout for the day was interesting: a 4-mile power walk. My 5’3 frame was HUSTLIN’ at 4.0-4.7 mph. I think it was harder than running!!

Question: What’s one food you’d THINK would be really unhealthy but isn’t all that bad?

Queso loooove,