Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili Recipe!! (No wings needed!!)

Yesterday I was craving buffalo wings in a major way!  I guess it partially had to do with the fact that I was preparing my family's favorite dinner (Rachel Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili).  I just love wing sauce, so spicy....so out of my league on a vegetarian diet!!

So, as I was preparing their chili, I asked myself:  "What if I could make a vegetarian/vegan version of this"?  And, you know what?  I did!!

It actually came out amazingly well!  It is a thick, hearty stew-like chili that has TONS of possibilities!  I topped mine with with organic nacho chips, but I thought about serving it over some polenta or seasoned millet!

Heres the recipe:

Vegetarian/Vegan Buffalo Chili recipe

I used all organic ingredients for this recipe with the exception of the buffalo wing sauce (couldn’t find an organic version anywhere!!)

2 Tbl. Oil of choice for sautéing (I used sesame)

2 small (or 1 large) summer squash cut into cubes

2 small (or 1 large) zucchini squash cut into cubes

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion

3 carrots finely chopped

4 ribs celery finely chopped

1 Tbl. Paprika

1 bay leaf

1 can diced tomatoes with juice--next time I'm using fire roasted tomatoes!

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.

1 can white or red beans, rinsed and drained.

½ cup water or veggie stock

½ cup buffalo wing sauce

2 Tbl. Chia seeds (optional)--they help to "thicken" the sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, sauté squashes, onion, carrots, garlic, celery for approx. 7-8 minutes.  Add water, spices, bay leaf, chia seeds, tomatoes, beans and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to boil and let simmer for at least 10 minutes to bring flavor together. 

(I let it simmer on low for quite a while and got a really nice flavor--).

Top with your favorite organic nacho chips, organic bleu cheese (for non-vegans) or avocado…be creative!! Enjoy!