Roundup of Super Bowl Recipes

I just wanted to give ya a little collection of Super Bowl recipe ideas (most are healthy, but some are not).  I'm spending my weekend doing very anti-football types of things.  Tomorrow, my girlfriend is coming over to play with glitter and sugar (you think I'm kidding, but I so am not), and then on Sunday, I'm taking Rory running before I tackle some cleaning projects around the house.  Bo's mom is coming to live with us, so I'm aiming to have the house spotless before she gets here on Monday.  So, that doesn't leave a whole lot of room for football watching!

What are you all doing this weekend?  Anything out of the ordinary?  And - the better question - what's on your menus for Sunday??

Score!

Healthy Super Bowl: Hot Wing Hummus and Pizza Hummus

I got really fed up with Pinterest the other day.  Sometimes, I swear, my feed is strictly cheese and donuts.  Which - don't get me wrong - are delicious (but maybe not together).  But when I'm trying to eat healthy and make a concerted effort to increase the amount of veggies in my diet, Pinterest can be the opposite of helpful.  So I dug up an old issue of the Food Network magazine, and whipped up these hummus recipes to share with you.

If you're making snacks for a Super Bowl party this weekend, these recipes are deliciously healthy alternatives to dips laden with cheese and sour cream.  They're great served with pita chips, but you can give your health a yummy boost by serving these dips with chopped veggies.  I luvvvv smearing hummus on cucumbers and bell peppers!  Both recipes below are full of flavor and quick and easy to whip up. 

Three Cheers for Healthy Snacks!

Chex Party Mix

Knock, knock!  I'm finally back!

I'm this-close to being finished with my chores-y Christmas tasks, and this-close to a whirlwind of baking treats and making candies.  Hurrahhhh!!  I decided to start with my Gramma's Chex mix recipe because it was a speedy-quick one to throw together last night.  Plus, I hadn't made it in at least seven years, so it was high time I revisit this munchy snack.

Friday Fun: How to Quick-Chill Wine

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Leave it to Martha to come up with an easy way to quick-chill wine.  (And leave it to Martha to do it using adorable dish towels.)

"Wet and wring out a linen dish towel, wrap it around a bottle, and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Can't wait that long?  Try the freezer for 15 minutes."

We tested this out for you last night with a bottle of room-temp champagne, but it took our bottle a little longer in the fridge.  I'm guessing the glass bottle was thicker than a standard white wine bottle?  Also - why on earth were we drinking champagne on a Thursday night?!  Because our offer was accepted on what we've been calling The Dream House :)  We're super excited!  Let the paperwork mayhem begin!!

Happy Weekend, Lovelies!



{ photo and how-to source }


       

Shrimp and Pasta Salad

'Morning!  I did some whirlwind cooking over the weekend, and came up with a couple of great summertime recipes.  Hurrah!

This one is a gussied-up version of a basic shrimp salad.  It was tasty straight from the recipe, but I amped it up by adding pasta and capers.  The pasta adds some carbs to balance things out, and is an inexpensive way to make the salad go further.  It would definitely be great with a whole wheat or gluten free pasta, so use whatever you like best!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Oh boy.

So this is what I threw in the trash on Sunday.

I know.  It doesn't look half bad.  So let me explain...

Let's first talk about pan sizes and baking times.  We all can pretty much bet that if you spread a bowl of cake batter into a 9x13" pan it's going to take longer to bake and bake up taller than if you spread that exact same bowl of cake batter in a 13x18" pan.  Right?  A wider pan means the batter will spread more thinly, turn out shorter, and take less time to bake.  Ok.  So now that we're on the same page -

Lemon Brownies

(aka Lemon Poundcake Bars)

Because sometimes, I really just want to bake.  With super-processed white flour and boatloads of sugar and a few sticks of butter thrown in for good measure.  I've missed my normal baking, so yesterday, I decided to just embrace it and have some fun in my kitchen.

I came across these bars on Pinterest and thought they sounded perfectly summery.  In all honesty, the recipe is pretty much my Vanilla Poundcake recipe, using lemon zest and juice instead of vanilla.  Which, of course, means it's soooo good.  A fantastically moist lemon poundcake bar that's both buttery and light, with a zesty glaze that ties it all up with a bow.

Sparkling Strawberry-Mint Limeade

A few things about this recipe:

1.  YUM!  I mean, I kinda knew I would love this recipe because, hello?  Champagne + strawberries + lime + mint!  That combo is just so yummy and perfect for sipping on a patio.

Neapolitan (Birthday) Cake

Happy Birthday to meeeeee,

Happy Birthday tooooo meeeeeee,

Happy Birthday, dear Saraaaaa

Happy Birthday to meeeee! 

Psst!  Today's my birthday!!  Which means I'll be eating far too much cake and refusing to share with anyone, woohooo!  We were out of town all weekend, so the recipe for this amazing confection will come later in the week.  I just wanted to share exciting (-for-me) cake photos on my big day :)

Making A Wish,

Super Bowl Snack Ideas

Have you ever noticed that when it comes to Super Bowl food, it's all about cheese and bacon and cream cheese?  Oh, and throw in some sour cream and more melted cheese for good measure.  Yikes!  Aside from the fact that I have to avoid dairy, just thinking about all of that makes me feel bloated, and visions of buttons popping off my jeans start floating through my head.  Booooo!  I've been working hard at running and yoga and trying to keep my treats to a minimum, and I don't want to blow it all this Sunday!  So, I've thrown together a list here of some potential ideas for your Super Bowl snack spread.  I'm actually making a few of these for our party, and I'm so excited.  (That Cookie Dough Dip made from chickpeas is gonna blow. their. minds.)

Are you making snacks and treats for Super Bowl Sunday?  If so, got any ideas to share with us?  We'd love to hear them!

Touchdown,








Spicy Bean Salsa

Stuffed Strawberries

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Cookie Dough Dip

Peanut Butter Chex Mix

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

The Bomb Chili

Bo's Famous Sangria

Strawberry Mojitos

Pink Porchcrawlers

Food Rule 78 and Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yummmmmm!  Is it obvious how much I love this recipe?

As I've mentioned in the past (here and here), I really struggle with getting more fruit into my diet.  Veggies?  Delicious!  Fruit?  Not so much.  So anytime I find a way to eat fruit that has me reaching for seconds and gobbling up leftovers, it's a definite keeper.  Something about these tiny pieces of mixed fruit with a touch of apricot preserves leaves me feeling so happy.  And those baked cinnamon chips aren't anything to shake a stick at either.  I'm so excited to make this recipe on Sunday for the Super Bowl party we're hosting!

Healthy and delicious and perfect for sharing - talk about a triple threat recipe!

Please Don't Ask Me Which Teams Are Playing,

         

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
adapted from Allrecipes

2 kiwis
2 apples, peeled and cored
8 oz. peaches (frozen & thawed work perfectly)
1 lb. strawberries
3 Tbsp. all-fruit preserves (apricot flavor is fantastic)

10, 10" flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
1/4 c. cinnamon sugar mixture (1/4 c. sugar + 1 Tbsp. cinnamon)

Finely dice all fruit and toss together in a large bowl.  Stir in fruit preserves and chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cinnamon chips.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Flip tortilla over and repeat for other side.  Using a pizza cutter, cut tortilla into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Tortilla chips will continue to crisp up as they cool.  Serve with chilled fruit mixture.  Makes 8 servings.

         

Fruit Salsa Ingredient Lineup:

Cinnamon Chips Ingredient Lineup:

Food Rule 34 and The Bomb Chili

True Story:  I once made this oh-so-delicious chili recipe for a group of friends, and as we began eating, I was raving about how healthy my recipe is.  Especially when I make it with the ground venison my dad packages just for me, without any fat added to it.  Venison?  You all are ok with venison, right?  I'd forgotten that I was sitting at a table with a group of people raised in an enormous city and who'd probably never even met someone who hunts.  To this day, my best friend teases me about "that time you served us venison and asked if we were ok with it after we'd already started eating."  Ha!  And sorry, guys.

But, really, as a red meat, venison is insanely healthier than the beef you typically find in grocery stores.  And that's because it is wild game.

Plants and animals that are left to raise themselves turn out to be healthier options for eating, because they've grown as nature intended.  Without bulking-up feeds and fertilizers.  They're hearty because they've survived nature.  And therefore, healthier for us to consume. 

Wild game is packed full of Omega 3s, Vitamin E, and antioxidants and is typically very lean.  Yes, it can taste "gamey," but I nearly always use it chili or taco recipes where the spices stand out as the main flavor.  For those who don't have dads who fly clear across the country with a cooler full of venison and dry ice, you can definitely substitute with ground beef.  Try to find some that's labeled "grass fed" and "free range" in order to get the greater health benefits.

Enjoy!


p.s.  It was completely unintended, but that green towel in my photos looks like I'm trying really hard to be Superbowl festive!  I didn't even think about it looking like football turf until I uploaded my photos later.  But, I love it!

        

The Bomb Chili

1 medium onion, diced
1 – 2lb. ground venison or extra lean ground beef
4, 16oz. cans beans, rinsed and drained
2, 28oz. cans diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2-4 Tbsp. red chili garlic paste
3 cloves garlic
1/2 bottle beer
6oz. can tomato paste
Johnny’s season salt (or your favorite seasoning salt), to taste

Cook the onion and ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through and onions are translucent.  Drain any grease.  Stir all ingredients into a crock pot or large roasting pan.  Cook in crock pot on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours, or bake in large roasting pan at 250 degrees for 5 hours. Stir occasionally. Makes a vat (about 14 cups).

        

Ingredient Lineup:

(MIA:  ground meat, beer, and tomato paste.  Whoops!)

Cookie Dough Dip

Stop.


Hold the show.


This dip is seriously scrumptious.  And it's way healthier than scooping out spoonfuls of regular cookie dough. (Not that I do that.) (Every single time I make cookies.)  And this dip is easier and faster to make too!


(And, psst - wanna know a secret?  Check out the ingredient list below.  You won't believe your eyeballs.  And then you'll accuse me of lying about how delicious this dip is.  But I promise you.  I cross my heart and pinky swear that it's super duper amazingly delicious.  I promise.)

         

Cookie Dough Dip
adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (250g)
pinch salt
scant 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. nut butter (if you use peanut butter, it’ll have a very-slight “pb cookie dough” taste)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips, mini size is best
3 Tbsp. oats (or flaxmeal)
1-4 Tbsp. milk/nondairy milk (start with 1 Tbsp., and add more as needed)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Oatmeal Raisin variation:  Use almond butter instead of peanut butter and add 1/4 tsp. cinnamon.  Swap raisins for the chocolate chips.

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