The Super Bowl is around the corner and if you’re anything like me, you may care a little more about eating good food than the actual outcome of the game. While it is always a fun event, it can wreak havoc on your healthy eating goals because usually, the food consists of cheese, meat, and bread combined in the most unhealthy of ways. I came up with a few delicious, healthy spins of your classic “game day foods” that you can still enjoy while watching the game…or just the commercials;).
Vegan Queso Dip
Yep, you read that correctly, and please don’t turn your nose up. This dip can hold its own against the regular cheese dip that is completely processed and full of unhealthy fats that leave your stomach bubbling. The secret of this dip, it’s made with vegetables!! So it’s a win for everyone!
Ingredients:
7-9 round slices of eggplant (about 1/2 of a medium eggplant)
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
1.5 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk – no flavor (may need more if too thick)
2-3 T of Nutritional Yeast
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1-2 T Chili Powder (we used 2 T)
2 tsp. Cornstarch
1/4 cup Chunky salsa of choice, drained if too liquidy
Instructions
1) Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Sprinkle both sides with salt and arrange on a drying sheet with paper towels under it to absorb the liquid. The salt helps draw out the moisture in the eggplant. Let them sit for 15 minutes and when done, rinse with cool water and pat dry.
2) Preheat oven to broil – on the high setting and place an oven rack near the top of the oven. Place eggplant rounds on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
3) Broil for 4 – minutes on each side – be sure not to burn them. The eggplant is done with both sides are golden brown. Remove from the oven and wrap them loosely in foil to steam. let them sit in the foil for a few minutes. This will make it easier to peel the skin away. you should have about a cup of eggplant when finished.
4) Please the eggplant in a blender with 1.5 cups almond milk, 2 T Nutritional Yeast, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, and cornstarch. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. If you want your dip thinner, this is the time to do it – just add more almond milk until you get the consistency you want.
5) Transfer to a small saucepan and warm to medium to medium-high heat until your dip thickens up and bubbly. This takes about 5 minutes. If the dip isn’t thick enough then take a small cup and add 1 tsp of cornstarch, a little bit of almond milk, and 2 – 3 T of the dip. Mix that together before adding it into the saucepan and incorporate.
6) When you have the thickness you desire, remove from heat and add the salsa, and stir.
7) Your vegan cheese dip is now ready for you and your guests to enjoy! Serve with tortillas chips and veggies. Please note if the dip sits out too long, the color may fade a bit but it still tastes delicious.
Inspired by www.minimalistbaker.com
Guacamole
What’s a get-together without having a nice bowl of guac for everyone to enjoy? I know it’s easy to go out and buy already made guac, but with that comes a ton of unnecessary additives and preservatives. This recipe is super easy and will only take you five minutes max! If you happen to have read my Avocado Toast post, you already know I am a huge avocado fan as they are super delicious and nutritious. They are a great source of healthy fats and fiber! So why not serve these at the game?!
Ingredients:
2-3 Ripe Avocados
1 Shallot, diced small or minced
A handful of grape tomatoes
1-2 Limes
Sea Salt
Diced Jalapeños (optional)
Instructions:
1.) Open and slice your avocados into small cubes and put them in a serving bowl.
2.) Add about half of the shallot to start with – you can always add more if you want to.
3.) Add diced tomatoes and stir and mash avocado as you stir.
4.) Add the juice of one lime and sprinkle sea salt to taste. Stir all together. Now grab a chip and taste. This is the time to add more shallots, lime, salt, or tomatoes and if you like it spicy – by all means, add in diced jalapeños.
Serve with baked corn chips or anything that sounds good to you – you can’t go wrong here as long as it’s served with something crunchy.
Baked Chicken Wings
I can’t think of anything more appropriate for the Super Bowl game than buffalo chicken wings. Come to think of it, we can’t think of a time when we were watching a game and there weren’t wings present, they are just a staple of football games. When you make your own wings you avoid the unhealthy fats from the various oils they are usually fried in as well as from the sauce that is loaded with butter. This recipe gives you a healthy alternative to your favorite game-time snack. I’ve made it extremely easy for you by finding a pre-made, all-natural buffalo sauce that is made with quality ingredients and contains zero sugar!
Ingredients:
3 lbs. organic chicken wings (this will feed about 3-5 people depending on their love for buffalo wings)
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Serve with Celery Stalks
Instructions:
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2.) Place wings in a large bowl and season with salt & pepper and toss in Olive Oil until they are all coated.
3.) Place a drying rack on top of a cookie sheet that is lined with foil or parchment paper (this will make it easier to clean up) and place wings on the drying rack. Be sure not to crowd too many wings on the rack.
4.) Bake for 45-60 minutes, flipping wings halfway through
5.) Switch oven to broil and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Flipping wings halfway through
6.) Remove wings from oven and baking sheet and place into a clean bowl. Toss is buffalo sauce until they are all coated. Serve immediately
Cauliflower Pizza
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods. I found a way to enjoy one of my all-time favorites, pizza! I just made a few changes and it’s even healthier this way. The crust is gluten-free and actually made from a head of cauliflower, veggies have never tasted so good!
I decided to top the pizza with a few of my favorite ingredients. On one pizza I used sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil under the mozzarella cheese. On the other, I used diced tomatoes (to substitute for tomato sauce to avoid the added sugar, salt, and oil), mozzarella cheese and topped it off with fresh basil and cracked pepper. Have fun with the toppings you choose, but make sure they are fresh, quality ingredients. Also, be aware that the cauliflower crust cannot hold too much weight so be conscious when adding your toppings.
Ingredients – Makes 2 pizzas, about 8 slices each:
1 Head of Cauliflower
4 Large Eggs
2 cups of Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Minced garlic, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste.
You need a food processor for this crust.
Instructions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the florets off the head and place them in the food processor, pulse until the cauliflower looks like small grains of rice.
2.) Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes, allowing the cauliflower to steam. Let it cool and then add the seasonings, eggs, and half of the mozzarella cheese.
3.) Divide the mixture in half and place each on a lightly greased pizza pan, press into a circle. You can place the mixture on 2 cookie sheets if you don’t have a pizza pan.
4.) Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and firm. The edges will start to crisp first and that is exactly how you want it.
5.) Take them out of the oven and top with toppings of choice and remaining cheese. Place back in the oven for about 3-5 minutes until cheese melts.
6.) Let pizza cool on the pan for a few minutes and then slice and enjoy!
Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Making desserts is traditionally difficult and time-consuming and not to mention, super unhealthy! That’s why I love to make chocolate-covered strawberries. They are extremely easy to make and take no time at all, plus they are super fun since you can decorate them for any given occasion.
Instead of buying the chocolate from the store, I made our own and it only consists of only four ingredients. Yep, you read that right…FOUR! All the ingredients are natural and if you take the route of melting the cacao butter in a double boiling it will be raw as well!
Since Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner, I have decided to decorate them as cute footballs, but feel free to decorate however you’d like! You can even roll them in crushed pistachios for extra flavor or stop with some crushed Himalayan sea salt.
Ingredients:
1 cup raw organic cacao butter, finely chopped (packed firmly)
3 1/2 T maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cacao powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cartons of organic strawberries, washed and dried completely
White decorating icing (optional for football design)
Instructions:
1.) Place the finely chopped cacao butter in the top of a double boiler and melt over low heat or in a microwave bowl and microwave in 30 seconds increments stirring in between to make sure all the pieces are melted. If using the double boiler method, be sure that no water or steam gets in the melted cacao butter.
2.) Once all the cacao is melted, add in the maple syrup. Add cacao powder, vanilla, and whisk to make sure there are no more clumps. Let sit for 3-5 minutes to let thicken.
3.) Dip strawberries into the chocolate, covering all sides. Place on parchment paper. Once all strawberries are dipped, place them in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to let harden.
4.) If you’d like to make your strawberries into footballs, take the white icing and draw a line down the center and three lines across.
