Healthy Super Bowl Snacking

Posted by Kelly Davis on 1 February 2012 | 1 Comments

If you’re anything like me, you just realized that Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend about three hours ago.  Maybe some of you are die-hard pro-football fans.  Me? I’m more of a “let’s socialize and eat yummy food” fan. 

And that’s where I come in.  I may not know who’s playing, but I can help you with the menu.  I might have to “google” a play-action pass, but I’ll make sure you won’t go hungry.  When it comes to Super Bowl snacking, I’ve got you covered. 

But if you’ve been reading my SavorNC blog posts for any amount of time, you know that I’m not going to serve up anything less than delicious and I’m most likely going to give you a healthy option or two to balance out the indulgences. 

You know me too well.

Here are three husband-approved Super Bowl snacking recipes that will keep even your manliest football-watching companions satisfied.

Brad's Spicy Pimento Cheese (serves a crowd)

I can’t take credit for this AMAZING pimento cheese recipe.  It completely belongs to my husband, Brad.  However, I was instrumental in its development as the primary taste-tester.  He couldn’t have made it without me.

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup jarred pimentos
3 oz. chilies in adobo (a little less than 1/3 cup)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (we used Duke's mayo)

Shred cheese (Brad used our attachment for our stand mixer, but a grater will work as well).  Chop chilies finely.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well (we used our stand mixer, but you can also mix by hand).  Store in a tightly sealed container.

Sweet Potato Chips with Blue Cheese Dressing (chips serve 2, dressing serves 4) 

Wings and blue cheese are so last Super Bowl.  Try these crispy baked sweet potato chips instead! The sweet and savory combination is amazing and you won’t believe how flavorful this LIGHT dressing is.

6 large sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons sea salt

Dressing:
1 cup Greek yogurt
2/3 cup skim milk
6 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Texas Pete (or your favorite hot sauce)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Slice sweet potatoes as thinly as possible.  Toss in 2 teaspoons of olive oil and salt.  Place chips on a large pan (or multiple pans), not allowing any of them to overlap.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Raise temperature of the oven to 500 degrees and turn on broiler.  Cook 2-3 more minutes or until edges start to darken.  Watch them carefully because this will happen very quickly.

Combine yogurt, milk, cheese, and hot sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.  Serve chilled over the sweet potato chips.

Loaded Veggie Barbecue Chicken Pizza (serves 3-4 as a meal*)

Pre-made whole wheat pizza crust, uncooked (I used Trader Joe's)
3/4  cup barbecue sauce (I used Stubbs’)
6 oz. chicken breast
1/3 red onion, sliced
1/2 bell pepper, sliced (I used yellow)
3 cups dark leafy greens, chopped (I used rainbow chard, but spinach or arugula will work too)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. pepper jack cheese
2 oz. feta cheese
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil + more for oiling the pan
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper and cook on medium high heat, in 1 teaspoon olive oil until cooked thoroughly. Remove chicken from pan and set on a plate to cool.

In the same pan, add the last tsp. of olive oil and sauté all of the veggies except the chard.  When the onions start to soften, add the chard and toss with a spatula to turn over all the veggies.

Meanwhile, press dough out onto an oiled pan or pizza stone.  Pour barbecue sauce into the center of the dough and use the bottom of a spoon to spread the sauce evenly across the dough.  Add more sauce if desire.

Layer half of the pepper jack cheese on top of the sauce.  Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and sprinkle evenly over the cheese.  Spread the veggies evenly over the chicken.  Finally, layer the additional pepper jack and feta cheese on top of the entire pizza.

Bake for 20 minutes or until your crust is golden brown.

*Slice into small slivers so guest treat it as an appetizer or simply double or triple the recipe, depending on the size of your party.

Who are you pulling for this Super Bowl Sunday? Me? I’m pulling for Madonna. 

Like what you see? Check out Kelly's blog, foodiefresh.com, for more recipes and ramblings.