Healthier Superbowl Recipes

As anyone who has a bit of sentience knows, the Steelers are playing in the Superbowl this year.   Which means I'll spend a lot of my day glued to every play and munching on whatever happens to be near me at the moment.

Go Steelers!

In order to make the day a good one instead of a total dietary meltdown of a loss?  I've been rounding up some healthier recipe ideas for Superbowl Sunday.

I'd like to enjoy the game with my family instead of obsessing over calories and portion size quandaries.  But I'd also like my food to taste good, and not be some cardboard facsimile sprayed with chemically ick and pronounced food only on the packaging it comes in before you nuke it within an inch of its so-called life.

Moderation and healthy ingredients are the key.  And I don't think it is too much to ask that it actually taste good as well, do you?

Plus, if it can be something that I can make ahead or make in the crock-pot?  I'm there.  There are a lot of good ideas that fit that bill in previous posts on tailgating and potluck ideas (which includes some great ideas for a chili bar, perfect for Superbowl watching!), as well as crockpot favorites, but I'm trying to put something together for everyone that works well for easy, tasty football watching.

And so?  Here are a few tasty possibilities that won't ruin your New Year's resolution momentum, but also won't ruin the party by making everyone eat nothing but dry melba toasts and celery.  (Ewwwwww.)


I'll start by bequeathing to you the idea that I often use for football watching at our house when I'm pressed for time to cook:  take a can of Hormel turkey chili with beans and pour into a small crockpot, along with a drained and rinsed can of pinto beans.  Allow to warm, mixing the two together well.  Take a plate of baked tortilla chips, top with some reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, and then ladle on some bean-filled chili goodness.  Top with a little low fat sour cream, some salsa (or my favorite:  sour cream and salsa mixed together as a tangy sort of dressing), some chopped avocado or guacamole on the side...the possibilities are endless.  Voila!  Easy nachos that aren't so horribly unhealthy that you feel crappy about eating them -- and with all the beans, they are really filling with the fiber so you won't eat 5 or 6 plates over the course of a game day.  Plus, because it is in the little crockpot?  People can go back for seconds but the cook doesn't have to hover around to make them.  Bonus!

That's just one idea, but there are plenty more.  Here's hoping you can find something to satisfy your football munchies, too (including for the vegetarians out there, because a lot of these are veggie-centric!):

-- Make-Ahead Mufuletta Sandwich
-- Grilled Pepper Poppers
-- Spicy Black Bean Dip
-- Smoked Salmon And Cheese Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes
-- Pimento Cheese (no party south of the Mason-Dixon line is complete without it!)
-- Poached Shrmip With Bay Leaves And Lemon
-- Caramelized Onion Dip
-- Creamy Artichoke Dip
-- Red Pepper Cheese Dip
-- Pizza Margherita
-- Barbecue Shrimp
-- Two-Bean Dip
-- Southwestern Layered Bean Dip
-- Creamy Spinach Dip
-- Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks
-- Muffin Tin Crabcakes
-- Healthier Swirled Cheesecake Brownies
-- Green Chile and Goat Cheese Dip
-- Crab Quesadillas
-- Rich, Hot Crab Dip
-- Black Bean Nacho Pizza
-- Easy Zesty Bean Dip
-- Healthier Tacos
-- Zucchini "Hummus"
-- Boneless BBQ Pork Strips
-- Chicken Cheese Steak Sandwiches
-- Olive And Sundried Tomato Spread
-- Caramelized Onion, Spinach and Artichoke Dip
-- Chicken And Shrimp Spring Rolls With Tangy Peanut Sauce


(Photo via .sanden.)