Super Bowl Sunday Snacks!

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest calorie feasts of the year for many Americans. The average football fan eats about a day’s worth of calories during the game, and the U.S. Calorie Control Council estimates that Americans pack away 11 million pounds of chips on Super Bowl Sunday. Instead, snack on these healthy game day recipes.

Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

·         1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

·         1 (16-ounce) can lima (or butter) beans, drained

·         1 cup light mayonnaise

·         4 ounces tub-style fat-free cream cheese

·         1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

·         1 teaspoon capers, drained

·         1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

·         1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

·         1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry

·         3/4 cup pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

·         1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

·         1/2 cup sliced green onions

·         1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients (through mustard) in a food processor, and process until smooth (about 15-20 seconds).

3. Add remaining ingredients; pulse 5 times, then process until mixture is consistent throughout (about 10 seconds). With a rubber spatula, transfer mixture evenly to a 1-quart casserole dish, smoothing top.

4. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly at the edges. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Smoky Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Dip

Ingredients

·         Smoky Chicken Fingers:

·         Cooking spray

·         1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/4 teaspoon black pepper

·         1/2 cup fat-free milk

·         1 teaspoon barbecue smoked seasoning (such as Hickory Liquid Smoke)

·         1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

·         1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

·         2 teaspoons garlic and herb seasoning

·         2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch strips

Honey-Mustard Dip:

·         1/4 cup Dijon mustard

·         1/4 cup honey

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400⁰F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Mix with a fork to combine. In a separate shallow dish, combine milk and liquid smoke. In a third shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, oats, and garlic seasoning.

3. Dip chicken into flour, and turn to coat both sides; shake off any excess flour. Transfer chicken to milk mixture and turn to coat. Transfer to the breadcrumb-oat mixture, and turn chicken to coat. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet, and spray tops of strips with cooking spray.

4. Bake 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and crust is browned.

5. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together mustard and honey.

Guacamole

"You can make this avocado salad smooth or chunky depending on your tastes."

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

 Ingredients

• 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

A Few Suggestions for a Healthy Super Bowl Party

Here are some ideas to make Super Bowl Sunday low fat and, in some cases, low calorie.  Adapted from Sue Gilbert‚ M.S.‚ Nutritionist

1.  Instead of chicken wings, make chicken fingers using skinless chicken breast strips.
2.  Use plain yogurt instead of sour cream to mix up the dip. Use baked or low-fat chips and veggies for dipping.
3.  Make nachos using reduced fat cheese and baked chips.
4.  Drink diet soda, non-alcoholic beer and soda water instead of regular beer, soda or juice.
5.  Eat pretzels instead of chips.
6.  Make submarine sandwiches using non-fat mayo, mustard, low-fat cheese and lean deli meats like turkey breast. Skip the ham, salami and bologna while piling on veggies such as pepper strips, sprouts, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, pickles, cucumbers and grated carrots.

7.  Make a pot of vegetarian chili instead of the regular beef based, or use low-fat ground turkey breast instead of the regular beef.