It's Super Bowl time once again! Nothing beats great football shared with great friends (and the commercials aren't too bad either)! But, you can't successfully cheer your team to victory without the appropriate snacks! For this year's game, fuel up with foods that will keep you going strong long after the last snap! Stick to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to avoid weighing down your Super Bowl guests! Below are some Extension-tested recipes and techniques to help you score big at your Super Bowl gathering!
- Use this as a dip with homemade tortilla chips or serve in homemade tartlet shells! (See techniques below)
Techniques
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Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Cut corn or flour tortillas into 4-8 wedges, depending on how big you want your chips. Place on a baking sheet and spray both sides of the tortilla wedge with nonstick cooking spray. Season according to your taste. Some suggestions include salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili seasoning, ground cumin, garlic powder, or make sweet chips with a little cinnamon and sugar. Bake the chips in a 350 degree oven until crisp.
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Homemade Tartlet Shells
- Fancy puff pastry shells can be expensive. Make your own using wonton wrappers. You can find wonton wrappers in the produce section or down the ethnic foods aisle.
- To make, place wonton wrappers in a mini muffin pan, creating a "bowl." Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the wonton wrappers are crisp, 8-10 minutes.
- Fill with Black Bean and Corn Salad or any of your favorite fillings!
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Fruit Sundays
- Supply your guests with festive parfait glasses or clear plastic cups and all the fixings for a Fruit Sunday.
- Sunday ingredients include: fresh fruits (some tasty winter fruits include pineapple, banana, and citrus fruits like tangerines and clementines), yogurt or low-fat frozen yogurt, nuts (walnuts, pistachios, or pecans) and dark chocolate bits.
- Free yourself from playing host by setting up a self-serve Sunday station in which guests can build their own Sunday.
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Anything Goes Kabobs
- Kabobs are a fun way to eat with your hands! Take this opportunity to include lots of colorful fruits and vegetables and lean proteins like chicken breast or shrimp on your Super Bowl Menu.
- To make, you'll need wooden or metal skewers and kabob foods. Be sure to soak wooden skewers for about 1 hour to keep them from burning while your food cooks. (Sturdy rosemary stems also make flavorful and stylish skewers.)
- Sometimes cooking different types of food on a kabob can be tricky, especially if you are combining protein with vegetables or fruits. The protein will usually require a longer cooking time. Below are 2 solutions for "tackling" this problem:
- Cook your food before putting it on the skewer. Prepare your fruits, vegetables, and protein by either grilling, roasting, or sauteing. You may prefer to leave fruits uncooked. When the foods are cool enough to handle, thread them onto the skewer.
- Put like foods on the same skewer. For example, put only bite-size, uniform pieces of chicken breast onto a skewer. Brush with a little oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray, season, and cook until the chicken is done (registers 165 on a meat thermometer). For game time, supply your guests with clean skewers and they can build their own kabob using the various ones you pre-cooked.
- Kabobs are also great for dessert. Thread fruits onto the skewer and serve with yogurt or drizzle with melted dark chocolate.
