Healthy Appetizers for Super Bowl Sunday

The big game is this Sunday and whether you are football’s biggest fan or just there for the commercials, or the food (;)) it’s a great time to get together with friends and family… and try out a few new recipes! Super Bowl food gets a bad rap for being loaded with calories and, more often than not, all around unhealthy. But, that doesn’t have to be the case! Alex and Sonja Overhiser, AKA A Couple Cooks, are sharing 3 healthy appetizers for Super Bowl Sunday that will wow the crowd in taste and still keep those New Year’s resolutions in check (if you haven’t ditched them yet). We apologize for all the mouth watering that’s about to occur…

P.S. You can score these recipes and many more in Alex & Sonja’s cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking, available next week on 2/6!

Famous Loaded Sweet Potato Rounds

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

The Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes (small, thin potatoes are best)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

The Almond Bacon (optional)

½ cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For serving:

3–4 green onions
½ cup sour cream
Mexican hot sauce (we like Cholula)
Cayenne hot pepper sauce (we like Frank’s RedHot)
Blue cheese crumbles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Roast the potatoes: Cut the sweet potatoes into ¼-inch slices, leaving the skin on. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potato rounds with the olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, and kosher salt; stir to thoroughly coat. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, then place the slices in a single layer on the sheets. Bake 10 minutes on one side, then remove from the oven, flip the slices, and bake another 5 to 7 minutes until tender (but not crisp).

Make the almond bacon (optional): In a small bowl, mix the sliced almonds, soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, paprika, and kosher salt. Allow to sit for 2 minutes. Spoon the almonds into a large dry skillet, discarding the liquid that remains at the bottom of the bowl. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat and saute the almonds for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are sticky and most of the liquid is evaporated. Take care that they do not burn and scrape any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. When the almonds are sticky and darkened in color, remove them from the heat, spread them onto a plate in a single layer, and allow them to dry until serving, about 10 minutes.

Assemble the rounds: Thinly slice the green onions. When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and place them onto a serving plate. To each round, add a small dollop of sour cream and top with sliced green onions. For the Classic, add a dot of Mexican hot sauce. For the Hot Wings, add a dot of Frank’s RedHot sauce and 1 crumble of blue cheese. Top all rounds with almond bacon and serve immediately.

GF* For gluten-free, make sure the soy sauce is gluten-free.
V* For vegan, make the classic and omit the sour cream.

Layered Mediterranean Hummus Platter

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)

¼ cup minced red onion
½ cup chopped cucumber
½ cup (7 ounces) chopped canned
artichoke hearts
¼ cup chopped Kalamata olives
½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes or
½ cup diced red bell pepper (fresh or jarred)
1½ cups (12 ounces) hummus
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 handful cilantro, for garnish
Paprika, for garnish
Squeeze of lemon, for garnish
Pita chips or Baked Pita Crisps, for serving

Directions

Peel and mince the red onion. Rinse the minced onion under cool water and squeeze dry (to remove some of the bite). Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds with a spoon; chop into bitesized pieces. Chop the artichoke hearts. Roughly chop the olives. Quarter the cherry tomatoes or dice the pepper.

Spread the hummus on a large plate and top with the red onion, cucumber, artichokes, olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Sprinkle the hummus with torn cilantro leaves and paprika and top with a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with pita crisps.

GF* For gluten-free, use gluten-free pita crisps or crackers.
V* For vegan, omit the feta cheese and top with a few pinches of kosher salt.

Irresistible Tomato Almond Dip

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6)

For the Dip

1 small garlic clove
¾ cup roasted unsalted almonds
1 15-ounce can crushed
fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 pinches red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Chili Oil

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 pinches red pepper flakes

Directions

Make the dip: Peel the garlic. Add the almonds and garlic to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the tomatoes, paprika, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Process until the nuts are thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse a few more seconds to achieve a thick, creamy texture. Stir in 1 to 2 pinches kosher salt to taste. Serve with crackers or bread.

Make the chili oil (optional): In a small skillet, warm the olive oil with the red pepper flakes over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle the chili oil over the dip before serving.

 

Excerpted from A Couple Cooks | Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food by Sonja and Alex Overhiser. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.