3 Healthy Takes on Super Bowl Party Snacks

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here and honestly, I’m only there for the snacks. John and Carmen have fun watching football together on Sundays (read: for about 5 minutes until she gets bored lol).

So back to the snacks. I love to be with my friends and family so I love to reinvent their ideas of snack/junk food in ways that are a little better for everyone. I’m taking 3 Super Bowl party staples and turning them into healthy alternatives below!

BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER

Buffalo chicken wings/tenders, buffalo chicken dip… everyone seems to go crazy over buffalo flavors. My favorite thing to do with Buffalo Sauce recently is actually Baked Cauliflower! You can use store-bought Buffalo Hot Sauce (The New Primal is my FAVORITE but Frank’s Red Hot will work too) or whatever hot sauce you have on hand!

Ingredients:1 head of cauliflower1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (a la Bob’s Red Mill)1/2 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk1 tsp each of sea salt, smoked paprika, onion powder & garlic powder1/2 cup of buffalo hot sauce1 tbsp of vegan or regular butter

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Chop up the head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Then mix the flour, almond milk and spices in a large mixing bowl until they are fully combined. Add the chopped cauliflower to the flour mixture, making sure each cauliflower piece is coated with the mixture and then spread it evenly across a large baking sheet. Bake the cauliflower for about 20-25 minutes (until brown on the outside). Separately, take the butter and hot sauce and combine in a small sauce pan over medium heat until warm. When your cauli comes out of the oven - pour this mixture completely over the baked cauliflower. Let it cool and enjoy!

Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, who can say no to cheesy spicy delicious queso? Not me. I’ve made this vegan cheesy dip so many times for friends and family and it’s always a hit. I have a full blog post and recipe linked here so go check it out, recreate and grab a bag of Siete Chips or veggies to go with the dip. (Siete also makes a nacho cheese chip that is amazing!)

”Cheesy” Popcorn

I think it’s always a smart idea to have a few bowls of “snacks” to pick on while waiting for the main courses (or main “apps” in many cases) at parties! Cheddar popcorn is SO GOOD. I found a cheesy, healthy, homemade alternative that is just as tasty as the real thing! Here’s how you do it:

1/2-3/4 cup popcorn kernels1 tbsp coconut oil (for frying)avocado oil cooking spray (for topping)1/3 cup nutritional yeast (or more, to taste, for cheesy flavor)

1/2 tsp paprika

First, heat a medium/large pot on the stovetop to medium high heat and add coconut oil. Wait for a 1 minute for the oil to get hot and then add your popcorn kernels. (you should hear them sizzle) Shake the pot of kernels a few times while they’re hot to get even heat on the kernels and they should begin popping shortly. Keep shaking the pot back and forth while they pop, once they’re almost done popping turn the heat off and let the popping stop. Put the popped popcorn on a baking sheet and spray it with the avocado oil spray THEN sprinkle the nutritional yeast, paprika and sea salt, mix them around and do this about 3x until all of the popcorn is covered.