5 Super Recipes for the Super Bowl
Make game day a winner with these super recipes.
Layered Mexican Bean Dip
Unlike traditional layered bean dips, this recipe doesn’t layer on the cholesterol, fat, and calories.
Yield: 16 (½ cup) servings
Bean Dip
Ingredients
2 (15‑oz.) cans fat-free refried beans
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 to 1 ½ tsp. chili powder
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a non‑stick or stick-resistant pan on medium. Sauté onions, peppers, garlic, and spices together until vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. If necessary add small amounts of water to prevent vegetables from drying out or sticking to pan.
- Stirring frequently, add beans to vegetable mixture and cook until beans are heated through. If necessary add water to bean mixture to keep it from becoming too dry or difficult to stir. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Layers
1 cup nonfat sour cream
1 cup mild or medium thick salsa
1 and ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup fresh romaine or iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 to 2 tbsp. canned chopped jalapeno peppers (optional)
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice (optional)
1 cup reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or a mixture of reduced-fat Mexican cheeses
baked corn tortilla chips
Instructions
- Mix fresh tomatoes with cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeños. Drain off any excess liquid from the tomatoes and set aside.
- Evenly spread cooled bean dip in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish followed by a layer of nonfat sour cream, then a layer of salsa.
- Sprinkle salsa layer evenly with cheese, green onions, and olives followed by fresh tomato mixture.
- Serve with baked corn tortilla chips or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 16 ½-cup servings without chips 85 Calories | Fat 1g | Saturated Fat 0.7g | Protein 6g | Carbohydrate 14g | Dietary Fiber 3g | Cholesterol 1mg | Sodium 421mg
Compare to Traditional Version: 190 Calories | 12g Fat | Protein 8g | Carbohydrate 14g Carbohydrate | Dietary Fiber 3g | 28mg Cholesterol 501mg Sodium
Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip
This delicious Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip is a healthy alternative to the traditional version with less than half the fat and cholesterol.
Yield: 4 cups or 16 ¼-cup servings
Ingredients
1 ½ to 2 lb. of round rustic (hubcap) Italian, French, or sourdough bread made without added fats or sugars
1 (8 oz.) container or package of 1/3-less fat cream cheese
1 (8 oz.) container or package of fat-free cream cheese
½ cup fresh grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 (10 oz.) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained of excess water
1 cup frozen and thawed or marinated artichoke hearts
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 to 3 tbsp. white wine or regular Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
¼ tsp. ground white or black pepper
Instructions
- To make bread bowl, place a pint-sized round container in middle of loaf. Cut around the outside of container into the bread making a full circle, being careful not to cut through the bottom of the loaf. Remove bread from the inside leaving 1 inch between the bottom of the bowl and the crust. Cut bread removed from bowl into 2-inch cubes and set aside.
- Coarsely chop artichokes and set aside. If using oil-marinated artichokes, rinse with warm water and drain well before chopping.
- Combine cheeses, spinach, garlic, Worcestershire, garlic powder, vinegar, and pepper in a large bowl and blend together until combined. Gently stir in artichokes.
- Place mixture in a sauce pan. Stirring constantly, bring to simmer over medium-low heat or place mixture in a microwave-safe dish and cook on high for 5 minutes, stopping every 60 seconds to mix ingredients to heat evenly. After dip is hot, remove from heat. If dip seems too thick to pour, stir in 2 to 4 tbsp. skim milk.
- To serve, pour dip into bowl. The dip should fill the bowl ½ to ¾ full. Slice bread at an angle around the edge of the bowl into small pieces. Bread should still be attached but easy to pull off.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): ¼-cup serving 155 Calories | Fat 6.5g | Protein 7g | Carbohydrate 27g | Dietary Fiber 1.6g | Cholesterol 19mg | Sodium 335mg
Fast and Lean Sloppy Joes
Yield: 8 sandwiches
Ingredients
2 lb. 95% to 99% lean ground turkey or ground turkey breast
1 to 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red or green pepper (optional)
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste plus 6 oz. water (use empty can to measure)
1 cup fat-free barbecue sauce
½ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. garlic powder
ground black pepper to taste
8 whole grain or whole wheat hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat a large stick resistant or nonstick frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic onions and pepper to pan. Sauté vegetables until onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and add ground turkey to pan, crumbling meat as it browns.
- Once meat is browned, reduce heat to medium and tomato paste through ground pepper to meat and continue to cook until sauce reaches desired consistency, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat and portion out 1 cup meat sauce per bun and serve.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 385 calories | Fat 10g | Protein 26g | Carbohydrate 45g | 4g Dietary Fiber | Cholesterol 53mg | Sodium 792mg
Traditional Recipe Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 460 calories | Fat 22g | Protein 24g | Carbohydrate 38g | 4g Dietary Fiber | Cholesterol 53mg | Sodium 880mg
Note: You can also make the Sloppy Joes with lean ground beef or buffalo. Just make sure that the meat you use contains no more than 7% fat (93% lean or higher). For a great fast and healthy appetizer idea, reduce the bun size and you’ve got Sloppy Joe Sliders.
Baked Chicken Fingers
Serve these chicken fingers garlic and herb breaded or coated with a spicy Cajun cornmeal at your next party or get together.
The secret to a crispy baked breading is using a convection oven. Many ovens have a convection setting. If you don’t have a convection oven you can still achieve a crispy coating by baking the chicken fingers on a wire rack placed inside of a baking sheet.
Yield: 12 to 14 chicken fingers
Ingredients
cooking spray
1 lb. chicken breast tenders
2 egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute
3 cups herb or garlic seasoned low-fat or fat-free salad croutons
¼ tsp. salt
1 clove fresh garlic, peeled
¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. garlic powder
Preparation Instructions
- Remove tendons from chicken by firmly holding tendon end against a cutting board surface with one hand, while using the sharp edge of a knife to cut/scrape meat off and away from the tendon in the opposite direction. If you do this correctly, you should be able to keep the chicken tenders in one piece. Don’t worry if you cut tenders into pieces, just set them aside with the whole tenders.
- Combine croutons in food processor with remaining ingredients and process into fine crumbs, then transfer to a shallow dish large enough to hold and bread chicken tenders.
- In a small bowl, beat egg whites or egg substitute with 1 tbsp. water or skim milk.
- Dip tenders in egg and roll in bread crumbs. Place breaded tenders on a plate and chill for 30 minutes. For tender pieces, dip in egg, roll in crumbs, form into one tender and place on plate with whole tenders to chill. Reshaped chicken fingers will hold together after being chilled.
- Preheat convection oven to 375 F or preheat traditional over to 400 F.
Baking Instructions
- Spray a wire grid rack with cooking spray and place over a baking sheet. If grid rack is nonstick, rub surface of rack with a little oil.
- Place chilled tenders on sheet and bake for 12 to 18 minutes depending on thickness and type of oven used.
- Turn tenders over half way through baking time to brown evenly on both sides.
- Remove from oven and serve with Honey Mustard Sauce or Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce. You can also serve chicken fingers with BBQ sauce or low-fat or fat-free ranch dressing.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 chicken finger 67 Calories | Total Fat 1g | Protein 8g | Carbohydrate 6g | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 16mg | Sodium 118 mg
Spicy Cajun Chicken Fingers:
Add 2 tbsp. yellow corn meal, ¾ to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning, and 1 tbsp. Hungarian paprika to salad croutons before processing into fine crumbs.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 119 Calories | Total Fat 1g | Protein 8.5g | Carbohydrate 5.5g | Dietary Fiber 1g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 129mg
Compare to High-fat Version Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 112 Calories | Total Fat 6g | Protein 8g | Carbohydrate 6g | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 16mg | Sodium 114 mg
Honey Mustard Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
½ cup low-fat mayonnaise (3.5g fat per 1 tbsp.)
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 cup clover honey at room temperature
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together until well blended; serve or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 tbsp. 45 Calories | Total Fat 1g | Protein trace | Carbohydrate 10g | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 0 | Sodium 55mg
Compare to High-fat Honey Mustard Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 tbsp. 72 Calories | Total Fat 6g | Protein trace | Carbohydrate 6g | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 2mg | Sodium 63mg | Sodium 114 mg
Spicy Cajun Dipping Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
¾ cup low-fat mayonnaise (3.5g fat per 1 tbsp.)
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together until well blended, serve or cover and chill until ready to use.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 tbsp. 29 Calories | Total Fat 2g | Protein trace | Carbohydrate 2g | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 0 | Sodium 134mg
Compare to High-fat Cajun Dipping Sauce Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 tbsp. 77 Calories | Total Fat 9g | Protein trace | Carbohydrate trace | Dietary Fiber trace | Cholesterol 4mg | Sodium 122mg
Three-bean Chili
Make this fast and healthy chili for a Super Bowl party or for dinner on a cold winter’s night.
Yield: 14 (1-cup) servings
Ingredients
1 lb. 95% to 98% fat-free ground beef, turkey, or buffalo
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (14.5 oz.) can pinto beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can red beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can chopped stewed tomatoes
1 (6‑oz.) can tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
¾ tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. Cajun seasoning or chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. raw or brown sugar (optional)
2 tsp. low-sodium chicken or beef soup base
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- Stirring to crumble, brown meat over medium heat in a stick-resistant or non-stick stockpot or 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven. When cooked, remove meat from pan and drain on paper towels if necessary to absorb any excess fat.
- Wipe any visible grease from pan and sauté garlic, onion, and peppers on medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. If using a very lean ground meat, 95% to 98% fat free, sauté vegetables and brown meat at the same time.
- If necessary, return meat to pan and add all remaining ingredients. Stirring frequently, bring chili to gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring every few minutes to prevent chili from sticking to bottom of pan. Adjust seasonings if necessary and serve.
For Vegetarian Three-bean Chili:
- Omit ground meat and reduce yield to ten 1 ¼ cup servings.
Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 ¼ cup 240 Calories | Total Fat 1g | Protein 12g | Carbohydrate 31g | Dietary Fiber 7g | Cholesterol 9mg | Sodium 736mg
Traditional Recipe Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 ¼ cup 330 Calories | Total Fat 16g | Protein 17g | Carbohydrate 31g | Dietary Fiber 7g | Cholesterol 41mg | Sodium 760mg
Vegetarian Nutrition Facts (per Serving): 1 ¼ cup 188 Calories | Total Fat 1g | Protein 11g | Carbohydrate 36g | Dietary Fiber 8g | Cholesterol 0 | Sodium 700mg
