Super 'Bowls' December 29, 2008

If, like many Central Texans, you are always the host of a Super Bowl party or a contributor to the refreshments no matter which teams are playing, you already know that the food consumed by each party guest often exceeds recommended daily values for fat, carbs and calories for an entire day or possibly two. It goes with the territory - everybody sits around the TV, drinks beer and eats. Usually it's fun and festive, but perhaps later you may regret indulging. It's also a huge challenge for anyone who has resolved to control their weight in the coming New Year.

Seton Medical Center Austin clinical dietitian Lauren Alonso, RD, LD joined forces with Dell Children's Medical Center chef Kelly Robinson to choose and prepared bowls of food that you can serve at your Superbowl party without a lot of worry about fat, calories and salt.

"There are plenty of healthy options out there for Superbowl parties," believes Kelly. You just have to hunt for the ones that don't include a lot of salt, fat - especially saturated fat - but still offer good taste." His choices include cold tray foods such as dips plus hot servings such as chili and Buffalo wings. The difference is in the preparation. His selection of dips, including avocado salsa, mushroom dip and red bell pepper hummus can be served with assorted vegetable crudits or healthier chip choices including pita chips or baked whole grain blue or red corn chips.

"Typical Superbowl party fare includes hamburgers or hot dogs, queso, lots of chips and lots of desserts. Our choices are hearty and filling, provide good quality protein and other important nutrients. If your guests include vegetarians, they can choose from about 75 percent of the foods offered," says Lauren. "We also recommend serving a fruit salad or tray for dessert."

Kelly adds: "You can use a low-fat yogurt dip to make fruits more festive."

"Lots of mindless eating usually goes on at Superbowl parties. You are in the moment and eating comes along with the excitement of the game. If you are also consuming alcohol, it can stimulate a hunger response," warns Lauren. She has the following tips to help control eating and keep your buffet safe.

Serve food in a different room from the one the TV set is in. That way, guests have to serve their plates and take them elsewhere instead of standing beside the table and dipping one chip at a time.
Choose smaller plates. You want everybody to have a variety of foods. If guests are still hungry, they can always go back for seconds.
Put the food out in batches so none of it sits out for too long.

"Most of these recipes are simple, healthy and easily made the day of the party. Others can be made in advance and heated when the guests arrive," adds Kelly.

Avocado Salsa

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Pinch of cayenne, if desired

Directions

Combine tomato, onion, jalapeno, lime juice to taste, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in avocado and cilantro. Add cayenne (if using).Serve.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per tablespoon: 9 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 13 mg sodium; 44 mg potassium.

Mushroom Dip

Ingredients

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups fat-free sour cream
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
3 green onions, chopped

Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well, cover and refrigerate.
Serve chilled with a variety of raw vegetables.

Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (4 ounce) jar roasted red peppers
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In an electric blender or food processor, puree the chickpeas, red peppers, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Process, using long pulses, until the mixture is fairly smooth, and slightly fluffy. Make sure to scrape the mixture off the sides of the food processor or blender in between pulses.
Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.)
Sprinkle the hummus with the chopped parsley before serving.

Turkey Chili

This chili is slightly sweet, reminiscent of picadillo, a Hispanic dish made with raisins. In this recipe, we use prunes.

Makes 5 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds ground raw turkey breast
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 2 1/4 cups water 12 whole pitted prunes (about 1/4 pound), chopped 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained

Directions

Cook turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain in a colander.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saut 7 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and red pepper; cook 1 minute.
Return turkey to skillet; stir in 2 1/4 cups water, prunes, and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Serve Turkey-and-Black Bean Chili over rice, if desired.

Buffalo Wing Recipe

Skip the deep-frying and butter-laced hot sauce with these healthy wings that have a fraction of the fat, calories and sodium as the original with plenty of flavor.

Makes 8 servings (2 wings)

Ingredients

Spicy Blue Cheese Dip

2/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Wings

3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
3 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Franks RedHot, divided
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar, divided
2 pounds chicken tenders
6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
6 tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Directions

To prepare dip whisk sour cream, blue cheese, 1 tablespoon vinegar and c1/4 teaspoon Cayenne in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To prepare wings whisk buttermilk, 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 2 tablespoons vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Mix flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish. Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon hot sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl; set aside.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until evenly coated. (Discard remaining marinade and flour mixture.) Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken, placing each piece in a little oil. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and chicken, reducing the heat if necessary to prevent burning. Transfer to the platter
Drizzle the chicken with the reserved hot sauce mixture. Serve with carrot &celery sticks and Spicy Blue Cheese Dip.

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