Super Bowl Recipes: Healthy Snacks For Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl Sunday is almost upon us. For the record, football makes my eyes bleed. I don’t even know who is in the Super Bowl this year, and I don’t care. Sadly, my significant other practically lives for this “event,” so I will be forced to partake in the festivities. I’ve been suffering from severe anticipatory anxiety all week. It’s not watching the game that I’m worried about (I’m perfectly capable of reading US Weekly under the table while I patiently wait for Beyoncé to appear onscreen), I’m mostly dreading the mass consumption of greasy food that usually takes place on game day.

I know that most people have a soft spot for fattening game day snacks. I accept this, and I’m not going to tell you that you are only allowed to eat the celery garnish off the snack platters this Sunday. I just want you to reign it in a little bit and consider adding a couple slightly healthier options to the menu, such as Baked Buffalo Wings or a Chipotle Steak Quesadilla.

Let’s be real, everyone loves wings. Unfortunately, most people don’t recognize the shocking fat and calorie content associated with them. In fact, I have heard several individuals try to make the argument that wings are healthy because “you know, they’re chicken!” Nice try. The ugly truth is that chicken wings are deep fried before being coated in a buffalo sauce that is 50% butter. Throw mass quantities of blue cheese dressing into the mix, and it’s going to get ugly.

I realize that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to ask you to give up wings on Super Bowl Sunday. Therefore, I propose that you swap the deep fried version for Baked Buffalo Wings. Despite the lack of deep-frying, these bad boys are still crispy and delicious, and Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce is a zero-calorie miracle. I have no idea how this sauce has zero calories, but I’m not asking any questions because I’m just grateful it exists. You should be too.

In addition to these guilt-free wings, I suggest you try a Chipotle Steak Quesadilla this Sunday. Please do not misunderstand the name of this recipe. I am not telling you that you should go to Chipotle and get a steak quesadilla. The “chipotle” in the title refers to the type of chili pepper used in the steak marinade and that is all. If you are looking for something to replace your nachos or other diet-sabotaging Mexican food this weekend, this quesadilla is it. It’s made on low-carb tortillas, and it’s packed with vegetables, spicy chipotle skirt steak, and just enough melted cheese to keep you from complaining. I promise that you’ll love it. The chipotle steak is also great on its own or in a salad, and the marinade is awesome for chicken or pork.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, people! Here’s to hoping you can still fit into your jeans next Monday.

Baked Buffalo Wings: (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken wings

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ cup Frank’s Wings Sauce

Preparing your wings:

*Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

-Remove and discard the wing tips (cut them off at the joint), then separate the wings into flats and drumettes. This is the annoying part, but it's pretty simple. Bend the wing backwards at the joint until the bones separate, then use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut between them.

-Place the wings in a large bowl with the olive oil and salt. Toss to coat.

-Arrange the wings in a single layer on a large foil lined sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and then flip the wings over. Bake for another 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

-In a small pot, heat ½ cup Frank’s Wings Sauce. Place the wings in a large bowl, add the heated sauce, and toss to coat. Serve the wings. Feel free to put them on a fancy platter with some fat free ranch dressing and celery sticks if you’re into that.

Chipotle Steak Quesadillas: (Serves 6, makes 3 full quesadillas)

Ingredients:

6 low carb vegetable tortillas (I like Tumaro’s Gourmet Tortillas)

1 ½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, (you can also just use cheddar or Monterey Jack if you prefer)

1 small red onion, chopped

½ each red, green, and yellow bell pepper, chopped

4 tsp olive oil, divided

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 flank steak, approximately ¾ lb

For the steak marinade:

Juice of ½ lime

1 canned chipotle in adobo, finely chopped

1 tbsp adobo sauce from the chipotle can

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp garlic powder

Preparing your quesadillas:

-Start by marinating the steak. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, chopped chipotle, adobo, salt, cumin, and garlic powder. Pour the marinade over the steak in a plastic bag, making sure that the meat is well-coated. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. (If you are extremely organized, you could also do this the day before.)

-When the steak has finished marinating, heat a grill pan over medium heat. When hot, remove the steak from the marinade and place in the pan. Cook for approximately 7 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into ½ inch cubes.

-Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion and peppers with a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.

-For each quesadilla: Sprinkle ¼ cup cheese on a tortilla, add 1/3 of the vegetable mixture and 1/3 of the cubed steak. Top with another ¼ cup cheese and the second tortilla.

-Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan for each quesadilla. When hot, carefully add the quesadilla and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, remove from the pan, and slice the quesadilla into 6 triangles. Top with pico de gallo or a little fresh guacamole and get after it.