Super Bowl parties are a great way to relax and enjoy the big game with family and friends. Although tasty, traditional Super Bowl party appetizers can be high in salt, sugar and fat.
If you, or your party guests, are watching your waist lines, you can serve delicious, low-fat appetizers that tantalize taste buds and keep the pounds off.
Purchase ingredients based on the number of Super Bowl party guests.
Low-fat quesadilla with ranch yogurt dip
Ingredients
Whole wheat wraps
Low-fat shredded cheese of choice
Chopped green onion stems
2 cups of Greek yogurt
1 package ranch dip mix
Lightly coat a skillet with vegetable oil spray and place it on a medium-high heat. Place one whole wheat wrap in the frying pan. Sprinkle on a generous amount of low-fat cheese. Cover the cheese with a second whole wheat wrap. Check the underside of the quesadilla and flip it over with a spatula when the bottom starts to turn golden brown. Adjust the stove heat down as necessary. On the browned top side of the quesadilla, sprinkle on a bit more cheese and a few green onions for color. Remove the quesadilla from the frying pan when the cheese melts completely.
Place the quesadilla on a cutting board, divide it into small portions with a pizza cutter, and arrange the portions on a platter.
Blend two cups of Greek Yogurt and dry ranch mix together in mixing bowl, transfer the dip to small, glass serving bowl and place it in the middle of the platter.
Vegetable focaccia
Ingredients
Frozen bread dough
Whole baby spinach leaves
Sliced mushrooms and olives
Olive oil
Feta cheese
Thaw the bread dough. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
On a floured counter surface, roll the dough until thin with a rolling pin. Lightly coat the baking sheet with vegetable oil spray and place the dough on the baking sheet. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil. Lay the spinach leaves on the dough first, and then sprinkle on the mushrooms and olives. Crumble a generous amount of feta cheese on the focaccia. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia edges appear golden brown.
Let the focaccia cool and cut it into two-inch squares. Arrange and serve on a wooden cutting board.
Chipotle-lime chicken bites
Ingredients
Skinless chicken breast
1 can of chipotle peppers
Crushed garlic
Lightly sweetened lime juice
1-2 jars of barbecue sauce
Remove the seeds and mince one chipotle pepper with a chef’s knife. In a mixing bowl, make a marinate by blending one cup of lime juice, diced chipotle pepper, one crushed garlic clove and a dash of salt to taste. Cut the chicken breast into one-inch cubes and let them marinate for one to two hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Remove the chicken cubes from the marinate with a slotted spoon. Arrange the chicken on the baking sheet and let it bake for 15 minutes or until done. Use a food thermometer to check readiness. The USDA says that chicken is safe to eat when it reaches and holds at 165 degrees for 15 seconds. Arrange the chicken bites on a platter with toothpicks and serve with barbecue sauce.
Tangy finger sandwiches
Ingredients
Carrots
English cucumbers
Cilantro leaves
Low-fat cream cheese
1 small jar of Marmite
Sliced French baguettes
Soften one packet of low-fat cream cheese and mix in one teaspoon of Marmite. Add more Marmite if desired. Thinly shred one to two large, sweet carrots. You can also purchase shredded carrots in your supermarket’s produce section. Cut the cucumbers into paper thin slices. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stems. Spread generous amounts of the Marmite-flavored cream cheese on the top and bottom baguette slices and fill the finger sandwiches with carrots, cucumbers and cilantro. Arrange on a platter and serve.
Hummus and whole wheat pita chips
Ingredients
Canned chickpeas
Tahini
Garlic
Lemon juice
Paprika
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Whole wheat pita chips
Rinse two cans of chickpeas and place them in a food processor. Add 2 tbsp of tahini, one clove of crushed garlic and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Blend until smooth and add salt to taste. Transfer the hummus to a small serving bowl. Create shallow wells in the surface of the hummus with a spoon and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the hummus with paprika for color. Place the hummus in the center of a whole wheat pita chip platter.
Source: USDA Safe Food Handling Fact Sheets