Today at 11: Super Bowl ‘homegating’ snacks

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Did you know: Americans throw more parties and consume more food on Super Bowl Sunday than on New Year’s Eve?

In fact, Super Bowl Sunday beats out every holiday except Thanksgiving for more food eaten on a single day.

For many, navigating the big game’s food spread is the first test to sticking with healthy resolutions.

You can still manage to serve up crowd-pleasing finger foods and easy appetizers, like nachos, wings and more without a nutrition fumble.

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 to 5 cups)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
• Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Instructions for Air Fryer

1. Cup up a head of cauliflower into florets and put those in a large mixing bowl. *Save time and purchase a bag of cauliflower florets.*

2. Next, melt 2T Tbsp of butter and mix in the oil and a good dose of hot sauce into the butter. 2-3 Tbsp should be plenty. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is popular with buffalo wings, but any will do, just be mindful to do it to your liking of hotness.

3. Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower florets and mix them around.

4. Then, you’ll want to whisk together the flour with seasoning salt, garlic powder, and dried parsley.

5. Sprinkle that over the cauliflower florets – use a handful of flour mix at a time and just gently stir them around so that all florets are coated.

6. Air Fry HALF of the cauliflower bites at 350˚F for about 15 minutes. Stop and shake a couple of times during the cooking process. If you want them crispier, try cooking for 2 to 3 minutes longer.

7. Remove cauliflower from the air fryer and keep covered while you cook the second batch.

8. Serve immediately with a side of celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing and more hot sauce.

Tips for Air Fryer

1. DO NOT crowd the air fryer pan. If you crowd it, the cauliflower bites will turn out soggy. This is why you want to cook the cauliflower in two batches. You need to have enough air flow to go all around each piece.

2. If you’re not satisfied with the crunch, put cauliflower bites under the broiler for 2 minutes, then serve.

Instructions for Oven

● Place prepared cauliflower florets on a foil lined pan and bake for 15 minutes at 450˚F. Gently stir cauliflower halfway through cooking.

Tex Mex Individual Homegate Dip

Ingredients

● 1 can (16 oz) fat-free refried beans

● 2 tablespoons low-sodium taco seasoning mix

● 1 container (8 oz) light sour cream

● 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, drained

● 1 1/4 cups guacamole

● 1 1/4 cups favorite salsa

● 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (4 oz)

● 1 cup shredded lettuce

● 2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives

● 10 clear - 9-oz party plastic cups

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix refried beans and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix. Spread about 3 tablespoons mixture in the bottom of each of ten clear plastic cups.

2. Mix sour cream and green chiles; divide evenly among cups (about 2 tablespoons per cup). Top each with about 2 tablespoons each guacamole and salsa, slightly less than 1 tablespoon each cheese and lettuce, and a few olive slices.

This dip is delicious with chips, pita bread, and veggies dipped in it as well; try celery, carrots, bell peppers, etc.

Oven-Fried Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients

● 4 lbs Chicken wings or Chicken leg quarters

● ⅓ cup favorite buffalo sauce

● ⅓ cup self rising flour

● 1 tsp garlic powder

● 1/2 tsp black pepper

● 1 tsp paprika

● 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Adjust your oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray.

3. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry and place them in a large bowl. It’s important to pat dry them REALLY well!

4. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and flour in a small bowl. Add chicken and coat evenly.

5. Arrange chicken, skin side up, in a single layer on a prepared pan.

6. Bake, turning every 20 minutes until the chicken is crispy and browned. The total cook time will depend on the size of the chicken and may take up to 1 hour.

7. Remove from the oven and let the chicken stand for 5 minutes.

8. Transfer wings to a bowl and toss with buffalo sauce.

Rebecca Turner

Author and Registered Dietitian

RebeccaTurnerNutrition.com

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