The 2013 Super Bowl is upon us and it’s likely that many of you will be attending or hosting super bowl parties this coming weekend. I will readily admit that I am not a football fanatic and in all my 24 years I have only watched the Super Bowl a handful of times. Though I may not know what teams are playing this year I still know that the Super Bowl is usually considered an occasion for snacks and party food, and LOTS of it. So although I am not opposed to the occasional self-indulgent splurge on chips and dips, hamburgers and cookies I figured it was a good occasion to sing the praises of local homegrown food. I don’t mean to suggest that you only eat salad at your super bowl party but rather that you use the preserved and stored vegetables from your garden to make tasty, slightly healthier, much cheaper party snacks. Think of the canned corn and beans, stored potatoes, winter squash, and onions, maybe you even still have some fresh greens in the garden, all these things can be put to use to make delicious game day snacks! Following are some recipes for a few seasonal and delicious meals made using the produce you may still have in your kitchen!
White Bean Dip
Good with chips, crackers, veggies, or bread
Ingredients
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained or ½ cup dried beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
Place cannellini beans in bowl, and mash with fork; set aside. Heat a small pan over medium heat; add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and let it warm. Add garlic, and chopped fresh sage leaves. Stir constantly for 4 minutes or until garlic is brown and sage is crispy. Pour hot oil over beans; stir. Garnish with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and store in fridge up to 1 week.
Squash and Sweet Potato Chili
A hearty vegetable comfort dish with a hint of curry powder and a touch of honey.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more as needed)
2 small shallots, minced
2 delicata small squash (or any other squash; I like delicata because you don’t have to peel it), diced into 1-inch cubes
2-3 small sweet potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes
6 cloves garilc, minced
1 28-ounce can tomatoes (I used whole tomatoes and broke them up with my spoon, but you can use diced or whatever you prefer)
12-ounces of vegetable broth
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
rice (for serving)
Preparation
In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat your olive oil over medium heat. Add in your shallot, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in your squash and sweet potatoes with a splash more olive oil, and cook until a bit browned, another 5 minutes or so. Add in your garlic and stir for 1 minute, then add in your tomatoes, broth, curry powder, agave, paprika, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmering (medium or medium-low, depending on your burner), cover, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally so that it doesn’t burn to the bottom, for an hour or so, until the squash and potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve over rice, with some crusty bread, or on its own. This chili freezes well – just thaw it out in the fridge a day before you want to use it, reheat, and enjoy.
Baked Onion Rings
Ingredients
2 medium yellow onions
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat (see Note)
1 tablespoon seasoning blend, such as Cajun, jerk or Old Bay
Olive oil or canola oil cooking spray
Preparation
1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 450°F. Coat 2 large rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Cut off both ends of each onion and peel. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices; separate into rings. (Discard the smallest rings or reserve for another use.) Place the rings in a medium bowl; cover with cold water.
3. Combine flour and baking powder in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs and seasoning in a third shallow dish. Working with one ring at time, remove from the water, letting any excess drip off. Coat in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then coat in the breadcrumb mixture, shaking off any excess. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Generously coat the onion rings with cooking spray.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each onion ring over and return to the oven, switching the positions of the baking sheets. Continue baking until brown and very crispy, 8 to 10 minutes more.
Homemade Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Topping:
2 leeks
1 large white onion
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tbs salt
Casserole:
5 cups canned or frozen green beans
2 tbs butter
4 cups Crimini mushrooms (baby bella), washed and chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup of chicken broth
2 tbs flour
1 cup cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400.
Cut the leeks (white and very light green portion only) into thin rings. Cut the onion into thin slices. place in a small bowl and toss with the olive oil to coat. Add to a baking sheet and add the Panko bread crumbs and salt, toss to combine.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, tossing about every 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven when a golden brown color is reached.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they turn a dark brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, add the chicken broth and the flour, stir to combine. Pour into the pan through a mesh strainer to remove any flour lumps. Stir until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the cream and stir until combined. Return to heat and allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the green beans and 1/2 cup of the onion/leek mixture, stir. Pour into a 2 quart baking dish.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil. Remove foil, add onions, and bake for 10 more minutes or until warmed through.
Here a several other simple recipes that would be great for a party:
Kale chips and sweet potato fries
No matter what you choose to eat, enjoy your weekend, the Super Bowl, or whatever way you choose to use your first few days of February!
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