Whether you are rooting for the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs this Super Bowl Sunday, you will be a winner with family and friends when you serve tasty appetizers. While traditional fare like hearty chili and creamy dips will always have their place on the table, some lighter but still delicious alternatives provide more choices for guests.
According to Real Simple, these Super Bowl recipes will please the palate and energize the body rather than weigh you down.
• Green Chile Enchiladas. What’s halftime without enchiladas? This vegetarian recipe features a spicy green chile sauce and a blanket of melted cheese that will satisfy even the most resolute meat eater.
• Carrot-Ginger Dip. This beautiful dip is chock full of healthy ingredients and flavored with maple syrup for a little sweetness. It’s is a great recipe to serve with veggies and crackers.
• Crispy Chickpeas. Easy-peasy is the key word for this super simple but tasty treat. Just two ingredients plus salt and pepper and 20 minutes in the oven. Here’s the method.
• Glorious Green Dip. Dips get a bad rap nutritionally, but this creamy spinach dip scores high on flavor and nutrition. Serve this recipe with potato chips, rainbow carrots, English cucumber, asparagus or broccoli spears.
• Baked chicken wings. These come out wonderfully crispy and are healthier than fried wings. Simply bake the wings at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes after spraying them with vegetables spray and sprinkling with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Toss halfway through cooking.
• Air fryer loaded zucchini boats. These loaded zucchini skins are a fresh and healthy twist on potato skins. They’re stuffed with cheddar, tomato, and avocado for intense flavors and color. Get the recipe here.
• Shrimp tostada bites. Make these tasty, bite-sized appetizers by filling tortilla scoops with guacamole, and topping with grilled shrimp seasoned with lime juice, paprika, cayenne pepper and ancho chili powder. Here is the complete recipe.
• Turkey lettuce wraps. Cut the carbs by wrapping sliced turkey topped with a little hoisin sauce and sliced tomatoes in butter or bibb lettuce leaves, says Good Housekeeping.
• Healthy 7-layer dip. We all love the traditional taco or 7-layer dip on game day, but this recipe calls for Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayonnaise to slash fat and calories. You can also omit the cheese layer to make the dish vegan and dairy-free.
• Cowboy Caviar. Also called Texas caviar, this colorful, fun, and endlessly adaptable dip is a potluck favorite. It’s a dip, salad, a side dish or even an ideal topping for grilled meat, says Meggan Hill, the executive chef, and head of the Culinary Hill test kitchen. Here is her recipe that features an eye-popping selection of ingredients, including tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, and cilantro, as well as the traditional black beans and black-eyed peas.
• Fruit skewers with yogurt dip. If you want to score something sweet during the big game, fruit skewers are the answer. “They also make a colorful addition to the table,” says Tara Collingwood, a registered dietitian from Orlando, Florida.
• Stuffed mushrooms. Using very low-calorie and healthful grilled mushroom caps as the base for appetizers helps to save calories. You can fill them with sautéed veggies, shredded cheese, or any other lean protein, says Collingwood.