Healthy Super Bowl Snacks

Chef AJ has followed a plant exclusive diet for over 43 years. She is the author of the bestselling book “The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss and was the host of the television series Healthy Living With Chef AJ which aired on Foody TV.  She is proud to say that her IQ is higher than her cholesterol.

Chef AJ will be demonstrating Healthy Super Bowl Snacks like Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip, Pizza Hummus and more!

HEALTHY SUPER BOWL RECIPES

Downloadable Recipes

While I can honestly say that I have never watched a single Super Bowl (or any football game for that matter) if I did host a Super Bowl party, here’s what I would serve.  But why wait for game day as all of these recipes are perfect for parties, picnics, and potluck year-round.  All are made from unprocessed whole plants and free of sugar, oil, and salt.  Enjoy!

RED NO-LENTIL CHILI
Here is a lentil-free version of one of my most popular recipes from The Secrets to Ultimate Weight-Loss.  Perfect for those who want to add more veggies or need to avoid legumes.  I am including the original version as well.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups water

⅓ cup dry millet

16 ounces riced cauliflower

1 14.5-ounce can of Muir Glen salt-free fire-roasted tomatoes

1 red bell pepper

4 Tablespoons tomato paste

6 Deglet Noor dates

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

5 ounces chopped red onion (approx. 1 cup)

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon SMOKED paprika

¾ teaspoon salt-free chili powder

¾ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon chipotle powder

⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

PREPARATION:
Place 4 cups of water in an Instant Pot pressure cooker. In a high-powered blender, blend the tomatoes, bell pepper, dates, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar. Add the puree to the Instant Pot along with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Release the pressure immediately when it’s done cooking.

CHEF’S NOTE:
I love to serve this over brown rice sprinkled with chopped scallions and Enlightened Faux Parmesan. (That recipe is in The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss but all you have to do is blend three ingredients: 1 cup of gluten-free oats, 1 cup of nutritional yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of Benson’s Table Tasty or your favorite salt-free seasoning.)

RED LENTIL CHILI
I get more thank you emails for this recipe than for just about any other.

INGREDIENTS:

One pound of red lentils

8 cups of water

2 – 14.5-ounce cans of salt-free tomatoes, fire-roasted preferred

1 – 6-ounce can of salt-free tomato paste

3 ounces of pitted dates (about 12 Deglet Noor)

10 ounces of chopped onion (approximately 3 cups)

One pound of red bell pepper, (approximately 2 large)

8 cloves of garlic, finely minced

4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1.5 Tablespoons parsley flakes

1.5 Tablespoons dried oregano

1.5 Tablespoons salt-free chili powder

2 teaspoons SMOKED paprika

½ teaspoon chipotle powder (more or less, to taste)

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)

PREPARATION:
Blend the tomatoes, red bell peppers, garlic, and dates, (if using), in a blender and blend until smooth. Place all remaining ingredients in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and cook on high for 10 minutes. Or, place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Sprinkle with Enlightened Faux Parmesan and finely chopped scallions before serving.

CHEF’S NOTE:
This is delicious served over a baked Yukon Gold potato or brown or wild rice. The recipe may be halved, but why would you want to?

You can watch me make this on Episode 3 of Healthy Living with Chef AJ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ixdhANu9YA or on YouTube:

HOT SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP
This is a staple hot appetizer dish served at many restaurants and is made from cheese, butter, and cream. Not mine. Mine is made from actual food!

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces of cauliflower (approx. 4 cups), steamed

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

¼ cup cloves roasted garlic

12-ounce bag frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted

2 cups finely chopped spinach, or more to taste

PREPARATION:
First, steam the cauliflower and roast the garlic. The absolute quickest and easiest way to roast garlic is to place the peeled cloves in an air fryer at 370 degrees F for ten minutes (or a little longer if you prefer them well-done). Place all ingredients except for the spinach in a high-powered blender or food processor fitted with the “S” blade and blend until smooth and creamy. If you prefer, you can also finely chop the artichoke hearts and stir them in by hand. Stir in the spinach by hand. Microwave until hot. Serve as a dip with your favorite veggies such as bell pepper or with baked tortilla chips.

PIZZA HUMMUS
This recipe was contributed by a dear friend and PCRM cooking instructor and health coach Sharon McRae. You can find out more about her work at www.Eatwell-Staywell.com. This is deliciously thinned out as a sauce for Zoodles or instead of tomato sauce on your pizza

INGREDIENTS:

2 – 15-ounce cans of salt-free garbanzo beans (or 3 cups cooked beans)

¾ to 1 cup water or liquid from the can, adjusted for desired thickness

2 cloves garlic

¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil and salt-free) about 3 ounces

½ of a medium red onion

4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

PREPARATION:
Place all ingredients in a Vitamix or food processor fitted with the “S” blade and blend until smooth and creamy.

CHEF’S NOTE: I modified Sharon’s recipe slightly by roasting the onion and garlic and adding 1 teaspoon of Pepperoni Spice available from wwwLocalSpicery.com.  (2 free small samples with code CHEFAJ)

All of these recipes are great served with

BAKED TORTILLA CHIPS
Make sure you get tortillas that are made only of corn or just corn and lime.

INGREDIENTS:
Corn tortillas (I like the blue corn ones from Trader Joe’s)

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut each tortilla into fourths.  Place on a cookie sheet covered with a Silpat* and sprinkle with herbs or salt-free seasonings, if desired. Bake for 7-8 minutes.  Turn chips over and lightly spray again with water.  Bake another 7-8 minutes until crisp.  Let cool and keep in an airtight container.

*A Silpat is a non-stick, silicone baking mat.  Nothing sticks to it and you can reuse it.  If you don’t have one, you can use parchment paper.