Healthy twists on Big 10 favorites

| 4 min read

GameDaySnack
Game-day isn’t complete without your favorite snack in hand. Discover asked college football fans to name their favorite game-day snack based on the following options: nachos, pizza, pretzels, wings, hot dogs, chips and dip, “something else” and “not sure.” So what did the Big 10 pick as their favorite football munchie? Pizza of course!
While these all of these options are delicious, they aren’t very nutritious. But no fears, we’ve got our own twist on a few of these game-day favorites to make your next snack a little healthier.
Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizza
Ingredients:
  • 1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower – should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic minced
  • optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 egg
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 ° Fahrenheit
  1. Wash and dry cauliflower. Cut off stems and use florets. Pulse the cauliflower florets in your food processor to “rice” the cauliflower. Do this for about 30 seconds until the cauliflower looks like rice. Place riced cauliflower in microwave safe bowl and place in microwave for about 4 minutes.
  1. Let cauliflower cool for a few moments. Then dump into clean dry kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess moisture. This will make sure that your pizza crust sets and doesn’t turn into a crumbly mess.
  1. Mix all ingredients together. Using your hands works best.
  1. Spray your cookie sheet or pizza stone with cooking spray. Then mold your cauliflower pizza crust onto it. Think thin crust pizza and it should be about 10 inches in diameter.
  1. Bake your pizza crust in the oven for 8-12 minutes.
  1. Take out crust and let cool for a few minutes.
  1. Place your favorite pizza sauce and toppings on cauliflower crust and bake until cheese melts (about 5-7 minutes). I recommend vegetables and light cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional Information (Makes 6 servings)
Per serving: 46.9 calories; 2.4g total fat; 110.4mg sodium; 2.3g carbohydrates; 0.9g fiber; 4.2g protein
Broccoli-Cheese Dip with Potato Dippers
Ingredients:
Dip
  • 1 8 ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese (cut up)
  • 6 ounces reduced-fat pasteurized prepared cheese product
  • 1 1/2 cups broccoli, blanched* and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons bottled salsa
  • 4 teaspoons bacon-flavor vegetable protein bits
  • Fat-free milk (optional)
Potato dippers
  • 4 medium russet potatoes
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Dip
1. In a 1 1/2- or 2-quart slow cooker combine cream cheese, cheese product, broccoli, salsa, and bacon-flavor bits.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 hours. (If no heat setting is available, cook for 3 hours.)
3. Stir dip before serving. If desired, thin dip to desired consistency with milk. Serve with potato dippers.
Potato dippers
1. Scrub potatoes; cut each potato into 16 slices. Place potato slices in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 450 ° Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Drain potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Place the potatoes in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly coat potato slices with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chili powder and black pepper. Bake potatoes for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly crisp. Makes 64 dippers.
Nutritional Information (Makes 16 servings)
Per serving: 108 calories; 4g total fat; 256mg sodium; 12g carbohydrates; 1g fiber; 5g protein
Baked Buffalo Wings
Ingredients:
  • 1 lb chicken wings
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 cup Louisiana hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon margarine
  • Cooking spray
Directions:
1. Fill a large pot half way with water and then add the first 4 ingredients.
2. Bring water mixture and wings to a boil and then boil for 15 minutes.
3. Transfer wings to an oven safe container coated with cooking spray. Bake wings on “Broil” (high) for 15 minutes on each side.(For crispier wings, cook longer on each side, maybe 20 minutes per side).
4. While waiting for wings, combine the Hot Sauce and Margarine in a microwave safe container and cook in microwave for 2 minutes or until melted. (You can cook the sauce longer for a thicker sauce).
5. When wings are done, shake ’em up with the sauce and enjoy!
Nutritional Information (Makes 2 servings)
Per serving: 570.5 calories; 42.6g total fat; 5212.2mg sodium; 2.8g carbohydrates; 1g fiber; 42.3g protein
Source: Food.com
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