3 Healthy Appetizers for Your Football Watching Party

By Bella Bucchiotti

Hi there. Bella here again… As you may or may not know, while most of the Wear + Where + Well team is in Houston, I’m based in British Columbia, Canada. Since Houston is hosting the Super Bowl this year, the Houston gang seems pretty hyped about the big game. While it’s not as big of a deal here in Canada, I’ll still be tuning in and cooking some yummy treats.

These 3 healthy game day appetizers will give you something to cheer for. They are lighter, almost guilt free appetizers to satisfy your taste buds without deviating too far off your healthy eating plans for the new year. You will love these twists on classic Super Bowl snacks.

Cauliflower Buffalo Bites

These scrumptious bites taste like buffalo chicken wings but are made with cauliflower. In fact, they are a perfect light alternative that doesn’t compromise flavor.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 Cup water
• 3/4 Cup rice flour
• 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 1 Cup buffalo sauce
• 1 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the water, flours and seasonings in a medium bowl. Mix until combined.
3. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the batter, shaking off the excess batter before placing on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
5. While the cauliflower is baking, combine the buffalo sauce and honey in a bowl.
6. When the cauliflower is cooked, toss it in the sauce mixture and place back in to oven for another 10 minutes.
7. Serve with ranch dip.

Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers

Crunchy, sweet bell peppers are the base for this easy to eat finger food. The cheesy filling is full of flavor and has a pop of jalapeño that everyone is craving on game day.

Ingredients

• 2 Packages light cream cheese
• 20 mini bell peppers
• 6 Slices bacon
• 3 Jalapeño peppers
• 3 Tbsp. green onion

Directions

1. Cook bacon until crispy. Chop into small pieces.
2. Seed jalapeño and cut finely. Chop green onion.
3. Mix cream cheese, peppers, green onion and bacon together and then set aside.
4. Cut tops off the mini bell peppers, seed and clean them.
5. Stuff mini peppers with cream cheese mixture.

Sweet Potato Avocado Bites

Trust me, make a lot of these because they are going to be a hit!  The crispy potatoes form a perfect base for the refreshing avocado topping.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Sweet potatoes, sliced
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tsp. black pepper
• 2 Avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 4 Slices of bacon
• 3 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and then brush with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil each.
2. Slice potatoes and arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheets. Brush tops with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 25 minutes until golden brown. Flip over and then roast for an additional 8 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Cook bacon until crispy. Chop into small pieces.
5. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, yogurt, cilantro and lime juice. Mash lightly with a fork. Mix in chopped bacon.
6. Place a small spoon of avocado mixture on potato.

In Closing

So, what are your Super Bowl plans? I’d love to hear.

Also, don’t miss all the other Houston-related content the team has been cranking out. They’ve written so many great Houston City Guides. It all makes me want to visit again soon!