Super (Bowl) Snacks

This was what I learned about Super Bowl XVKWERII (or whatever it was):

The coaches were brothers born only 18 months apart.

The parents were cute in the week leading up to the Superbowl and pretty heartbroken afterwards for the losing brother. (Don’t ask me which one lost. Both names start with a “J”).

There was a really embarrassing power outrage.

Someone ran 109 yards, which was later changed to 108 yards. Not sure how they can do that.

But the most important lesson I learned was…to always make (many) more chicken wings than you think you would ever actually need.

I was feeding a small group. (Well, “group” might be the wrong word to use when there were only 2 of us.) But I didn’t let that stop me. I had the choice of a big package or a small package of wings. I went with the big (over 20 wings), and while we had quite a few left over, at least I wasn’t worried the whole time about running out. Because, goodness knows, that would have been a tragedy.

Sriracha-ed Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

Printable recipe here.

That’s it. That’s the recipe. Sriracha and chicken wings. For my 20 or so wings, I slathered on at least ½ cup of Sriracha.

I had second thoughts that they would be way too hot, but they weren’t. I had decided to forgo the butter and let the crispy, crunchy yumminess of the wings speak for themselves.

20 or more chicken wings

½ cup (or more) Sriracha

Place chicken wings in bowl. Pour over Sriracha. Do yourself a favor and put on disposable gloves before you work the Sriracha in and around the wings. Let marinate overnight, if you can, or for at least an hour, covered and refrigerated.

Place wings in a single layer on a large baking sheet covered with foil. Bake, nice side down, in a preheated 425°F oven for 20 minutes. Turn and bake for another 15 minutes. Put under the broiler for just a few minutes, to get them super browned. Serve with Blue Cheese Dressing and celery sticks.

Note: They reheat really nicely in a toaster oven or in a 375°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes.

Blue Cheese Dressing

adapted from David Lebovitz

a generous ¾ cup blue cheese crumbles

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

2 tbls. plain yogurt (nonfat is fine, Greek is better)

3 to 5 tbls. lowfat milk
1 tbl. white wine vinegar
freshly ground white pepper (or just use black pepper and live with the black specks)

In a small bowl, mix together the blue cheese, sour cream, yogurt, 3 tablespoons of milk and vinegar. Add pepper. Stir until completely blended. Add more milk by the tablespoonful, if you want it thinner. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I like to prepare nachos individually, instead of serving a big gloppy mass that sticks together where the top chips are super-loaded and the bottom ones are bare. Plus if you’re a neat freak, these look so much better than a random pile of chips, cheese and other sundries. It only takes a bit longer to put together and it makes each chip really count!

You can vary these according to your taste. Use any two of the three main ingredients to make a great topping for nacho chips – Chicken and Black Beans, Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes or just Chicken and Sweet Potatoes. But all three together is a good choice. You can use the leftovers as a base for chili the next day.

Chicken, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Nachos (makes about 15)

Printable recipe here.

1 tbl. olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

big pinch of Kosher salt

2 tsps. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. coriander

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 can black beans, rinsed well

1 plum tomato diced

1 small sweet potato, diced small

1 boneless raw chicken breast, cut into small dice (See note)

15 or so taco chips
15 (or so) sharp cheddar cheese slices

Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and salt. Cook on medium heat until you hear a sizzle. Cover, turn down heat to low and cook until onion is soft, at least 10 minutes. (You can turn up the heat just a bit, if there’s no action in the pan.)

Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and pepper.