Winning Game Day Recipes
Say Hello to Some Serious Super Bowl Flavor!
Words by Justin and Kayla Butts Photos by Rachel Benavides
For your Super Bowl party, you want to feature healthy food without sacrificing flavor. Say goodbye to the nachos, potato skins, and hot wings of yesteryear, and say hello to some serious Super Bowl flavor! With these tasty and delicious recipes, the game will be the only thing that raises your blood pressure.
Be prepared for your Turnip Green Dip to disappear as soon as you set it on the game day table. It’s best to make a secret batch for yourself and hide it well! The robust turnip green flavor balances beautifully with the bacon and melted cheese. The secret to this dip is a good white wine, which adds a level of complexity to the dish and helps elevate the other flavors.
Try this dip with crisp, raw veggies, chips, or spread on a toasted baguette.You will never believe turnip greens can taste this good.
Klobasnek is the Czech name for a savory meat-filled pastry. Klobosneks may be the perfect game day food, because you can wave them over your head as you cheer without spilling anything, then dip them in marinara sauce between plays.
These meatball klobasneks are cheesy, gooey, meaty, doughy, and so delicious, and they are easy and fun to make. But be sure to make plenty; they will go fast. (Ladies, if your husband loves meatball subs, you may want to restrict his access to klobasneksor, or he will be ready to pop by halftime!)
The Thai Lettuce Wraps may be the best thing on your Game Day table. They are sweet, spicy, crunchy, and fresh, and ; every bite is better than the best Super Bowl commercial. If your friends and family vote for their favorite dish, this one is likely to win. Eat as many as you want; this is guilt-free Super Bowl dining at its very best.
These dishes are healthy, easy to make, and incredibly flavorful and delicious. Best of all, you can find every ingredient for these recipes in your garden or from a local farm.
February is a great month for local produce in Central Texas: carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, turnip greens, and many others. If you don’t have a garden of your own, stop by your local farmers’ market for the freshest ingredients in Austin, plus much more.
The Big Game is finally here! Let’s get our Game Day food on the table and eat like Super Bowl champions!
Thai Lettuce Wraps
Serves 4 appetizer portions
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Pork filling:
2 tbsp sesame seed oil
½ onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, mostly seeded, finely minced
1 lb ground pork
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Pinch of salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 heaping tbsp fresh ginger, grated
6 or so tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 generous splash mirin (rice wine)
1 splash rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
Wrap and Toppings:
12 large lettuce leaves, rinsed well and dried (Recommend Bibb variety)
5 baby carrots, julienned
Cabbage, shredded
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Directions:
Heat oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño, sautéing until tender. Add ground pork, salt and red pepper. When pork is almost completely browned, add garlic and ginger, cooking for an additional minute until fragrant. Stir in liquids and brown sugar. Increase heat to high and cook until liquids reach a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Finish with squeezed lime.
To assemble wraps: place pork filling, carrot, and cabbage on a large lettuce leaf. Top with cilantro and finish with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Turnip Green Dip
Fresh bacon adds great flavor and a chewy bite to this dip without imparting damaging nitrates found in cured bacon.
Serves 6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh bacon, chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup white wine
4 heaping cups packed fresh turnip greens, stemmed and chopped
1 cup sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz mayonnaise
½ cup parmigiano reggiano
¼ tsp red pepper
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup fresh mozzarella, shredded
Directions:
In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and reserve on a lined plate. Sauté onions in drippings over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until almost translucent. Add wine and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in turnip greens and remaining ingredients, except mozzarella. Cook 6-8 minutes, or until cream cheese is melted. Stir in reserved bacon. Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella. Broil on high for 4-5 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Serve hot with crudité or toasted baguette.
[adrotate banner=”6″]
Cheesy Meatball Klobasnek with Basil Marinara
Often referred to as savory kolaches, these stuffed rolls are a compact version of meatball subs.
Serves 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp, 1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup warm water
4 cups bread flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
32 oz fresh mozzarella, shredded
Meatballs:
2 lbs ground grass-fed beef (may substitute ground pastured pork)
½ cup onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp bread crumbs
2 tbsp parmigiano reggiano
2 heaping tsp dried Parsley
1 tsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp red pepper
1 egg
Olive oil to coat pan
Basil Marinara:
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp dried basil
Salt and red pepper, to taste
Directions:
Dough: In a medium sauce pan, warm milk and butter over medium-low heat until butter has melted, but before liquid comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in egg yolks. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in water. Let ferment for 5 minutes. Mix remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add milk and yeast, slowly incorporating wet and dry ingredients with your hands or a wooden spoon. Knead for 3 minutes until a soft, pliable dough is formed. Let rise for one hour. Begin preparing meatballs.
Meatballs: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well incorporated. Spoon beef mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and place on medium heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, about 5 minutes for each side. Remove from heat. Divide bread dough into golf ball sized portions (about 1 ¾ oz). Roll to 4-5” round. Place meatball in the center of rolled dough and top with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella. Bring edges of dough together and pinch to seal. Cover with a clean tea towel and let proof for 45 minutes. Prepare basil marinara.
Basil Marinara: Combine all ingredients in a medium sauté pan. Heat until boiling, stirring frequently and breaking tomatoes apart with your stirring spoon.
