Holiday Get-Togethers: Featured Article
Featured Article: Plan the Perfect Super Bowl Party -- A Healthy One
Are you ready for some football? Super Bowl Sunday will be here before you know it, but don’t let your celebration of the biggest game of the year interfere with your New Year’s resolution -- to eat healthier.
“It’s easy to get carried away at your typical Super Bowl party, where the foods served are usually greasy chicken wings, ribs, pizza, nachos, and chips with dip, but it’s just as easy to eat healthy,” says Chef Tony Merola, corporate executive chef for Litehouse Foods. “Do your guests a favor this year, and serve snacks that are good for them.”
Merola says serving healthy foods at a party is just as easy as doing the opposite. Instead of chips and dip, he recommends you serve vegetables and fruits with one of Litehouse Foods’ new dips. They are available in six flavors, including ranch and jalapeno cheddar. “Our dips are healthier than others out there,” says Merola. “They are made with 100 percent canola oil, which is an unsaturated fat, have no preservatives or MSG and are gluten free."
Merola says the dips are also very versatile. They can not only be used as a straight dip, but incorporated into recipes. “Instead of serving chicken wings, nachos dripping with processed cheese, French fries or onion rings, try making one of these recipes,” says Merola. “They are all easy to make and good for you,” he adds.
Tangy Crab Dip
- 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup celery, finely diced
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons Litehouse Original Bleu Cheese Dressing & Dip or Litehouse Big Bleu Dressing & Dip
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds imitation crabmeat, cut up
Mix ingredients well. Chill. Serve in a lettuce leaf or on platter surrounded with crackers.
Substitution: Litehouse Chunky Bleu Cheese Dressing & Dip may be used in place of Original or Big Bleu.
New England-style Crab Cakes
- 1 pound crabmeat
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 red pepper, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1/4 cup Litehouse Lite Salsa Ranch Dressing & Dip
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 3 to 4 scallions, sliced
- 1 1/2 cup white bread crumbs (try Japanese panko crumbs)
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
- Safflower oil or canola oil
Pick over crabmeat and place in mixing bowl. Sauté vegetables in 1 tablespoon oil until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Cool vegetable mixture completely. Add vegetables to crabmeat. Add in dressing, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley, scallions and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and chill until ready to cook. To finish, warm large sauté pan or skillet over medium burner, add oil. Shape crab cakes and then press cakes into more bread crumbs. Place cakes into hot pan (cook in two batches). Do not overcrowd pan. Brown nicely on both sides; add more oil as needed. Serve with additional dressing. Serves 6 as lunch or entrée (makes 12 cakes) or 24 to 30 small hors d' oeuvres cakes.
Grilled Spinach & Bleu Cheese Sandwiches
- 9 ounces frozen chopped spinach. Cook according to directions and pat dry.
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 teaspoons Litehouse Freeze-Dried Red Onion
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 thick slices Italian bread
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 4 ounces Litehouse Idaho Bleu Cheese Crumbles
- 2 scallions (white and light green), cut into thin julienne strips
Preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, dried red onion and salt; mix well. Brush both sides of the bread with the olive oil and sprinkle with the pepper. Place on a cookie sheet and broil about 4 inches from the heat, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove the bread, but leave the broiler on.
Spread the spinach-ricotta mixture over the bread, dividing evenly. Sprinkle each slice of bread with cheese. Broil about 4 inches from the heat until the cheese melts, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle the scallions over each sandwich and serve hot. 2 Servings.
