As a southern "lady in training" raised in Auburn, Alabama ("War Eagle") and a HUGE fan of SEC College Football, I love to have people over to watch the games when I don't attend tailgates. Any serious football fan knows that having delicious food and drinks available is just as important as the atmosphere--you got to love competitive friends gathering around to laugh, cheer & yell at their teams & of course the refs...as if they can hear "us" through the television! So it is imperative to always have fun, healthy, easy to make AND eat food & drinks that everyone will enjoy.
This Saturday we watched a couple of big games; the biggest upset being that the #1 BCS ranked team Alabama lost to the SEC newcomer Texas A&M, conceding their spot for a shot at another National Championship! The fate of what teams would play for the 2012 SEC Championship was decided when Auburn lost to Georgia in the south's oldest rivalry game. Florida barely squeaked out a victory in the last couple of seconds of their homecoming game with Louisiana, when they blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. Needless to say, it was a fun and exciting day for SEC football lovers!
Due to the last minute decision to stay home and have people over, I made three very easy, go-to dishes, light, spicy deviled eggs, light sweet & tangy baked honey mustard chicken wings, (a recipe I got from Savoring Thyme) and lighter avocado & spinach dip. Anticipating the excitement inherent in SEC matches, especially old rivalries and night games, light beer and one of my favorite adult beverages, skinny corona-ritas were served as well! I have tried SEVERAL versions of "light margaritas" and have not been a fan of any of them, until I came across this recipe below! It is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!
The food and drinks were delicious, and all my guests left full and satisfied...well they were happy with their refreshments, maybe not the outcome of the night's games ; )
Skinny Corona-ritas:
RECIPE
SERVES 12 *One glass is one serving
CALORIES 19
FAT 0g
CARBS 3g
*Makes 2 pitchers
The entire recipe is 223 calories, 30 carbs & 0g of fat.INGREDIENTS:
1 can of frozen diet limeade
12 oz of tequila (I recommend a silver version)
24 oz of diet Sprite
3 oz Triple Sec
One Corona Light
*lime wedges for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour half of all the ingredients into the blender with a cup of ice & blend until smooth
2. Pour into glasses and add a lime wedge garnish
*You can add more ice if you like the drink slushier; I do not. If you like your margaritas "on the rocks" you can skip the blender all together & just mix the ingredients in a pitcher & pour over ice
Light & Spicy Deviled Eggs:
***COOKING TIP:
When trying to get the "stuffing" into the boiled eggs in an easy clean manner, all you need to do is take your mixture & scoop it into any type of bag (I used a sandwich bag) and clip off one corner of the bottom edges, about 1 cm (just a little bit-this picture is blown up). If the bag is not seal-able make sure none gets out of the top opening while you work. Squeeze the "stuffing" down toward the newly cut hole (be careful not to get any out yet, I advise you do this over a plate for the first time until you get the feel of it). Grasp bag slightly to where "stuffing" is in the palm of your hand, and as you gently squeeze, it will smoothly pipe out into your eggs. It works best if you start at the center of the yolk's hole and work around in wide circles clockwise, coming around & upward in smaller circles as you go until you make a sort of Christmas tree shape! It is very similar to piping icing!
RECIPE
SERVES 24 *Makes 48 deviled eggs & one serving is 2 deviled eggs
CALORIES 81
FAT 5g
PROTEIN 6g
CARBS 1g
PREP TIME: 7 mins
COOK TIME: 5 mins
INGREDIENTS:
12 eggs
1/4 cup of yellow mustard
1/8 cup of light mayonaise
1/8 cup of Wickle Pickle relish (you can substitute relish BUT I wouldn't recommend it)
1/2 tsp of hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
paprika
DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil 12 eggs in a large pot
2. Remove eggs & set aside to cool
3. Remove eggs shells, being careful not take egg pieces with them. I find it best to run cool water over the eggs first
4. Cut eggs in half vertically (around long circumference). When cutting try not to go all the way through, but stop at the yoke so it is easier to remove from the egg in one whole piece. If this doesn't happen then scoop yoke out carefully with a fork or spoon by prying around it's edges separating it from the egg
5. Mix removed yolks & all other ingredients (except paprika) in a large bowl
6. Scoop mixture into the "half circle holes" or indention were yolk once was of each egg. See cooking tip above for best way to do this & picture showing how
7. Sprinkle with paprika & set in the refrigerator to cool
*Can be made in advance & stored in the refrigerator for up to a day before serving, however it tastes best when eaten that day.
Lighter Avocado & Spinach Dip:
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| Need a better picture-this does NOT give this yummy dip justice! |
RECIPE
SERVES 15 *Makes 3 1/2 cups of dip, one serving being about 1/4 cup
CALORIES 73.3
FAT 4.4g
PROTEIN 5.2g
CARBS 3.4g
SUGAR 0.6g
FIBER 0.9g
CHOLESTEROL mg
SODIUM 245.2mg
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
14 oz artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained & chopped
9oz spinach chopped (if use frozen make sure it's thawed & squeezed out)
1 clove or 1 tsp of garlic
1 clove of shallots
1/2 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup of light mayonnaise
2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese shredded
4 oz of shredded reduced fat or skim mozzarella cheese
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of hot sauce
salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Coarsely chop the artichoke hearts with the garlic and shallots (or use a food processor if you have one)
3. Combine & mix all ingredients in a medium bowl.
4. Place in a olive oil sprayed oven-proof dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted or slightly bubbling.
*Can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for one day OR in the freezer up to 2-3 months before baking. If unfreezing let it thaw first before baking, but do not let it stay defrosted for more than one day in the refrigerator.
Light Sweet & Tangy Baked Honey Mustard Chicken Wings:
Original recipe can be found out a very cute blog called Savoring Thyme! Check it out by clinking on link. My version of the recipe is below!
***HEALTH TIP:
Honey is an antioxidant that helps lower cholesterol & fight heart disease!!!! I like to add it when cooking meats (which can be high in cholesterol), especially when I do not remove the skins, as a healthier alternative to store bought marinades for huge flavor & sweetness. An article about the cholesterol lowering capabilities on webmd stated a "research team found that dark honey generally has the highest concentrations of antioxidants" and that it should be "be incorporated into your diet by substituting them for other calorie-rich foods in order to get the most benefits without adding extra pounds." Read more: http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/news/20020819/honey-almonds-lower-cholesterol
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center states "[h]oney could help stimulate wound healing, fight periodontal disease or gingivitis, regulate blood-sugar levels and provide laxative effects." Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/283040-do-honey-cinnamon-lower-cholesterol/#ixzz2C8kuI0PB
***COOKING TIP:
When baking wings, put them on a cooling rack that is placed on top of a foil lined baking sheet, to add that scrumptious crispness to the wing's skin and also let the excess oils (fat) drain off them as they cook!
RECIPE
SERVES 24 *One serving is 1 wings
CALORIES 106
FAT 6g
PROTEIN 7.9g
CARBS 6g
SUGAR 6g
CHOLESTEROL 25mg
SODIUM 121mg
PREP TIME: 5mins + how long you decide to marinate wings (30mins-overnight)
COOK TIME: 25mins
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp of mustard seed (if you have it)
2 Tbls (1 fluid oz) of Trop 50 Orange Juice
1/2 tbl of garlic, minced
18 chicken wings
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine all ingredients, except chicken wings, in a bowl & whisk until thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour mixture over chicken in a pan or storage bag and marinate in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but for optimal flavor the longer the better, overnight if you can!
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
3. Foil over a backing sheet and place a cooling rack on top of it. This technique will add crispness to the wings' skin, see picture & cooking tip above. Spray the cooling rack with olive oil & place wings on top of rack carefully so that they are not overlapping and you have as much of them balanced on the rack as you can.
4. Cook wings for 25-30 minutes
What are your favorite tailgate foods?
I'm always interested & ready to try new recipes, so if you know any great tailgate recipes to share please do so in the comments section or email them to me. If you'd like me to try to lighten up your not so healthy favorite sport friendly food or drink, give me your suggestions & I'll try to get out some new healthier versions soon!
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