A Super Bowl...of Deliciousness.

 And so it is here again: The Super Bowl! 

Another sports highlight of the year that, at least for me, means I get to cheer on a team that I actually have no interest in and dress up in sports-related clothing that I have dug out of my "I will never wear this" pile of clothes. 

The Super Bowl is also an occasion for snacks...MANY snacks. I did some google-ing and found some amazing stats on snacks during this annual event:

- 5,000 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn consumed during the game

- $55 million dollars spent on food during the game

- Frozen pizza is the number one Super Bowl seller at grocery stores

- 30.4 million pounds of snack food consumed on the day of the game

WOW. That is a hefty amount of snack food! But how much of that is actually nutritious? Probably not much. From what I've seen (and eaten) it mostly consists of nachos, chicken wings, pizza, and pretty much anything that you can bread and deep-fry. Yes, these things are delicious. No doubt. And from time to time, enjoy those deep-fried mars bars...but for enjoying snacks during the rest of the year and/or for those who want to keep to their new years resolutions and live a more active, healthy lifestyle: these two snack foods are for you! They are two of my favorites: nacho dip and spinach dip. Made for munching and enjoying. These two recipes are fresh and fragrant, and work for any event requiring snacks. Or lunch. Or dinner :) Or both.

Spinach Dip with Multigrain Garlic Crostini

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1 large bag of pre-washed spinach

1/4 cup dry onion soup mix

Multigrain french baguette

2 tbsp olive oil

ground garlic

Preheat oven to 400C. Thinly slice multigrain french baguette. Pour olive oil into small dish. Use the back of a wooden spoon or cooking paintbrush to lightly coat one side of each bread slice. Place slices of baking sheet. Sprinkle ground garlic overtop (sprinkling is a good technique here because it prevents over-seasoning the bread. Spreading the ground garlic with a utensil runs the risk of increasing the garlic flavor to an unpleasant level- especially when eaten with the finished spinach dip). Place the baking sheet into the oven. Place the spinach into microwaveable bowl. Microwave (covered- this allows for the spinach to 'steam' while in the microwave) for 1 minute or until the spinach looks 'wilted'. Transfer into a bowl of room temperature. Add greek yogurt and mayonnaise (The spinach won't be at room temperature yet and may cause the yogurt and mayonnaise to become slightly more liquid, that's totally fine! In fact, it is expected). Mix thoroughly. Add onion soup mix (measurement is approximate- taste as you add to suit your palate). Take the baguette slices out of the oven when golden brown and dip in the yummy spinach dip! 

Layered Nacho Dip

1 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup romano beans

1/2 cup black beans

medium cheddar cheese

fresh parmesan

4 whole tomatoes

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup diced (frozen) mango

1 cup sweet corn kernels (frozen)

fresh cilantro (approximately 1/4 cup chopped)

1 lime

Spread greek yogurt evenly on bottom of rectangular pan. Spread romano beans and black beans evenly as the next layer. Note: these beans often come in cans. Empty the cans of beans into a strainer and run cold water overtop to wash off the starchy liquid they come in. We don't want nacho-dip-soup. Also, move the beans around in the strainer using either your hand or a wooden spoon, try to avoid 'swishing' them around in the strainer as this will cause bubbles to form and will begin to mush the beans. Using your hands or a utensil allows for gentle handling of them so that they can be washed properly while maintaining their shape! Grate cheddar and parmesan cheese overtop of beans (don't add to much- this dish doesn't need it. The creaminess of the beans is sufficient to cover the fat-component of the dish. It is delicious without a lot of cheese!). Dice the whole tomatoes and place them in a strainer. Roughly chop cherry tomatoes and add. Put this strainer into the sink to get rid of excess tomato juices that would make the dip more soupy than we want (do not shake the strainer as it will create bubbles, crush the tomatoes and create more juice rather than get rid of residual). Add the tomatoes into mixing bowl. Thaw frozen mango and corn (these are such great ingredients to have on hand. They are frozen at their peak ripeness and are available all year! They're economical and yummy). Dice the mango further. Add mango and corn to tomatoes. Finely chop cilantro and add. Add the juice and zest of 1/2 lime. Mix. Use a straining spoon to scoop the salsa onto the greek yogurt-beans-cheese layer dish (make sure to reduce the amount of liquid you transfer as much as possible!). Juice the remaining 1/2 lime and add zest to taste. Enjoy!