Super Bowl Feat Wrap Up

Much like my fellow Americans, we celebrated the Superbowl with what some would describe as a feast. And holidays of this nature always concern me since I have had my dairy-free princess. Every delicious appetizer under the sun has dairy in some of its ingredients. It’s a true struggle to find a crowd pleasing dairy-free appetizer menu. But I think I did it!!! Special thanks to Pinterest for providing me with the recipes!!!

First we have an old fashioned White Castle slider (easy to serve with and without cheese)…

Thanks to Big Red Kitchen for this one!
White Castle-like Sliders
Ingredients
1/2 cup dried onion flakes (I didn’t quite use the full amount)
2 pounds ground chuck- 80/20 ground beef (I think I used lower fat beef)
1/2 t. seasoned salt
6 slices cheddar cheese (I used low-fat munster but you get the idea)
24 small party rolls (I used slider buns)
24 dill pickle slices

Directions
Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Gently press the ground beef on top of the onion flakes. Press evenly making one giant pattie. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the pattie. Top with cheddar cheese, return to oven for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, let set 5 minutes then cut into 24 patties. Slice open and separate each party roll. Place bottom of rolls on a large platter. Using a spatula lift pattie with onion layer onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with a pickle slice then the bun lid. Serve immediately. Makes 24 Sliders.

***Shocker, this may have been the biggest hit of the evening.

Next was my personal favorite Double Decker Taco Cupcakes (which I made single layer and closely resemble a “Scoops” version I have made before). This recipe comes to you thanks to The Girl Who Ate Everything (with a name like that how can you not like her?!?).

Taco Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package of Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
36 wonton wrappers
1 (16 ounce) can Old El Paso refried beans
36 tortilla chips
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used vegan cheese for those of us not eating dairy)
optional toppings: sour cream, diced tomatoes, cilantro, onion

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. Brown beef in a skillet and drain the fat. Add the taco seasoning mix and water called for on the package and simmer for 4-5 minutes. (I did ten minutes) Set aside.
3. Place one wonton wrapper in the bottom of each muffin cup. Layer about 1 Tbsp of refried beans on top of each wonton. Crush one tortilla chip on top of the beans. Top with 1 Tbsp of taco meat and 1 Tbsp of shredded cheese. Repeat the layers again with a wonton wrapper, refried beans, tortilla chips, taco meat, and cheese.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove cupcakes from tin and top with your favorite taco toppings (i.e. sour cream, diced tomatoes, onion, or cilantro)

***This is easy to custom make for your crowd. I kept it basic for the kids and out of laziness since I was making a lot more. Everyone seemed to enjoy…except my pain in the tush non-dairy princess. Wah wah!

Another attempt at quinoa, brace yourself!! Thanks Simple Awesome Cooking for this goodie!

Loaded Veggie Quinoa Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 Garlic Cloves
1 cup spinach, broccoli and red pepper mixture
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cheddar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, parsley or cilantro)

Directions
1. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook the quinoa for 20 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed. Let this cool before working with it.
2. For the vegetable mixture, I was pulling together leftovers to get about 1 cup of vegetables. I put a sliced medium red pepper, a handful of steamed broccoli and some cooked spinach into a food processor and pulsed until it was well chopped. Put the vegetables into a large mixing bowl and add the breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs
3. In a separate bowl, gently beat the two eggs and then pour on top of the rest. Add some salt and pepper and mix it all really well. What you want is a sort of batter that you can press into patties the isn’t to wet & sticky, but also doesn’t fall apart. Add in more breadcrumbs as necessary to find this balance.
4. When the burger mix is ready, take a handful and roll it into a round that’s a little larger than a golf ball but smaller than a racket ball. Place each onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and gently press into slider shape. Leave them thicker than the finished product as you’ll press them a bit more once they cook. Ideally you should refrigerate them for at least half an hour so they set nicely.
5. Bring a large skillet up to medium high heat and add a small amount of olive oil. Place the slider into the skillet and gently press it down. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side until it’s browned and crispy. (I also baked in the oven for ten minutes for our egg allergy issue)

***Sadly this was the flop of the night. We will be eating the leftovers tonight for dinner because my family all liked it (my allergy princess liked this one the most). They were, however, more like pancakes than sliders but what difference does it make?!

Who doesn’t need a salad resembling a dip??? That’s where this Avocado Tomato Salad comes in…thank you She’s Vegging Out!!

Avocado Tomato Salad
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cut up. Mix together! Easy enough!!!

***Everyone enjoyed but found it hard not to use chips while eating. Works for me!

And last but certainly not least was my favorite of the evening, brought to you by Chiquita Bananas

Easy Banana Sammies
Ingredients:
1 whole Chiquita Banana
1/3 cup Peanut butter
2 whole Graham Crackers
1 sheet Plastic Wrap

Directions
Mash the banana and peanut butter together in a small bowl with a spoon. Put a spoonful of the mixture onto half a graham cracker and top it with the other half to make a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour before eating.

***I am obsessed with this, delicious and full of protein and fruit!!! Amazing! Unfortunately my kids didn’t agree. But I will be making it all the time so they will learn to love it! After all they love bananas, peanut butter and graham crackers so how could you go wrong?!?!

Some of us were pretty content with how the evening went down…

Sadly for my eldest, who decided to root for the 49ers because he was mad after the Ravens beat the Bears, it was a rough night. At least we were all well fed!!!