Plant-Based SuperBowl Sunday

That sounds really dreary, but it doesn’t have to be. No matter what your food habits are at the moment - omnivore, pesca or vege-tarian, adding more things from the vegetable kingdom is never a bad idea. Whether you have chicken wings or not, these dishes will be good additions and you'll feel good about serving AND eating them. 

Here’s what I’m thinking about:

Anne Burrell’s Kale Chips Just remember to serve them straight out of the oven. Maybe have another batch ready to go in when the first comes out, so they can be enjoyed hot and crispy.

    

Giada’s (or anyone’s) Sweet Potato Fries The garlic mayonnaise is a good substitute for the ranch or blue cheese dressing that you may be craving.

      

Black Bean Hummus

1 can black beans (drained, save the liquid)

4 tbls. tahini

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

4½ tbls. lemon juice

1 clove garlic, center stalk removed and pressed

¼ tsp. Kosher salt

Drain black beans, pouring liquid into small bowl. Rinse black beans well and add to food processor fitted with metal blade. Add 4 tablespoons of reserved liquid from can along with the remaining ingredients. Serve with homemade baked pita chips.

Optional: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, but it really doesn’t need it.

Baked Pita Chips

1 pita (I prefer wholewheat) makes 16 chips

Cut each pita into 8 wedges. Separate each one in half. Lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer (they can be jammed next to each other.) Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool and store in a ziplock bag. You can reheat them in a big jumbled pile in the toaster oven for a minute or two before serving.

      

I don’t love bruschetta, because I find it hard to eat. But if you use a skinny loaf of French bread, you'll get smaller pieces and toasting only one side of the bread also makes them easier to bite in a genteel fashion.

Little Toasts With Roasted Red Pepper Spread And Goat Cheese

Use this fabulous Bon Appétit recipe, forgetting the roast beef. For the toasts, slice French bread into thin slices. (Don’t cut bread on the diagonal. It makes the pieces too big.) Place in pan in toaster oven and toast. Or place on large baking sheet and cook under the broiler just until lightly browned, watching very carefully.

    

This is a foolproof, always good, not particularly good for you, nachos recipe. It’s especially good for inexperienced cooks.

Nuked Nachos

      

Black Bean And Yam Stew
Great recipe. I only use one can of black beans and I serve this over brown rice with corn muffins.

   

I do have one more idea, but it deserves its own post. Look for it tomorrow.