I know, I know. The Super Bowl was last weekend. But I wanted to bring something new this year to our annual party at Judy and Lew's house. And I wasn't going to post my recipe until I tried it out.
The challenge is to serve healthy food. For so many people Super Bowl = fat-filled fare. Inevitably, someone brings three-alarm chili.
While I like flavorful food as much as the next guy—and I even enjoy a spicy kick—I don’t like food that’s overly hot. I find the heat overpowers the spicing.
My chili has no meat, a little kick and a whole lot of interesting tastes mixed together. This year, I used my chili as the stuffing for potato skins.
When I told my host what I was bringing she said she wanted healthy food. (Isn’t that an oxymoron on Super Bowl Sunday?) I told her there were vegetables and beans in tomato sauce on a scooped out potato, with a little bit of melted cheddar on top. What’s unhealthy?
First, the recipe for Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili Recipe
What to buy
- 1 large red pepper, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large onion, cut into large pieces (not diced)
- 3 tbl olive oil
- 1 15.5-oz can red kidney beans
- 1 15.5-oz can black beans
- 1 15.5-oz can white cannellini beans
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 29-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 29-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbl chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Ground pepper to taste
- Three sprinkles Worcestershire
- 2 tbl balsamic vinegar
- Shredded cheddar cheese
How to prepare it
1. Open cans of beans and pour them into a colander or strainer to drain the liquid out. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add red pepper, onion and garlic. Saute until soft—about 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, drained beans, bay leaf and all seasonings. Bring pot to a low boil, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the chili from burning on the bottom of the pot.
4. Serve in a bowl while hot. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese to taste.
Now, the recipe for potato skins
What to buy
- 1 potato per person
- Vegetable oil
- Sea salt
How to prepare it
1. Clean the potatoes and set aside to dry.
2. Pre-heat over to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, prick each potato several times with a fork. Place potatoes on a baking pan in the fully heated oven and cook for one hour, turning over the potatoes after 30 minutes.
3. Take the potatoes out of the oven and set aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
4. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle (after 10 minutes or more), cut them in half. Scoop out the insides leaving a wall of skin and potato that ½ inch thick.
5. Place a rack on the heavy-duty baking pan. Brush the skins of the potato with vegetable oil and place skin-side up on the rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the potatoes over after 10 minutes. This will make the potato skins crisp.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool.
All the above can be done beforehand. When you're ready to serve your skins...
7. Put a heaping tablespoon of chili in each potato. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on each potato. Heat in the over until the cheese is melted about 15 minutes.
8. Serve hot.
That my new Super Bowl recipe. Do you have a special Super Bowl recipe to share with us? Post it here.
