By Alyssa Langer (COM’14)

It’s that time of year again: The Super Bowl! This is a time spent with friends, watching football, laughing at creative television ads, and of course, eating party foods! More often than not, these foods include fried chicken wings, fried cheeses, fried onion rings, and fries (are you noticing a pattern here?) This Super Bowl, why not trade in something fried for something fresh?! Sargent Choice is proud to offer you some healthier party foods that won’t leave you missing the fried stuff.

I talked to a few BU students to find out some of their thoughts regarding Super Bowl food:

Dan Petersen, a freshman in the College of Communication, said he typically associates football with jalapeno poppers, hot buffalo wings, pizza, chips and salsa, beer, soda, taquitos, shrimp cocktail, and vegetable crudités with ranch dressing dip. In addition, he said, “my mom makes amazing chili and New England clam chowder.”

When it comes to special events, such as the Superbowl, it is important to remember that everything is okay in moderation, Dan suggested. “I think events such as the Superbowl are kind of an excuse for people to ‘pig out’—just don’t do it every day,” said Dan. The problem occurs when people make it a daily occurrence, he added. “It’s perfectly ok to treat yourself every now and then. Just make sure you’re exercising and be aware that you can’t [eat like it’s the Superbowl] everyday.”

Nikki Jenner, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said that she is “not concerned” about the unhealthiness of football food “because everything is fine in moderation. If I was watching football and eating this stuff every single day, it might come up as a concern.” Nikki said she would be willing to try healthier options if they were available, but she admitted, “football isn’t really a salad-eating kind of activity. I enjoy typical football food because it tastes good!”

Joel Udwin, a freshman in the School of Management, also said that wings, chips, salsa, and soda come to mind when football is mentioned. He’s optimistic, however, saying, “I definitely feel like you can replace those foods [with healthier options].”

Sargent Choice is happy to help out with those healthier options. Give these easy recipes below a try. They are sure to be party favorites!

Sargent Choice Boneless Buffalo Chicken Tenders

image source

Ingredients:

1 ½ tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
1 ½  tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
1 ½  tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 pound chicken tenders
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoons canola oil

Method:

To prepare tenders: Whisk buttermilk, hot sauce and vinegar in a large bowl until combined. Add chicken; toss to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Spicy Blue Cheese Dip
Ingredients

1/3 cup fat free sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
½ tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Methods

Whisk sour cream, blue cheese, vinegar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To round out this platter serve with celery and carrot sticks.

What are your favorite Super Bowl Sunday foods?