Even though we think we are pretty healthy overall, for us, snacks in the past have generally not been focused on the healthy aspect. But this year we are trying to branch out and embrace better eating. The plan is to reduce the amount of meat, while also trying to minimize “bad” fat. Turning 40 this year may have something to do with this new approach!
Our first big test was Super Bowl Sunday, which is apparently the second largest eating day of the year next to Thanksgiving. I decided to come up with healthy alternatives to the basics by looking for a slider, some sort of dip and then a chicken snack to round out the day.
CHICKPEA SLIDERS!
Now don’t get me wrong, this slider is really good, but it is not going to compete with a beef slider. It may come closer to a turkey or chicken slider, which would have also been a great option, however we decided to really take it to the next level for this day and try something new. The result was a surprising success!
Chickpea Slider Recipe
Recipe adapted from phoebebites.com Middle Eastern Chickpea Sliders
Photos by FT – Food Tasty!
Makes 8 slider size patties
Red potato, 1 large (about 8 ounces), peeled and diced in medium cubes
Olive oil, 3 tablespoons, divided
Minced garlic, 1 teaspoon
Chickpeas, 1 can (15.5 ounces), drained and rinsed
Parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped
Salt, 1 teaspoon
Lemon zest, 1 teaspoon
Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon
Cumin, 1 teaspoon
Pepper, 1 teaspoon
1 chipotle in adobo sauce (chopped fine) or 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
Egg whites, 1 large, lightly beaten
8 whole wheat slider buns
Place potato in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Cool slightly. Place in a medium bowl. Add one tablespoon of oil and garlic to bowl; mash potato mixture with a masher until slightly chunky. Add chickpeas to the potato mixture, reserving about 3 tablespoons of beans for later. Mash everything until well blended. Stir in reserved chickpeas, parsley, salt, lemon zest, paprika, chipotle, pepper and egg whites. With moistened hands, form small patties with the mixture forming into a patty. Heat 1 - 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add patties to pan, cook over medium heat for four minutes and turn over and cook for another four minutes or until you get a nice brown crust on each side. Work in batches if your pan isn’t big enough.
Serve with toasted whole wheat slider buns and whatever toppings you prefer. We made a spicy yogurt sauce with 3 tablespoons of yogurt and about a teaspoon of sriracha hot sauce. We also added tomato and lettuce which was great. I think another good addition for some crunch would be a couple pickles and onion. 
GUACAMOLE DIP!
The next attempt of the day was to make a dip that everyone knows and loves - guacamole. You can add a few twists if you want, but we went with a pretty straightforward approach and added baked corn chips to reinforce our healthy day! And yes, I know you can get healthier with carrots and celery to dip in it, but that didn’t seem as exciting. We can never get enough of this great snack!
Guacamole Recipe
Recipe and Photos by FT – Food Tasty!
2 avocados – removed from shell and medium dice
1 small tomato (roma works) – diced
1 - 2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbls red onion finely chopped
1 small handful of cilantro roughly chopped
1 – 2 jalapenos seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white vinegar
juice of ½ lime
salt and pepper
Mix all above ingredients as smooth as you like your guacamole. I tend to like mine a little chunky so I don’t mix it up until it is really smooth. But you make it the consistency that you like best. Serve with tortilla chips.
Quick Tip – for a couple of great versions that are outstanding add the following:
Blue Cheese Version – add ½ cup of blue cheese and blend with all above ingredients.
Cream Cheese Version – add ½ cup of cream cheese and blend with all above ingredients.
Baked Corn Tortilla Chips Recipe
Recipe adapted from food.com Healthy Baked Tortilla Chips
Photos by FT - Food Tasty!
Makes 18 chips
3 corn tortillas - 5"
olive oil spray
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stack corn tortillas on cutting board and cut into pizza style wedges (3 slices across). Spray baking sheet with light coat of olive oil. Spread tortilla wedges on baking sheet (you may need to use more than one sheet) while leaving at least an inch between pieces to ensure they are crispy. Sprinkle with spices. Bake for about 8 minutes until crispy. Take out of oven and let cool five minutes before serving. Serve with guacamole or another of your favorite dips.
You can use other spices that you like in your Mexican dishes or cinnamon and sugar if you want to make a sweet treat.
BAKED CHICKEN STRIPS!
This day of healthy snacks was topped off with breaded baked chicken strips. Now I know that since we breaded the chicken, I may have lost you with the healthy part. But we did our best by using cornmeal and whole wheat breadcrumbs. It seemed pretty healthy and we thought tasted even better than your standard chicken strips. Tom loves this type of snack so we were glad it worked out so well and was a highlight of the food menu!
Baked Chicken Strips Recipe
Recipe and Photos by FT – Food Tasty!
Serves 2
1 chicken breast – cut into small to medium strips
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup corn meal
1 large egg whites – lightly whipped
olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut chicken breast into small to medium strips. Combine cheese, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, salt and pepper in shallow dish. Spray olive oil (or whatever oil you have in spray form) on baking sheet.
Dip strips in egg whites and dredge in dry ingredient mixture until evenly coated. Place strips on baking sheet spread out to ensure crispy strips. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. We mixed together one part yellow mustard with one part honey and a dash of dijon mustard for this dish. Marinara would be great too!
Enjoy! Sheri
I am part of a produce coop that gives you a bunch of different fruits and vegetables every two weeks. And this week we got blood oranges again, to my delight! Last time I made these incredible blood orange margaritas that ended up being a really nice change to the standard version. The blood oranges are a little sweeter than a regular orange so they are the perfect compliment to the tart lime juice. The tequila we used is our latest discovery called Lunazul and is a nice alternative to Patron that has always been my go to brand. Blanco is the type that we like, but you can switch it up and use dark tequila if you prefer. My brother in law, Craig, actually makes the best margaritas, so hopefully he will put that recipe on Food Tasty sometime soon. But for now, these will do the trick on an overcast winter day trying to pretend like we are on a beach vacation! 
Blood Orange Margarita Recipe
