Cheese and carbs. Two things in my mind that pair together beautifully. So naturally when I decided to remake some of the Super Bowl classics it just felt right to combine these two staples into one blissfully delicious post. Yes, mac and cheese bites are a little bit trendy these days but they are so delicious it’s not hard to see why. I adapted a recipe from Redbook Magazine, but in my version I switched out some of the cheeses, mainly because I am a huge fan of gruyere and just need a little more in my life. Also, I kept them in the oven a touch longer to make sure they were nice and toasty. Below is my recipe:

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup elbow pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup reduced-fat whole milk
3/4 cup gruyere, grated
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Franks)
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
Pepper

Directions
1. Spray Pam on a nonstick muffin pan, enough to fill 10-12 cups. Sprinkle Parmesan into each cup.

2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water 5 to 6 minutes, drain; transfer to a large bowl.

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute. Slow whisk in milk, then bring to a simmer and cook 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in Gruyere and Cheddar until melted. Stir in hot sauce and ground mustard. Pour over pasta, season with fresh ground pepper and toss to coat. Let mixture cool for 15 minutes.

4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Fill muffin cups with mac and cheese, bake 23 to 25 minutes. Let pans cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Carefully loosen bites around edges, transfer to a platter, and serve. Enjoy!

Rather than serve up the ubiquitous veggie tray with a side of ranch dressing squeezed straight out of the plastic Hidden Valley bottle (ugh), let’s shake things up a bit and try something that will appeal to anyone over the age of 12, an Antipasto Plate. Since there is no cooking involved – more so just ‘artistically’ arranging treats on a plate – this can be an ideal platter for those of you hosting large crowds.

Antipasto, which means “before the meal,” features small bites such as olives, marinated artichokes, sliced meats, crackers, tapenade, veggies, cheeses, etc. Below is a list of items that I found at my local Whole Foods and Tony’s Market. This list works as a great starting point, but you should treat this as an opportunity to get creative and try new items.

34° Crispbread* (I went with cracked pepper)
Olives (Whole Foods and Tony’s Market both have olive bars with great variety)
Marinated Artichokes
Sliced Pepperoni
Sliced Genoa Salami
Fresh Mozzarella Balls
Ciolo* Mediterranean Tapenade (serve in small bowl)
Dijon Mustard (serve in small bowl)

*Colorado products

Beer: Arguably the most important ingredient to a successful Super Bowl party. Let’s face it people, your team has no chance of winning this thing unless you have a nice buzz going, preferably 2 hours before kickoff.

Now, the Super Bowl might be the stomping ground for beer commercials from the likes of Budweiser and Heineken, but this does not mean you need actually drink them. Instead, let’s pay homage to some local Colorado breweries where making beer isn’t only just a passion, it’s a form of art. My personal recommendation includes Renegade Brewery’s Ryeteous Rye IPA; I just drank this on Friday and it is superb. So superb in fact that I plan on going back tonight with my soccer team so we can commiserate our 0-5 season. We may not be the best at winning, but we do have a knack for finding Colorado’s most delicious beers.

If an IPA is just a little too aggressive (we’re talking 7% ABV), then Upslope Brewing Company makes a delicious Craft Lager, and Mama’s Little Yella Pils – made by Oskar Blues – is an award winning Pilsner that I find to be highly refreshing. Both can be found in liquor stores across the state*.

If you live in Colorado and are going to drink local beer then you damn well better be buying a growler. At the very least, hear me out on why you should consider it:

1. More Bang for your Buck: Growlers can be cheaper than drinking at the bar and/or buying bottles.
2. Special Brews: Oftentimes, breweries will make delicious beers that just never make it to a store. If you buy a growler, you get the opportunity to take these special beers home.
3. Reusable: You get to refill a growler again and again, so this is definitely the more Eco-friendly option.
4. Taste: Beer is just so much fresher when it comes straight from the keg and right into your growler!

Since not everyone can get to Colorado in time to purchase a growler of beer, I encourage you to partake in a little bit of Googling to find breweries within driving distance. But if you’re lazy, then I guarantee you can purchase Colorado’s (arguably) most famous beer in any liquor store that is within walking distance, Coors. With that said, happy hunting and bottoms up!

*There are more than 120 breweries in Colorado so I encourage you to get out there and stray away from my recommendations.

Sources: Colorado Brewers Guild, Wikipedia.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love (and I mean love) the go-to Super Bowl snacks as much as the next football-watching, beer-drinking American. But to be honest, I’m getting a little tired of the same ‘ole over-processed, from-the-freezer-aisle finger foods that have been taking over football watching parties since bagel bites and pigs in a blanket were invented. And, for those of you that order in pizza with a side of over-cooked Buffalo wings? How dare you. Wings are meant to be enjoyed in the comfort of a dive bar while drinking $6 pitchers of beer.

To get over the monotony, this year I decided to take things into my own hands. Other than in reference to the commercials, the words creative and original aren’t words one usually associates with the Super Bowl. But by the end of this week, I am determined to make every reader believe this isn’t the case. In fact, I’m excited to say that it may possible to host a Super Bowl party that, dare I say, has just a touch of panache.

Over the next few days, I will be breaking down the week with a total of 5 posts focusing on the main staples of Super Bowl eats:

1. Beer
2. Meat
3. Cheese
4. Carbs
5. Veggie Tray

Now before you say impossible. Just know that I have put a lot of thought and research into this and talked with all types of Football fanatics (i.e. dudes who really enjoy eating) to come up with a menu that is both sports-proof and finger-food-tastic.

Photo: Purchased from Veer.com

Time to kick-off 2012 with a healthy start! Join me in avoiding bulging breakfast burritos, hot-out-of-the-oven donut holes, and crispy chocolate chip waffles. Instead, try a steaming bowl of hearty steel-cut oatmeal, sweetened with diced persimmons and cinnamon, and topped with crunchy almonds. Oatmeal is so good for you!

Don’t have time in the morning to stir steel-cut oats for 40 minutes? Yeah, me neither. Here’s a quick tip to speed things along.

Not ready to cut sweets thaaangs in the morning? Try these Oat Cakes or Granola until you’ve broken your sugar addiction.

Have you ever noticed that most cabbage recipes, like coleslaw, stir fry, or Chinese chicken salad usually only call for half a head of cabbage? I swear, this happens to me every time and then I’m stuck with a sad little half-head of cabbage languishing in my fridge.

Last week, I faced the same dilemma yet again but I refused to see another half-head go to waste, so I turned to tacos. (I know, you are probably thinking “duh, cabbage on tacos is a no brainer”, but wait…there’s a twist at the end!)

For dinner, I whipped up Real Simple’s Slow-Cooker Chipolte Beef Tacos with Cabbage and Radish Slaw. Side note: May I say that this recipe was quite delicous and ridiculously easy to pull together. I used one of my watermelon radishes for garnish, and it added a lovely crunch and texture to the tacos.

But since this recipe only called for a 1/3 of a cabbage head, I was still left with (according to Google calculator) about 16% of a cabbage head. Doh! What to do now?? And that’s when genius hit.

The next morning, I shredded the remaining 16% of the cabbage and sauted it in olive oil with a pinch of salt to soften it up. Then I scrambled a few eggs, used my leftover tortillas from the night before, and made scrambled egg tacos topped with warm shredded cabbage! I spooned some of Papalote’s roasted tomato salsa on top for a nice kick.

I’m not joking, it was one of the best breakfasts ever. And, best of all, I finally used up all of my cabbage!!!!

For those of you that love a good ‘ole Sloppy Joe, beware: this dish can pack quite the punch in terms of sodium! So, in response to a fellow blogger’s challenge to transform one our favorite dishes into a more heart healthy version, I decided to tackle this beast of a sodium-induced dish. While combing the store for alternative ingredients to salt I realized WOW – our poor little hearts are under attack. But thanks to Sodium Girl’s efforts, I’ve become a little more savvy on ways to avoid over-processed and over-salted ingredients without sacrificing taste. So, without further ado, here is my attempt at recreating the Sloppy Joe and between you and me, I think it turned out pretty darn good.

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 garlic gloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup canned, no salt added fire-roasted tomatoes, drained*
1/3 cup low-sodium catsup
1/2 cup water
Low-sodium bread

Cook beef in a large pan with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; drain and set aside. Using the same pan, heat up the olive oil and sauté the onions and the bell pepper with 1/2 teaspoon chili powder for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.

Once the onion/celery/pepper mixture is soft, add the meat you cooked earlier. Stir in the tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, molasses, cumin, catsup and water; let simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve on a slice of low-so bread for a delicious, heart healthy meal! And, in the words of our dear friend Sodium Girl: Chow on.

*Note: fresh diced tomatoes would be best, but since they are sadly out of season this is a great low-sodium alternative. If using fresh tomatoes, I’d recommend sautéing them for a minute or two when you add the garlic to the onions and bell peppers.

Updated on February 18th: in an earlier version I confused celery with green onions. Note that celery is considered a high-sodium vegetable and instead green peppers should be used!

Ever since reading Omnivore’s Dilemma and entering the world of local, sustainable eating, I only eat meat a few times a week. Not surprisingly, I get a lot of my protein from beans. Which gets old. Fast. Thankfully, I discovered the joys of roasting garbanzo beans! You can literally toss any old mixture of spices with these beans and be blown away by the delicious results. Happy experimenting!

2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon each of salt, cumin, and pepper
1/2 teaspoon each of cayenne pepper and turmeric
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients together, pour mixture on to a baking pan, and roast for 20 minutes. Be sure to stir the beans occasionally so they don’t burn!

Toss roasted beans into prepared quinoa, sprinkle on a salad, or serve as an appetizer. The possibilities are endless!

Except for the occasional jaunt to Whole Foods, I’ve purchased almost all of my meat from my local butcher, Marina Meats, over the past few years. I trust all of the meat sources, the staff are super friendly and – best of all – it’s right around the corner from my apartment!

Last weekend, I picked up a tasty Happy Dan chicken compliments of Martinelli Farm. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to snag a young, locally raised, 100% natural bird until I got home and checked out this blog post on Chow.com. Apparently, it is really difficult to find a sustainably raised chicken under 3.5 pounds – and here I got mine for $2.99 a pound! Such a steal!

As noted on the brochure that the Marina Meat butcher sent me home with, Happy Dan birds are very fresh and tender and thus require less cooking time than normal; I’m assuming this is partly due to their small size. I roasted mine just until the juices ran clear and it was quite delicious! I also stuffed it with slices from one tangerine and lemon, which I think contributed to the juicy meat.

Happy Dan chickens have no growth hormones,  stimulants or preservatives and are raised in “large, airy, temperature controlled buildings” that aren’t crowded. In addition to Marina Meats, you can find them at Bryan’s and Berkeley Bowl.

Cauliflower is one of my new favorite winter veggies. (I think I overdosed on squash last year, so I’ve been exploring alternatives). The only problem is I don’t always know what to do with it!

I’ve already realized that I do NOT like it steamed; it’s way too bland. Like all other winter vegetables, I do love it high-roasted in the oven, but that gets old too. Thanks to Food & Wine, I’ve discovered a pan-roasting method that I absolutely adore!

It’s super simple. Basically, you cook the cauliflower florets over low heat for about 10 minutes, crank up the heat for another 5 minutes until the florets are nicely browned, and then finish the whole dish off in the oven after pouring tomatoes, raisins, pine nuts and garlic into the mix. Check out the full recipe for Pan-Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and Raisins here.

Also, side note, this recipe makes a great salt-free dish, which I realized when I made it for a “blogger” dinner with my Sodium Girl friend.