No one wants to eat kale salad at a Super Bowl party. Then again, no one wants that heavy “Why did I eat all that?” feeling the next day.

Solution: Serve these hearty, healthy crowd-pleasers from Hungry Girl’s new cookbook, Clean & Hungry Obsessed! Lisa Lillien, aka Hungry Girl, is passionate about creating healthier versions of popular artery-clogging and high-calorie dishes.

Here are her favorite crowd-­pleasing, guilt-free comfort foods for the Super Bowl. No need to make them all—just pick two or three and wait for the cheers…

Let’s Get Tropical Guacamol

Obsession confession: I once ate an entire batch of this in 24 hours! It’s that good. Mangoes add a tropical flair, and fat-free yogurt keeps the creamy texture while cutting calories.

 

8 ounces mashed avocado (about 1 cup or 2 small avocados’ worth)
⅔ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lime juice|
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped mango
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup peeled and finely chopped jicama
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, yogurt, lime juice and seasonings. Mix until mostly smooth and uniform.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients.
3. Cover. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes eight servings.

Pop ’Til You Drop Popcorn Shrimp

These party shrimp are as delicious as they are low in calories…only around 14 calories each. I use egg whites (no yolk) to help keep the calories low. But you’ll still get those brain-­boosting omega-3s in everybody’s favorite ­crustacean.

1 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
24 ounces (about 72) raw medium shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined
½ cup egg whites (about 4 large eggs’ worth)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray
2. In a wide bowl, mix bread crumbs with seasonings.
3. Place shrimp in another wide bowl. Top with egg whites, and toss to coat.
4. One at a time, shake shrimp to remove excess egg and coat with seasoned crumbs. Lay on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Bake for five minutes.
5. Flip the shrimp. Bake until cooked through and crispy, about five more minutes.

Makes eight servings.

Honey Mustard Chicken Nuggets

Baking instead of frying cuts calories, and whole-wheat bread crumbs are delicious and nutritious.

 

1 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
32 ounces raw boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 40 ­nuggets

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a wide bowl, mix bread crumbs with seasonings.
3. In another wide bowl, thoroughly mix mustard with honey.
4. Add chicken to mustard mixture, and toss to coat.
5. One at a time, shake chicken nuggets to remove excess mustard mixture, and coat with seasoned crumbs.
6. Evenly place nuggets on the baking sheet, and top with any remaining seasoned crumbs. Bake for eight minutes.
7. Flip chicken. Bake until lightly browned and crispy, eight to 10 ­minutes.

Makes eight servings.

Hungry Girl Tip: Mix up some extra honey mustard (one part honey to two parts mustard) to use as dipping sauce.

Crunch-a-Bunch Zucchini Fries

Here’s a swap for fried zucchini that’s just as tasty, not fried, and less than 150 calories per serving. Store-bought Italian seasoning—a combination of herbs such as basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme and sometimes garlic—is convenient, but you can choose seasonings to your taste.

4 pounds (about 8 medium) zucchini
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large eggs’ worth)
2 cups whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. Slice off and discard zucchini ends. Cut zucchini into french fry–shaped spears.
3. Place in a large bowl. Pour on egg whites, and flip zucchini to coat.
4. In a medium-large bowl, mix bread crumbs with seasonings.
5. One at a time, shake zucchini spears to remove excess egg, and lightly coat with seasoned crumbs.
6. Evenly lay the zucchini spears on the baking sheet, and top with any remaining seasoned crumbs. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Carefully flip spears. Bake until lightly browned and crispy, about 10 more minutes.

Makes eight servings.

 

For-the-Win Spinach Artichoke Dip

Your guests will never know that this is a lighter, healthier version of the traditional spinach artichoke dip served at parties everywhere. By substituting fat-free yogurt, reduced-fat cream cheese and part-skim mozzarella cheese for the typical mayonnaise and sour cream, it retains the creaminess and taste without all those the calories. Serve with unusual veggies such as sliced fennel and jicama

½ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
½ cup light/reduced-fat cream cheese
¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped shallots
10 cups chopped spinach
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an eight-inch-by-eight-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts, mozzarella and two tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese.
3. Bring an extra-large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add onion and shallots. Cook and stir until softened, about three minutes.
4. Add spinach and garlic to the skillet. Cook and stir until spinach has wilted and garlic is fragrant, about two minutes. Pat dry.
5. Add skillet contents to the large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
6. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan. Sprinkle with the remaining one tablespoon of Parmesan. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

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