Nibbles

Game Day Snack: Chips and Dip

Fall has unofficially begun. Well, in my book it has. Mornings are cool, days are warm, kids are back to school, football season has begun. Yup, it’s fall.

While my interest in watching the game as dwindled away over years, my love for game day snacks -or really any day snacks – has not. Don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against football, but the past few years were so busy with school work that taking a Sunday off to watch any TV was out of the question. Now with school work behind me, it’s time to get serious.

If you ask me, snacks get a bad rap. So many times I have had people tell me “oh and I’ve stopped snacking”. Why? Snacking’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I encourage people to snack. Having that little something between meals can help carry you over so you’re not ravenous at your next meal. And you know what happens when you’re starving? Yup – you tend to eat whatever you can get your hands. And you eat a lot of it. And it’s probably not what you would have chosen if you weren’t sooo hungry. Sound familiar?

What you snack on is important of course, but it’s also important to watch how much you’re eating when you snack. Listen to your body, a snack is supposed to take the edge off of hunger, not make you full. While I can get into foods that are great snacks on a day to day basis, I’m not going to – well not right now anyway. It’s game day remember!?

So here’s a little twist on chips and dip. Yup I said chips and dip. How about endive spears and homemade potato chips served along side clam dip? Are you in? You may be tempted to buy store-bought chips but don’t. These are so easy to make it’s ridiculous. AND they’re not fried. If you’re not into endive, try it with red pepper strips or celery. I like adding a bit of fresh vegetable, well because I’m me, but also because it brings some brightness along with some extra crunch.

And want to know a little secret? Snacks are my favorite. Snack time to me is my relaxation time – a little wine, a little food and some good TV. Are you with me?

Clam Cip

Author: Adapted from [url href="http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015991-clam-dip" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]NYT Cooking[/url]

Ingredients

8 oz sour cream
3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
2 cans of chopped clams with 1 tablespoon of the liquid
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion power
salt and pepper to taste
1 green onion, chopped

Instructions

Combine sour cream and Greek yogurt. Add in clams and liquid.
Mix in lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, paprika, garlic and onion powder.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Let chill in fridge for at least an hour.
Top with green onions.

3.5.3217

Homemade Potato Chips

Author: Adapted from [url href="http://thisweekfordinner.com/2014/05/22/easy-homemade-microwave-chips/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]The Kitchn[/url]

Ingredients

4 baby gold potatoes
salt
paprika
parchment paper

Instructions

Wash potatoes and slice very thin - use a mandolin if you have one.
Once sliced, place in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for 30 minutes.
After soaking, dry the slices as much as you can.
Cut off a piece of parchment paper that will fit comfortably in your microwave. Lay slices on the paper and make sure they are not touching. Sprinkle with salt and paparika.
Working in batches, microwave potato slices for 2 minutes then flip them over and microwave another 2 minutes.

Notes

Cooking times may vary depending on microwaves.

3.5.3217