Superbowl Snacks, tons of ‘em!

‘Tis the season for Superbowl parties! Whether you’re watching the game with friends or enjoying it all by yourself, it’s a tradition to have some great munchies on hand. We’ve compiled a list of snacks that are ideal to chomp on while you’re watching the Superbowl.

We’re starting the list with a few dips and a few nibbles – lightweight foods that don’t fill you up too much. Then we’ll be moving onto the appetizers – the real “meat and potatoes” behind a finger food party.

Party Dips

Dips are fun. The taste contrast between the thing you dip and the dip itself is always enjoyable. For dipping, consider: potato chips, corn chips, pita chips, bagel chips, crackers, pretzels, carrot sticks, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, celery sticks, cauliflower florets, and pretty much any type of veggie. For the dips, check out these recipes:

1. Guacamole. The truth is, if you’ve got an avocado, a fork and vigorously apply the latter to the former, you’ve got delicious guacamole. But you can get so much more interesting than that. Here’s an easy recipe adding peppers, lime, cilantro and more.
2. Spinach artichoke dip. One of my all-time favorites. Even if you don’t like either of the title ingredients, there’s something about this dip that just makes them work.
3. Chipotle Ranch Dip. Take a regular ranch dip mix (or dressing) and turn it into a whole new spicy dip.
4. Corn and Black Bean dip. This recipe uses cilantro, peppers and more.
5. You can’t go wrong with salsa, and we’ve got 51 salsa recipes for you to choose from.
6. Hummus, the Mediterranean chickpea dip that’s out of this world (and very filling). We’ve got 6 hummus recipes for you.

Pre-Game Nibbles

Nibbles are wonderful because they’re easy finger foods you can pick ‘em up and pop ‘em in on automatic pilot – that means not missing any exciting moments!

1. We’ve got 25 recipes for nut-based snacks right here – all easy to make and tasty! Put out an assortment so people can enjoy more flavors.
2. Homemade potato chips are easier than you think, and oh, so delicious.
3. BLTs without the bread: hollow out some cherry tomatoes, add bacon bits and ranch, and you’ve got a finger food that’s nearly as good as a sandwich.
4. Ditto for homemade sweet potato chips.
5. Popcorn isn’t everyone’s idea of a Superbowl snack, but we’re not sure why that is. So we’ve got 44 popcorn snack recipes for you – sweet, savory, spicy and more. Also, super-easy Dark Chocolate Popcorn, a Snappy Living original.
6. You can’t beat Chex Mix recipes for events like this – salty and savory, and easy to grab. Betty Crocker has a nice collection of recipes here, but we particularly recommend Margarita Chex Mix (it’s got tequila!).

Superbowl Snacks

Now it’s time for the real foods. While these items would all normally be considered snacks or appetizers, keep in mind that in this case, they’re serving as the whole meal. They’re just all finger-foods, so people can watch and eat at the same time.

1. 16 Chicken wing recipes. I think there’s a law that you have to have chicken wings at a Superbowl party. This list includes barbecue, honey-garlic, buffalo, coffee liqueur recipes and more.
2. Taco Potstickers. Sounds weird, but these little culinary hybrids are delicious, and perfect as finger foods for the big game.
3. Oven-roasted shiitakes with garlic and coarse salt. These would actually be good for you, as long as you’re okay with salt. Shiitake mushrooms, garlic, salt, a little olive oil.
4. Bacon-wrapped dates. This terrific recipe makes for a salty-sweet snack. Check the comments, though, for suggestions about adding goat or bleu cheese, or making a roasted red pepper sauce for dipping. Yum!
5. Pigs in Blankets. Crescent rolls, cocktail franks with cheddar and some extras that’ll make your version of this treat beat all.
6. Cheesy Pizza Squares. They’re kind of like little bite-sized pizzas, but with some special pizazz.
7. Steak Quesadillas. This recipe has some really nice touches like black beans and lime juice to give it a very special flavor.
8. White Castle Sliders you make at home. This recipe is so specific (even telling you exactly how lean your ground beef should be), and the results are almost identical to the real thing.
9. Tex-Mex Bacon Wrapped Chicken Nuggets. I guess they felt the name would be too long if it also mentioned those delicious slices of jalapeno that get wrapped in there with everything else.
10. How about potato skins? They’re easy to make and so much fun: grilled, baked,  loaded or cheesy.
11. Pulled pork sandwiches. Delicious pulled pork in barbecue sauce with cole slaw on a sandwich.
12. Super Nachos are not your ordinary nachos. This recipe uses ingredients like cumin and black olives to create a distinctive but recognizable dish.
13. Teriyaki steak kabobs. With onions, peppers, mushrooms or anything that sounds good to you.
14. Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms. You can’t beat stuffed mushrooms for something savory, and portabella bumps it up a notch.

Superbowl Desserts

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes. You just can’t beat these little chocolate-ish delights. This link gives you a couple of recipes to choose from.
2. Cherry Chocolate Cookies. While I wouldn’t call these health food, this recipe has less sugar (by far) than most cookies, and still tastes heavenly.
3. We’ve got 45 Easy Dessert Recipes for you. Some are finger foods; others require a fork (well, they don’t really require it – you can eat a piece of pie in your hand if you want to), but would be great served after the game.