Weight Watchers - Super Bowl recipes

Super Bowl Fiesta
Article By: Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Every month, discover new recipes and cooking ideas to help you enjoy the simple but elegant pleasures of a delicious, easy-to-prepare meal. This month: Spiffed-up Super Bowl snacks.

Busy or not, here we come. Every month the "Everyday Gourmet" serves up new recipes, cooking tips and ideas for dishes that are elegant in taste and presentation, yet simple enough to prepare and enjoy in a snap.

Read the article below


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Gourmets don't have to hide in the kitchen on Super Bowl Sunday. In our living-room version of a tailgate party, the food should be tasty, fresh, and above all, easy.

So put away that canned dip and reach for our fresh corn salsa — you can even make it a day or two before the game. Or how about a new take on quesadillas, filled with mango and Swiss? For dessert we've got cayenne-spiked chocolate cookies that'll give a kick to even the most die-hard fans.

And what if — heaven forbid — you're not into football? These treats are great for an afternoon bridge game or an evening with friends. Well-prepared food is welcome anytime, big game or not.

Fresh Corn Salsa
It's a little hard to track down fresh corn this time of year, but it's usually available at high-end markets. If you can't find it, substitute 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed — you'll lose the roasted taste but it'll be an easier dish.

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients
3 ears corn, husks and silks removed
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans, drained and rinsed
3 Roma or plum tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
2 pickled jalapeno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons packed cilantro leaves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the broiler. Place corn on broiler pan 5 inches from heat, and broil until corn is lightly browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes.


Place the corn in the microwave and cook on high for 2 minutes to cook through. Cool, then slice the kernels off the cob.


Toss the kernels with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Serving size: 1/2 cup. POINTS® value: 1 per serving

Pepper, Swiss and Mango Quesadillas
Make sure the mangoes are ripe and juicy; if they don't smell sweet, they won't taste like anything.

Makes 16 servings

Ingredients
16 medium (6-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
1 cup shredded low-fat Swiss cheese
4 jarred roasted red peppers or pimientos, rinsed and cut into thin strips (about 2 cups)
2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted, and the flesh cut into thin strips (about 2 cups)
8 sprays cooking spray

Lay 8 tortillas on your work surface. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese, 1/4 cup pepper strips, and 1/4 cup mango strips. Top each with 1 more tablespoon cheese, then lay a tortilla on top of each.


Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Slip one quesadilla into the pan; cook until speckled brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until speckled brown on the other side and the cheese starts to melt, about 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack and continue making more. Cut quesadillas into quarters and serve.
Tip: Want to spice up these quesadillas? Sprinkle a few drops of bottled hot red pepper sauce or a few bits of diced, seeded, fresh jalapeno chiles over the cheese before adding the second tortilla to each.

Serving size: 2 quesadilla quarters. POINTS value: 2 per serving

Chocolate-Chile Cookies
These are a Texas favorite: a heat spike in an otherwise intensely chocolate cookie.

Makes 32 cookies

Ingredients
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray two large cookie sheets with nonstick spray.


Place the chocolate in a small bowl and microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir well, then continue microwaving in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until half the chocolate has melted. Remove the bowl from the microwave and continue stirring until the chocolate has fully melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you begin making the cookie dough.


Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cayenne in a medium bowl; set aside.


Place the almonds in a skillet set over medium-low heat; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and aromatic, about 4 minutes. Set aside.


Beat both sugars and the eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale brown, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth.


Remove the beaters and stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, just until all the flour has been moistened. Stir in the toasted almonds.


Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the mounds about 2 inches apart.


Bake in the top and bottom thirds of the oven for 5 minutes. Reverse the cookie sheets top to bottom and back to front, and continue baking until firm and slightly puffed, about 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Wait for the cookie sheets to cool again, approximately 5 minutes, before spraying with nonstick spray and making more cookies.
Serving size: 2 cookies. POINTS value: 3 per serving

Next Steps
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