Healthier Super Bowl Recipes for Game Day Entertaining

The Super Bowl is about a week away and, let’s face it, besides the game and the commercials, what’s the big draw? It’s the food, of course.

Super Bowl snacks, while yummy, may also be loaded with sodium which, as you know, contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.  And, as the game progresses and the excitement mounts (let’s hope it’s a good game,) it’s easy to stuff handsful of chips, wings and sliders into your mouth without thinking of the consequences to your health.

*According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90 percent of the sodium we eat comes in the form of salt.

*As sodium intake rises, so does blood pressure.1

*Nearly 68 million U.S. adults (1 in 3) have high blood pressure.

If all Americans followed the recommended limits for sodium, national rates for high blood pressure would drop by a quarter, saving tens of thousands of lives each year.4

Just in time for Super Bowl entertaining, Executive Chef John Brand of Mokara Hotel and Spa and Ostra restaurant and companion hotel Omni La Mansión del Rio’s Las Canarias, San Antonio, Texas, has created tasty, traditional Super Bowl recipes that utilize LoSalt. (LoSalt is a one-for-one substitute, so, if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of salt, Chef Brand used one teaspoon of LoSalt.)

While the game may take its toll on your nerves, Super Bowl Sunday snacks don’t have to take their toll on your health.

Check out these low sodium Super Bowl recipes courtesy of Chef Brand.

Healthier Super Bowl Recipes

Meatloaf Sandwiches with Wisconsin Sharp White Cheddar

 Serves 6 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 c. bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 Serrano Pepper, seeds removed, fine chopped

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons LoSalt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup BBQ Sauce

1 cup Ketchup

1/2 cup Veal stock

3 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp. Maple Syrup

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. Parmesan Reggiano

4 Slices Applewood Smoked Bacon

Liquid Mixture:

In a small bowl, combine BBQ sauce, ketchup, Balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and veal stock.

Meat Mixture:

In a large bowl, combine beef, bread crumbs, onions, green bell pepper, parsley, chopped garlic, egg, seasonings, 3/4 cup of liquid mixture and Parmesan cheese.

Form into loaf. Place into shallow 7 by 10 in. pan or bread loaf tin, lightly oiled. Top with bacon slices and glaze with some of the remaining liquid mixture to coat.

Bake in a 350°F oven for one hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with remaining liquid mixture or straight barbecue sauce. Drain off excess rendered fat as needed during cooking process.

Service:

Toasted potato or challah buns, small, slider size.  Serve 3 oz. warm meatloaf slice on a bun with sharp white cheddar.

Buttermilk Popcorn Chicken 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 each 6 oz. chicken breasts cut into 7 pieces, or cube each

2 cups white all-purpose flour

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon LoSalt

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 Tablespoon porcini powder

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon onion powder

Method:

Soak chicken in buttermilk for 4 hours.  Dredge in seasoned flour and repeat with buttermilk and flour mixture, coating twice.  Cook in fryer at 350 degrees until golden brown and cooked through.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauces. 

Quick Fast BBQ Sauce

 Serves 8. Easy to make in 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

¾ cup brown sugar

1 T LoSalt

1 T garlic powder

1 T soy sauce

1 T chili powder

1/3 cup cider vinegar

Method:

Add all ingredients in small sauce pot, stir well on low heat for 20 minutes until bubbly and hot.  Turn off heat, brush on meat on barbecue or use as dipping sauce when cooled down.

To learn more about why reducing sodium is an important health issue and for additional LoSalt recipes, visit http://www.losalt.com. To learn more about Chef John Brand, visit http://chefjohnbrand.com/.

Sources:

1. Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for water, potassium, sodium chloride, and sulfate. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2004. 

2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 2010. 

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sodium intake among adults—United States, 2005?2006. MMWR. 2010 Jun 25;59(24):746–9. 

4. Danaei G, Ding EL, Mozaffarian D, Taylor B, Rehm J, Murray CJ, et al. The preventable causes of death in the United States: comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors. PLoS Med. 2009;6(4):e1000058. 

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