Sweet Potatoes Topped with Spicy Black Beans & Tomatoes

We've all got Super Bowl food traditions. At my house, some combination of nachos, chicken wings, pizza, trays of veggies, cheese and crackers and all sorts of dip usually make an appearance.

Amy's husband loves Crockpot Queso. I think Erin's Pretzel Wrapped Hot Dogs will be a hit with my boys this year.

The dressed-up dogs are going to be on my menu, next to these festive potato boats. These potatoes are full of flavor and low in greasy fat. Combined with black beans, tomatoes, green chilis and spices, they carry all the zesty tastes this food-centric day calls to mind, without the guilt.

Plus, I'm not a fan of chicken wings.

Sadly, my boys are not keen on black beans. I've already served this dish to them and they preferred the potatoes topped with no-bean chili and shredded cheddar instead. (Hence, the pretzel-wrapped hot dogs.)

There are some children who will enjoy this meal. We made a version at a recent Junior League of Peoria Kids in the Kitchen program and a few of our kiddos gobbled them up.

The students inspired some other sweet potato topper ideas, which would be great for a make-your-own sweet potato bar at a party: taco meat and cheese, chili and cheese, marshmallows and mini chocolate chips.

Whatever you whip up for your Super Bowl celebrations, enjoy and Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Sweet Potatoes Topped with Spicy Black Beans & Tomatoes
Inspired by this recipe from EatingWell.com and these ideas from Schnucks grocery stores

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 medium-large tomatoes, diced
1 4 ounce can roasted green chili peppers
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For serving: Chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream

Note: You can sub in a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chilis for fresh tomatoes and canned chilis

Cook potatoes.

Oven method: Place each potato on a square of aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and wrap in foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are soft.

Microwave method: Prick potatoes with a fork. Place in microwave and cook for 15 minutes or until soft all the way through

In a microwave-safe bow, combine tomatoes, green chilis, beans, garlic, spices and olive oil. Stir to combine. Once potatoes are done, warm bean mixture in microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Split potatoes lengthwise down the middle. Top with 1/2 cup bean mixtures. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onions and cheddar cheese.

One young Kids in the Kitchen chef calls this "dinner dessert potato." She ate 3 of them!

Crockpot Queso

Until very recently, I'd never made my husband's beloved Ro-Tel cheese dip. But then our Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl and, by the Sunday of the big game, resistance was futile. I bought a 16-ounce block of Velveeta cheese product and glanced at a few online recipes. There are literally (and I don't use that word lightly) a bazillion ways to make Ro-Tel cheese dip. Here is mine, which I call Crockpot Queso.

XOXO,
Amy

Crockpot Queso

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
16-ounce block of Velveeta, cubes
2 cans of Ro-Tel Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained (I recommend the No Salt Added variety as the Velveeta has plenty of sodium.)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon canned, diced jalapenos (I use 1/2 heaping tablepoon of the HOT variety)

Fry beef with onion, garlic and taco seasoning. Drain and place in crockpot.

Add all other ingredients to crockpot and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips. Keep Crockpot Queso on low while serving.

Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated.

Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage

A few weeks back, the Seattle Seahawks played the Carolina Panthers in a playoff game. Since I'm a Seattle resident and Amy hails from the land of the Panthers, we had a friendly little wager that we posted to the HDHH Facebook page. If the Hawks won the game, Amy would need to prep a meal featuring salmon. If the Panthers won, I owed her grits.

Since the Panthers are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday, I think you all know who's been in the kitchen this week.

When the husband and I were living in Charlotte, we enjoyed many tasty meals. Southerners can cook, y'all. And they bring out their A-game for a church potluck. One woman from my ladies' Bible study brought to one such gathering a cheesy grits casserole studded with sausage, and it totally blew my mind. Losing the bet to Amy seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-create this delicious dish.

If you're looking for the perfect brunch dish or pre-Super Bowl breakfast, Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage is just the ticket. Savory, rich and creamy, it's full of southern flavors. Plus it's hearty enough to stick to your ribs and keep you full for the big game.

Hope you enjoy this tribute to the south, the Carolina Panthers, and my time in the beautiful city of Charlotte. Keep pounding!

Let's get cooking!
Erin

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Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves: 6

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground sausage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup grits
Salt and pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square baking dish and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until sausage is cooked through and some pieces are nice and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain sausage and set aside.

Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in grits. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until broth is absorbed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir into grits and cook over low heat for a couple minutes. Stir in 1 cup cheese and cooked sausage. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until set in the middle.

Saturday Shout-Out: Water Wheel Crackers

As the bringer of hot dinner in my house, I obviously enjoy cooking and baking. But sometimes, I just don't want to do it.

Like when my two boys are completely over scheduled. We actually had a week with each of these activities: drama club, math club, school newspaper, baseball and basketball practices, basketball games for each kid, a math competition and a birthday party. Next week we add a second baseball practice for each boy (Ack!)

Phew. Needless to say, I get a little bit exhausted some nights. Enter the cheese-and-cracker-dinner. We do this pretty often, and sometimes add carrots, cucumbers and humus to the menu. But what really ramps up these quick and easy dinners are the lovely Water Wheel wafers and cheese twists.

The Australian makers of wafers and cheese twists asked me to test out their line of crackers and I have to say: We. Are. Addicted.

The airy and crisp wafers are mild in flavor and very thin, so that you can actually taste whatever you pair them with. The cheese twists (parmesan or cheddar) are a sour dough base with bits of cheese baked in, which is a nice spin on traditional orange cheddar twists. They are delicious with prosciutto wrapped around them or broken up and sprinkled on top of soup.

I also really like the corn wafers with a bowl of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (above.)

Confession: I hid the crackers away so that my kids would not devour them, but once the crazy in our lives jumped into overdrive, they became a lifesaver, especially during rushed dinners like this one:

I paired Tuscan Style Water Wheel wafers and parmesan twists with a New Year's Eve antipasto platter. All the crackers were gone by midnight!

I took a tray of Original Wafers, cheese and mini salami to a neighborhood gathering and the plate was empty long before the party ended.

And I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing these crisps during our Super Bowl party, too.

Sam, my youngest, likes to fill a plate with any flavor wafer (Sesame & Poppy Seed anyone?) and eat them for a snack. He can finish a box by himself in two days. Luckily we have a Fresh Market in town, so I'm able to restock pretty easily. You can also order the wafers and twists online at Amazon.com or igourmet.com.

If you decide to give Water Wheel wafers or cheese twists a try, let us know how you like them – and how you use them!