Gluten-Free Football Snacks
Ah football season. A great excuse to plop in front of the tv wearing your comfy pants, beverage of choice in hand, and no plans other than cheering (or booing) the afternoon away. Now admittedly, I’m not much of a football fan, despite having grown up with my brother and dad watching the Eagles every chance possible AND ehm – (whispered) spending my high school and college years as a football cheerleader. I can however, say I still enjoy watching a game now and again. 
I sometimes do it to experience the sweet nostalgia around remembering a more innocent time, but always do it for the mandatory eating of delicious snacks: which of course includes something savory, something spicy and something sweet. Is it possible to indulge in these flavors experiencing satisfying yumminess minus the pretzels with Ranch dressing, cheesy taco dip, and peanuts? I’m quite confident you’ll give a resounding “YES!” after trying these three gluten, dairy, soy and nut-free snacks.
Something savory:
White Bean Dip with Sage
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic crushed and peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 15- or 19-ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
Instructions
- Mash garlic with salt with the side of a chef’s knife.
- Transfer mashed garlic to a food processor. Add beans, oil, lemon juice, cayenne and black pepper; puree until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and stir in sage.
Spicy Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes scrubbed and peeled
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for baking sheet
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Cut the sweet potato into 1/4 inch thick fries. Pop them into a bowl of water for about an hour
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and rub two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.
- In a large bowl combine the chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Set the bowl off to the side.
- Towel-dry the sweet potato fries and place them into the bowl with the seasoning. Pour in the two tablespoons of olive oil and toss until coated.
- Divide the seasoned sweet potato fries among two rimmed sheet pans and pop them into the oven for 15 minutes. Once the fries start to brown flip, rotate pans and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes more. Depending on how thin or thick you cut the sweet potatoes and the heat of your oven will depend on if they’ll need any further time in the oven. If the sweet potatoes stick, let them cool slightly before flipping. Keep a close eye on sweet potato fries as they always want to burn when you aren't looking.
- Season the hot fries with a couple pinches of kosher salt before serving.
Maple Glazed Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 15oz can of chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the skins from the chickpeas as much as possible. Lightly drying them with a clean kitchen towel helps loosen them up a bit.
- Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the oil, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Toss to fully combine and lay them out on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place them in the oven and allow them to cook for 40 minutes. Remove, drizzle the maple syrup over them and toss them to fully coat each chickpea, then return to the oven for 5 more minutes. I recommend keeping an eye on them and take them out when you feel they are fully roasted and crispy, but not burnt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
