Who am I kidding—I’m not a fan of football. I was resigned to a pair of thick glasses before kindergarten, and sports have never been my thing. Regardless, there’s seldom a Sunday in this house that isn’t backgrounded with the shrill whistles of a football ref and murmur of die-hard commentators with a cadence so unmistakably game time. No offense to football lovin’ Americans (I married one), but it isn’t a sport I’ve ever developed an affection for. I do in fact have a affection for snacking, though. There’s practically no better activity than snacking. Am I wrong?! A little chip, a little dip and dinner can fall by the wayside. And on this one special day, Super Bowl Sunday, snacking becomes a much celebrated event. So for that reason alone, I am thankful for football.
Now I know folks aren’t beating down the door to have a vegan bring the snacks on Super Bowl Sunday, but these recipes may just knock their socks off. Take that cholesterol-laden warm artichoke dip! Oh I do miss that one, but not the way I felt after wolfing it. And after a couple beers the manliest, and most carnivorous of your gathered spectators will freely admit that yours was in fact the best snack of the day. Yep, we’re aiming high here. The best, and only the best. So here goes. Adorable, tasty and simple to make, the awesome mini pizza followed by the equally adorable and wonderfully savory mini twice-baked potato bite. Let’s get to it, or the game will be over.
Mini Pizzas
Eighteen mini pizzas
About 30 minutes to prepare
Naturally, you can make these mini pizzas with any toppings you darn well please. If you do use vegan cheese, use it sparingly. It's never that great and I've found the more you add, the more disappointing it gets. A little sprinkle will do the job just fine. That aside, I used a new one from Trader Joe's and it melted surprisingly well. If you're looking for fresh pizza dough, good old Trader Joe's can hook you up with that too. If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby and you aren't inclined to make your own, stop in to your favorite local pizza place. They're usually good about that sorta thing. One last tip: these pizzas are small, chop your toppings accordingly.
An alternate fake-cheese-free topping recommendation: red sauce, broccoli, roasted red peppers, vegan basil pesto.
Oh and if you're looking for an easy vegan pesto, check out the Amore brand in the tube. I use it for everything!
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated pizza dough
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup vegan mozzarella
- 1 small bunch fresh basil
- 1 medium tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. And line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil so they won't stick.
- Place pizza dough on a well-floured surface and stretch gently into about a 12″ x 8″ rectangle.
- With a round cutter or a cup of some sort, cut dough into 18-20 rounds; place rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Top each with pizza sauce, cheese, basil and tomatoes .
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. But know that some vegan cheese just won't melt the way to want, so make sure the crust doesn't burn.
Twice-Baked Potato Bites
Adapted from Simple Food
Eight servings
About one hour to prepare
The original recipe for twice baked potatoes calls for sour cream. On our first pass we used vegan sour cream and they were alright. No bad at all, but a little flat even with the fresh chives. On our second attempt we substituted the sour cream with a vegan Chive & Garlic Cream Cheese from Go Veggie!. Pretty awesome. Just the flavor kick we needed, but if you can't find it at the store vegan sour cream or vegan cream cheese works just fine. If you happen to have a mellon baller on hand, the smaller side works great for scooping the potatoes out. If, not any small spoon will work. But seriously, wait until they're cool before you scoop. These little spuds can really hold their heat.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. red new potatoes (about 14), halved
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- coarse salt and ground pepper
- ¾ cup vegan chive and garlic cream cheese
- ¼ cup snipped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato half so they rest flat. In a large bowl, toss potatoes with oil; season with salt and pepper, and arrange bottom side down. Bake until tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on sheet.
- When the potatoes are cool enough, scoop out about a teaspoon from the center of each potato into a medium bowl. Add cream cheese and chives, and mash; season with salt and pepper. Stuff potatoes with filling. (To store, refrigerate stuffed potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet, up to 1 day.)
- Bake potatoes at 450 degrees until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Garnish with chives.
Well Vegan
@Kelsey - They're an absolute winner!
Kelsey
I'm trying the twice baked potatoes this weekend!
Well Vegan
@Dad: You got me there! I loved that jacket...
Dad
I think SOMEBODY used to HAVE to HAVE their Dallas Cowboys jacket (at age 6). We have pictures. Fashion statement. Recipes look great.
Vee Double Dee
Wow, these look great! A must try!
Linda
Yum, yum and more yum! Its nice to be able to make not only eye pleasing tasty treats but treats that are healthy too!