It’s hard to beat topped crackers, breads, corn chips or potatoes for snacks while the big game is on.  But, they can really add a lot of carbs to your intake for the day.  Fortunately, you can have tasty snacks that are almost as good.

Here’s some suggestions that I use for sports viewing — or even awards shows viewing — that will round out the viewing without rounding you!

Pig Skin Nachos

This is a natural for a football game, but the pigskin I’m using is actually pork rinds or chicarrones.   If this sounds odd, think about it for a moment.  Bacon is made from pork and this is pork, so why not?  It’s crispy like a tortilla chip and it has a pork flavor.  What’s not to like?  And best of all, it’s just about 0 carbs.

1 serving cooked pork rinds (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons guacamole (optional)

Use about 1 1/2 cups of cooked pork rinds on the plate, sprinkle with cheddar jack cheese and microwave for about 45 to 55 seconds.  Watch for when the cheese begins to melt, then remove it.  Put your favorite salsa in a dipping dish, a small bowl will work, and add some guacamole to the side of the dish if you’d like.  Don’t put the salsa on the nachos as they will get soggy.

Nutrition Info 1 serving
(with guacamole)  Calories:   399.3  Net Carbs: 3.8  Protein: 22.5 g
(1 servings without guacamole)   Calories: 314.8  Net Carbs:  1.8   Protein: 21.5 g

Sweet Porkers

For those who might like a sweet snack and who like the taste of bacon and maple syrup, this is a tasty alternative (although the bacon works also).  I use Piggy Tails cinnamon and sugar pork rinds for this snack.  You can order them through Amazon.com and they come un-puffed.  Put 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup of pellets on a microwaveable paper plate for about 2 minutes and they puff up into a full plate of goodness.  The cinnamon sugar flavor is really mild though, so I pour out a little cup of sugar free maple syrup and dip the pork puffs in those while I munch on them.  Wal-Mart sells a sugar free Log Cabin syrup that is delicious.  DaVinci also has a sugar free pancake syrup that tastes great, but is a little thinner.

Bacon Cheese Chips

Here’s a tasty little appetizer made with daikon chips topped with bits of bacon and cheddar cheese.  What could be easier to put together for a TV afternoon?  The daikon has a slight peppery taste that is enhanced by the garlic pepper seasoning.

6 inch piece of daikon radish, cut into 1/3 inch slices
6 thick bacon slices, baked and broken into thirds
Sharp cheddar cheese, grated or sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Garlic pepper seasoning

Heat a large griddle or skillet and put 1 tablespoon olive oil on it.  Cook the daikon slices, 9 at a time on the griddle until they are browned.  Add more oil before doing the second batch.

If you are making a lot, you can roast them instead of frying.  Spread slices on a baking sheet and cook in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until just tender.

Place the cooked daikon on a baking pan and place 1/3 slice of bacon on each piece.  Sprinkle a little garlic pepper on each piece.  Top with a small piece of cheddar cheese or about a tablespoon of shredded cheese.

Place under broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese.  Makes 6 servings, 3 pieces each.

You can also put these in a microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds to melt the cheese.  Watch closely to make sure the cheese doesn’t overflow.

Makes 6 servings of 3 chips per serving.
Nutrition: per serving   Calories 182.1  Net Carbs: 1.5 g  Protein: 8.5

Variations:

Use cream cheese spread on each chip and top with sliced tomato or thinly sliced sausage or ham.

Italian style:  Spread cooked daikon with pasta sauce and top with pepperoni and sliced mozzarella cheese

You don’t have to be limited to daikon.  This also works well with kohlrabi, jicama, golden beet and turnip slices that are fried or roasted.  Jicama remains crunchy when cooked.

Hot snacks:  Top clockwise – salami and cheese beet chip, jicama chip & daikon chip

I mentioned using the fillings for the mushrooms as snack toppers.  Here is the Pesto Sausage filling on tops of daikon chips, golden beet chips and kohlrabi chips.  Delicious although my favorite was the golden beet.

 

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/31/2013 2:01 PM