Gluten-Free Super Bowl Party

With Super Bowl XLVI only about a week away, it's not too early to start planning your gluten-free party menu. As someone who couldn't care less about football, the commercials and the food are what make the Super Bowl fun for me. Many Super Bowl parties focus on junk food, but you can make your party both healthy and delicious while still having fun.

Gluten-Free Fun Snacks

• Use store-bought hummus for veggies instead of creamy, calorie-heavy dips or trying making your own edamame hummus or baba ghanoush. 
• Buy low-sodium or no-sodium potato chips. Check all packaging to make sure your chips are gluten-free! Utz is a great gluten-free brand.
• Bake your own tortilla chips using 6-inch corn tortillas. Simply slice up to chip size, add a little flavor salt or spices, and bake on a low-heat for approximately 10 minutes. 
• Make air-popped popcorn and flavor with Barbara Kafka's 5 Spice Powder.
• Throw together a huge pot of vegetarian chili including your favorite hearty vegetables and squash. Serve with your homemade tortilla chips.
• Swap out soda for flavored seltzer.
• Make some Mexican lasagna! (see recipe below)

The most important suggestion for any party is to eat in moderation. Take a little of each snack or dish and don't overdo it!

Gluten-Free Fun's Mexican Lasagna

1 lb of ground turkey
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis
1 can of refried beans
1 package of gluten-free taco seasoning (be sure to check the ingredients!)
1/2 cup of corn kernels
1/2 cup of diced onions
2 cups of grated sharp, reduced-fat cheddar cheese
10-12 gluten-free corn tortillas (I use the 6inch kind)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground meat and drain excess fat.
3. Add can of tomatoes, corn, onions, and taco seasoning to the meat.
4. Add can of refried beans and bring this thick mixture to a slight boil.
5. Put a layer of the meat mixture into a 9X12 baking dish, followed by a layer of corn tortillas, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat with one or two more layers meat, cheese, and tortillas. Number of layers will depend on the size of your baking dish.
6. Top off with the rest of your cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

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This post is written in conjunction with the launch of a new website called The Balanced Platter. All throughout January, TBP has asked gluten-free bloggers to put together their thoughts on healthy, gluten-free living for the new year and beyond. I am thrilled to be a part of this month long blogging project. Please visit www.BalancedPlatter.com for more information.

The Balanced Platter is a one-stop shop for balanced, healthy gluten-free living. With their recent January 1st launch, they have different perspectives about living well on a gluten-free diet from top bloggers in the gluten-free arena. This will encompass recipes, tips, how-to’s, and product reviews.

Gluten-Free Super Bowl

This year I got invited to a Super Bowl party at the house of a dear friend. I usually go to the gym during the Super Bowl since it is one of the few nights of the year that there are almost NO guys grunting and stinking the place up. But since I got the invite and then was approached by GlutenFreeFox.com asking me what I was making for the Super Bowl I figured I would go to the party and bring a yummy, gluten-free dish with me next Sunday. Tonight I did a trial run of a gluten-free Mexican lasagna and since it has refried beans and lots of cheese it still fits into my tradition of junk food during the Super Bowl. Did I mention it was delicious!? To me, the whole purpose of the Super Bowl is to watch commercials, see nip slips during the half-time show, and to eat junk food... this fit the bill. Super Bowl Sunday, here I come!!


Gluten-Free Fun's Mexican Lasagna

1 lb of ground beef or turkey
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilis
1 can of refried beans
1 package of gluten-free taco seasoning (be sure to check the ingredients!)
1/2 cup of corn kernels
1/2 cup of diced onions
2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
10-12 gluten-free corn tortillas (I use the 6inch kind)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground meat and drain excess fat.
3. Add can of tomatoes, corn, onions, and taco seasoning to the meat.
4. Add can of refried beans and bring this thick mixture to a slight boil.
5. Put a layer of the meat mixture into a 9X12 baking dish, followed by a layer of corn tortillas, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat with one or two more layers meat, cheese, and tortillas. Number of layers will depend on the size of your baking dish.
6. Top off with the rest of your cheese.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

Happy Super Bowl.

Who is playing? ;-)