Angel Wings and Queso…as promised

As you could tell from the previous blog, a Super Bowl feast at our house is no sit down affair, just simple tasty food that can be made in advance or with little pre-game fuss and that will hold pretty well through the game. But the main requirement for anything on our Super Bowl menu is that it be finger food–i.e., a tasty munchie to gnosh on during the game that doesn’t require your attention to waver from the action on the field.

Wings work well, thus we have two varieties.
Crudites work well, as do any sorts of antipasti: salami, olives, marinated veggies, cheeses.
Dips work well, thus we have two varieties, three if you count the blue cheese dressing.
Cider and beer need no explanation and the margaritas should be made well in advance and icy cold.

Here are the final two recipes. The first, Angel Wings, is from The Low Carb Comfort Food Cookbook; it’s actually my sister’s recipe and it’s delicious. The second, the Chile Con Queso (Spicy Cheese Dip) is from the same cookbook, but is an Eades’ family SuperBowl tradition.

Angel Wings
Serves about 4
About 3 grams carb per serving

20 chicken wings
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried chopped parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper (white if you have it, black if not)
1 cup butter, melted in a bowl
Olive oil or Coconut Oil for greasing baking dish

1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Wash wings and pat dry with paper towels
3) Lightly grease an ovenproof baking dish or broiler pan large enough to accommodate all the wings in a single layer.
4) In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the cheese, parsley, garlic powder, and pepper; mix well.
5) Dip wings first in melted butter, then in the cheese mixture.
6) Arrange wings in baking dish and bake uncovered for 1 hour. Serve hot. Multiplies well, but use enough baking pans to keep the wings in a single layer.

Chile Con Queso
Serves about 4

5 ounces white cheddar cheese, grated
2 ounces mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons seeded and diced tomatoes*
2 tablespoons canned roasted and peeled mild chile*
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 pinch (or to taste) cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly chopped cilantro

*You can substitute 4 tablespoons drained Rotel or other diced canned tomatoes and chiles

1) Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheeses have melted and the consistency is uniform and smooth.
2) Serve in a microwave safe bowl, to make gentle reheating easier. (or see below)

Alternatively, you can cook in microwave in a covered microwave safe dish. Heat on high 2 minutes, stir, heat in 1 minute increments, stirring between each, until cheeses have completed melted and consistency is smooth.

Also multiplies well and can be kept nicely warm in a crock pot during the game.

A 1/2 cup serving has about 3 grams of carb, plus any that accrue from whatever you might choose to use as a dipper. For me, it will be chicharones (pork rinds), which will add virtually zero carbs.

Now that the menu is settled, it just comes down to whether we think that Peyton Manning and the Colts can continue their offensive juggernaut or whether Brian Urlacher and Da Bears will once again prove that Defenses Win Championships. It should be a good game.

We’ll see on Sunday.