Super Bowl parties can be a buffet of obstacles for those of us watching our calories. There may be a vegetable tray shoved to the back of the table, but what happens when you get hungry? In my experience, my best intentions get kicked to the sidelines when my stomach is growling and everyone else is digging into bean dip, pizza and piles of chips.
Fortunately, I have a solution. Have you seen the trays of pinwheel sandwiches in the grocery store deli? Did you know they are really easy to make? Best of all, you can use a variety of fresh ingredients so you won’t fumble your healthy eating goals. It doesn’t matter if you go gourmet or stick to simple sandwich fillings, the pinwheels will look irresistible once they are lined up on a serving tray.
I’m not a die hard fan (as you probably guessed from my terrible use of football puns), but I do enjoy a big game. Sadly, we won’t be watching The Hawks play this year. It sure was fun to watch them play the last two years. Their absence won’t stop my family from enjoying Super Bowl 50 with the rest of the country. We’ll tune in to see the Broncos and the Panthers take the field, watch the commercials, and — because I love any excuse to make a meal out of snacks — we will be enjoying a buffet of mostly healthy finger-foods throughout the game.
My youngest was about 2 years old the first time he pointed at the television and yelled “football!” His exclamation didn’t actually sound like “football” but in context it was clear what got him so excited. In many homes, this is a celebrated rite of passage, baby’s-first-moment-in-sports. In our house it was a surprise. Mike and I are not opposed to professional sports (contrary to our reputation among certain family members) but we aren’t regular followers of any particular game — except Formula 1 racing, but that is a subject for another day.
In the months since the first football shout-out, my youngest started specifically reacting to home-team gear. I wasn’t certain he was identifying the logo on his own until New Years Day. It was a beautiful sunny day. We took advantage of the mild weather and spent the afternoon strolling around Edmonds. At one point, a beanie clad man passed us on the sidewalk. From his perch on Mike’s shoulders, our little fan perked up and pointed. “He’s wearing a Seahawks hat!” (He pronounces the name with an unfortunate “c” instead of an “h.”) Well, that did it; I was convinced. We officially have a football fan in the house and he is a Twelve.
Whoever you cheer for, and whatever is on the menu, I hope you enjoy the game, the food, and the spectacle of Sunday’s Superbowl.
Pinwheel sandwiches
These pinwheel wraps are fun to make and easy to customize. Follow the step-by-step instructions for the general method. Then choose ingredients that suit your taste or dietary preferences — such as low carb tortillas, light Laughing Cow cheese, meat or vegetarian fillings. Use a less-is-more approach to the fillings. Over stuffed pinwheels are hard to roll and frequenly fall apart.
Start with a large tortilla (at least 8-inch diameter).
Cover the tortilla with thin layer of cream cheese or hummus. Work all the way to the edge. The spread holds the pinwheel closed when you roll it. Tip: Up your pinwheel game by sprinkling a little feta or blue cheese over the spread before layering on the remaining ingredients.
Lay one or two slices of deli meat in the center of the tortilla. Leave a wide margin on either side and keep to one slice thickness.
Place thin slices of vegetables in a column down the center of the tortilla. Suggested veggies: cucumber sliced long and thin, bell pepper strips, roasted red pepper, tomato slices, green onion and spring greens.
Finally, roll the tortilla so it is snug and the edges stick down. Slice the roll into 2-inch pinwheels (four to six per roll depending on the size of your tortilla) and arrange on plates or trays. Tip: Clustering the pinwheels together on a plate will help keep them rolled.
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