Playbook for a Vegan Super Bowl Party

Whether you’re in to win it, or just love a reason to have a party, Super Bowl parties are always as much about the food as they are about the game. Don’t get called for a personal foul by serving up foods that contain lots of unhealthy beef, pork, chicken, and cheese. This year, sack all the unhealthy and unkind dishes that give Super Bowl parties a bad name and cook up some crowd-pleasers using these healthy, vegan recipes instead. Oh, and don’t worry about getting benched in the kitchen or needing to call in special teams, these are all fairly simple to make and serve, so let’s get to it! BBQ Jackfruit Nachos take your average nachos up a notch. Tender, spiced jackfruit, crunchy coleslaw, salsa, and cashew sour cream will have all your guests coming back for seconds–and thirds, so make a big batch of these and watch them disappear. Walnut and Kale Stuffed Mushrooms: It’s just not a party without a platter of sizzling, crispy stuffed mushrooms. Making make them with super-healthy ingredients takes the shame out of going back for seconds…and thirds. A simple filling made with mushroom stems, walnuts, kale, and breadcrumbs (gluten-free, if you please), means they’re not only easy to make but easy on the wallet, too. Fully Loaded Vegan Potato Skins: Game days demands decadent, loaded potato skins. Made with coconut “bacon”, store-bought vegan cheese, and dairy-free sour cream, these hearty spuds leave nothing on the field. Sausage and Pepper Calzones: Calzones are really just a blank canvas for your favorite fillings. With so many options for ingredients and fillings, nothing is lost by making them vegan. Sausage and Pepper Calzones is just one tasty way to go. Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese: Super-charge (and veganize) your mac n’ cheese for game day! Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese is the perfect make-ahead crowd-pleaser. Leave the cheese and cheese substitutes on the sidelines for this one; creamy, orange butternut squash provides the familiar color and lusciousness we crave when we think about mac ‘n cheese. Hot sauce makes this typical kid-friendly dish into something grown-ups can hoot and holler about, too. For an extra-tasty topping, we use crushed corn chips instead of breadcrumbs. This dish freezes well for game-day ease. Buffalo Cauliflower: Superbowl fans alone are responsible for the consumption of over one billion wings during this annual sports-fest. Those wings used to belong to chickens so that’s a lot of suffering involved in producing this spicy party favorite. If you could get the heat and flavor without the cruelty, wouldn’t that feel better? Healthy and vegan, Buffalo Cauliflower is perfect for entertaining a hungry crowd. Tempeh & Peppers: This healthy and cruelty-free version of sausage and peppers will definitely fake out any opponents. We use all the authentic flavorings that make this dish a family favorite but send the greasy sausage to the sidelines and sub-in tempeh as the super-healthy protein. Wheatball Subs: If you’re considering a healthier meatball, forget about ground turkey. Seitan is made from wheat gluten and found in most healthy grocery stores. Grind it up with all the typical ingredients you’d find in your favorite meatballs and you’ve got all the familiar flavors rolled up into healthier “Wheatballs”. Serve them on a soft roll with tomato sauce and vegan mozzarella and you’ve got yourself a party-perfect Wheatball Sub. Tempeh Reuben: Try this easy-to-assemble-meal for game day. No, this one isn’t made with mounds of corned beef, Swiss Cheese, and Russian dressing. It also won’t deliver 40 grams of fat, 1600 mg of sodium and 770 calories! Our vegan Reuben replaces the corned beef with tempeh, which is heart-healthy and made from whole fermented soybeans. Add creamy avocado, sauerkraut, and a quick vegan dressing, and your guests might be rushing to get seconds instead of passing the plate to the others. Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili with Flaxseed Cornbread: Chili is a staple at Super Bowl parties, and this version is vibrant with fresh flavors and deep colors. It’s hearty enough to be the QB, or team it up with baked potatoes for a twist. The only way you can fumble this recipe is by not making enough! Super Duper Simple Nachos: In a survey this year, nachos were ranked number one, not wings, as the number Super Bowl finger food. Chips can be a blank canvas for your favorite toppings, so you won’t even need a playbook to whip these up in a jiffy, but if you do, try this recipe. So pull a quarterback sneak at this year’s party and serve up some super-delicious vegan Super Bowl snacks. I bet the other team won’t even know what hit ’em.