Atlanta Falcons - What a season!!

Atlanta is known for it’s peaches, southern hospitality, heat and humidity, and sweet potatoes, among other things. The Falcons are a great football team, and so I have put together some delicious treats themed around the things that make Atlanta awesome.

Potatoes 

Chilled steamed potatoes have a very low Glycemic Index, loaded with resistant starch. That makes them an excellent choice for a healthy snack. I find the traditional potato skin much too big, and too filling (but delicious) to allow eating anything else from the table. So I use a smaller, 2-3 bite waxy potato such as red or yukon, steam them, then allow them to chill in the refrigerator overnight. 

I cut them in half, then scoop them out with a tablespoon or teaspoon, leaving about 1/4” of potato to give support. I dice ham into about 1/4” square pieces (the deli cuts me a slab of 1/4” ham) and then mix in jam. I have used peach chutney, mango habanero, mango pepper jelly, or peach pepper jam. I also mx in some small dice peaches.  Thinly slice and then saute shallot, or onion.

Add a pinch of cheddar to the bottom of the potato,  then add some caramelized shallots. Scoop a Tablespoon or so of ham mixture over the onions and broil for about 2 minutes. Serve hot or at  room temperature, delicious either way!

WINGS  roast at 425°F for about 30 minutes 

Wings are notoriously high calorie due to the deep fries nature of the traditional wing. Here, I dry them, put a bit of oil and seasoning on them, and then roast at a high temperature. This results in a very crispy, flavor intense, lower calorie treat that is relatively healthy. It is not just the roasting that makes it healthy, though, but also the fat that is in the chicken skin contains loads of mono unsaturated fats, and the dark meat has healthy fats and nutrients as well.  While not exactly a health food like kale, it certainly does not deserve to be demeaned as one of the most unhealthy foods ever.  

So, cut the tips off the wings, cut into two sections, dry off with a paper towel, then put them all in a bowl with enough oil to lightly coat them. Use avocado oil if possible, as it retains it’s healthy benefits at high temperatures.   

Dump your dry seasoning in, and then rub the oil and seasonings into the wings until well coated.    Place wings on an oven safe cooling rack. This allows the excess fat to drain off, making them even more crisp and healthy.  Place rack into a foil lined baking pan, and roast for about 30 minutes. Be sure they are done, use a thermometer to check for temperature-175°F for safest temp. If not brown enough, or for best results, turn broiler on high and broil the wings for about 5 minutes, watching closely until they are to your liking.  

Seasonings for the wings might be, of course, chicken wings roasted with a nice fruity jam, like the one used in the ham above. Or you can always glaze them under the broiler with jam or your favorite BBQ sauce, or dip them after they are done.  So many ways!  

Appetizer crackers, goat cheese and jam.

This is a super simple and not that original, but it IS always a huge hit. I use a simple cracker, like 34° from whole foods, or another, neutral, herbed, thin, and crispy cracker. then, I add about at least 1/2 tsp of goat cheese, or brie. Then I put about 1/4 tsp of the above jams on it…like mango pepper, my favorite. WARNING!!!   You may need someone dedicated to making these, as it seems they are almost magical in their ability to disappear.  Incredibly delicious. 

Good luck to the Falcons, my wish is that all the teams play their best!  

Enjoy and live-nimble!!

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