If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that Dave and I like sports – we like inviting people over to watch sports, and we love going to games! Here are some foods that we ate while watching or preparing to watch sports.
Our friend Tom is a biiiiig Green Bay Packers fan, so we were very excited for their final playoff game against the Bears. (Yes, all the way back in January.) We had some friends over and observed what we’re told is a Green Bay tradition. Apparently, Packers fans bring chili to their tailgates, then mix all the chilis together in a giant pot. We didn’t have a pot big enough to hold all the chilis, so we just mixed them in our bowls. Well…everyone else mixed them, I just ate my vegan chili.
For an attempt at authenticity, I based mine on this recipe for Wisconsin Chili. I used soy crumbles instead of meat, and the only other major change I made was to saute the vegetables before adding the rest of the ingredients. This was a simple chili, and very tasty! Even the meat eaters liked it.
I topped my bowl of hot chili with some shredded cheddar Teese.
Oh, yes I did. I made a chili cheese dog, and it was amazing. Carbs on carbs, mmmmm…
Imagine our delight when the Packers won and advanced to the Super Bowl! Naturally, we had friends over for a Super Bowl party. Aaron Rodgers vs. Ben Roethlisberger, to me, was practically good vs. evil, so I was rooting for the Packers big time.
Jake greeted our guests by the door.
I made a seven layer dip a la this post, and served it with Trader Joe’s Corn Chip Dippers, which are awesome. I also put out some TJ’s Trek Mix with chocolate, which is also awesome. All on a green tablecloth, of course.
Dave was preparing some sort of meat with baked beans and mac n cheese, so I put together a similar plate.
Buffalo Tempeh from Appetite for Reductions. SO GOOD. I will be making this again and again.
Mac and Trees, no trees, also from Appetite for Reductions. I put some breadcrumbs on top and baked (overbaked) it. Also so good!
Fantastic football dinner!
I made a Packers cookie cake! Toward the end of the third quarter, when the Steelers were threatening to mount a comeback, we decided we needed to “consume the power of the Packers” in order to help, and we dug in. Cookie cakes are always loved. After The Great Cookie Cake Catastrophe of 2008, when I dropped a blob of icing on the top of the N in NY, I was very careful with the frosting, and so happy with how it turned out! To make a cookie cake, I just prepare the chocolate chip cookie recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance then press the whole thing onto a round pan covered with foil, and bake maybe a bit longer than the recipe calls for. The edges get chewy but the middle stays nice and gooey. The topping is just regular buttercream; I used the recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
I like to believe that the cookie cake aided the Pack in the win. After football was over, we had nothing to do other than look forward to baseball season. For the first baseball tailgate, we needed a cold side dish to go with some barbecue, and I went with potato salad.
I don’t think a picture of potato salad can really ever do potato salad justice, because this potato salad was super duper delicious. I started with Betty Crocker’s recipe for Creamy Potato Salad and replaced the mayo with half regular Vegenaise, and half low-fat. I left out the egg, obviously, and added some relish and fresh chopped dill. You can never have enough fresh dill.
Perfect meal for eating in a parking lot – potato salad, grilled mushrooms and barbecue tofu.
I wanted to make a special dessert for our first tailgate of the season, and I had a crazy idea about making something with Cracker Jacks. I googled it, and found out that rather than baking with Cracker Jacks, I could make cookies that taste like Crackers Jacks.
I veganized this Cracker Jack Cookie recipe, swapping out egg replacer for the eggs and using organic brown rice cereal instead of Rice Krispies. I also added peanuts, because what good are Cracker Jacks without the peanuts? Somehow, the cookies actually did taste a little like Cracker Jacks. I don’t like shredded sweetened coconut at all, but it was fine in this cookie since there were so many textures going on. The cookies spread a little more than I would like, so I want to make these cookies again with more binder, and I’ll post a recipe once it’s perfected.
Finally, I know the Kentucky Derby isn’t very vegan, but its official drink is. Dave is a fan of horse racing, so he invited a few friends over for the derby and we mixed up some mint juleps.
Apparently there are a few different ways to make a mint julep, but I followed the recipe on the derby website. It’s super easy. You just make a simple syrup and chill it with fresh mint, then strain out the mint. Put ice in a glass, add syrup, whiskey and fresh mint, and sip! Seriously though, sip. This is one strong beverage.
We don’t have highball glasses or julep cups, so we drank ours out of half-pint mason jars. We’re classy like that.
Vegan Homemade 