Are you ready for some…tailgating?

Football season is upon us and that means - let the tailgating begin! Oh and the Sunday viewing parties.  It can be hard to resist all of the delicious foods you encounter from the food on the grill, to the crockpot dishes, to the appetizers. I took a few of my favorite tailgating recipes that are HEALTHIER to help you feel a little better come Monday morning. Enjoy!!

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Author: McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN

Prep time:  20 mins
Cook time:  40 mins
Total time:  1 hour

Serves: about 10

Ingredients:
•    1 large head of cauliflower (about 5-6 cups raw)
•    ½ cup almond milk (or of your choice)
•    ½-1 cup water (more to create a thinner coating)
•    ¾-1 cup red hot sauce (I used Frank's)
•    ¾ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
•    1 tablespoon butter (grass-fed or vegan)
•    2 teaspoon garlic powder
•    2 teaspoon onion powder
•    1 teaspoon cumin powder
•    dash of cayenne pepper
•    ground black pepper and sea salt

Instructions:
1    Preheat oven to 450°F
2    Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and grease well with coconut oil or other. If you don't have coconut oil or a liner for the baking sheet try this- take a cookie "drying rack" and put on top of a standard baking sheet. You'll eventually put all of the cauliflower bites on top of the "drying rack" to allow them to cook through with less sticking.
3    Cut cauliflower head into small bite sized pieces.
COATING
4    Mix flour, milk, water, and spices into a small bowl.
5    Dip each cauliflower floret into this flour mixture (This is the step where you can either make the batter thick or thin by using less/more water respectively. I enjoy it on the thinner side so I choose to add more water).
6    Lay on baking sheet in an even layer to ensure baking all around.
7    Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
BUFFALO SAUCE
8    In a small saucepan melt the butter and hot sauce, bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
9    After the cauliflower bites have baked, pour the buffalo sauce mixture onto the bites.
10    Stir until each cauliflower bite has been coated in the sauce.
11    Bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!

White Bean and Bacon Dip with Rosemary Pita Chips
Ingredients
Chips:
•    1/2 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
•    1/4 teaspoon salt
•    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•    1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•    3 (6-inch) pitas, each cut into 8 wedges
•    Cooking spray
Dip:
•    2 Applewood-smoked bacon slices, chopped (such as Nueske's)
•    4 garlic cloves, minced
•    1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
•    1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
•    1/4 cup chopped green onions
•    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
•    1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
•    1/8 teaspoon salt
•    1/8 teaspoon paprika

Instructions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
CHIPS
2 Combine first 4 ingredients.
3 Arrange pita wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly coat pita wedges with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with rosemary mixture. 4 Lightly recoat pita wedges with cooking spray.
5 Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until golden.
DIP
6 Cook bacon in a small saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside.
7  Add garlic to drippings in pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
8 Add broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
9 Combine bean mixture, onions, and remaining ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth.
10 Spoon mixture into a bowl; stir in 1 tablespoon reserved bacon.
11 Sprinkle dip with remaining bacon just before serving.
12 Serve with pita chips.
Enjoy!

Mini Cauliflower Pizza Bites
Author: Katie Farrell from Dashing Dish

Ingredients
•            2 cups Cauliflower (about 1/2 head of cauliflower)
•            1/4 cup Egg whites (or 1 large egg white)
•            1/8 cup Low fat cottage cheese
•            1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
•            1/2 tsp Dried oregano [1]
•            1/2 tsp Dried basil [1]
•            1/4 tsp Garlic powder

•            1/4 cup Mini turkey pepperonis (or regular size turkey pepperoni cut into quarters) Optional Topping: Additional pepperonis to place on top just before cooking
[1] Or you could use 1 tsp. Dried Italian Seasoning.

Instructions:
The estimated total time to make this recipe is 40-45 minutes.
1
1 Preheat oven to 425°F.
2 Line 14 mini muffin cups with silicone liners, or foil muffin liners with paper liners removed. Spray liners with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3 Wash cauliflower, and cut in half, (save the rest for later). Break cauliflower into segments, and place in food processor. Pulse until it reaches a rice-like texture.
4 Place cauliflower in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. (Do NOT add water or cover).
5 Remove cauliflower from microwave and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Place back in microwave for 2 minutes. Mix again.
6 Scoop cauliflower mixture into muffin liners, dividing evenly between the 14 mini liners. Fill to the top, and press filling down so it’s compact in liner.
7 Place muffin tin in the oven and bake muffins for 30-35 minutes, or when top starts to become golden brown.
8 Remove from the oven, let cool completely before popping the muffins out of the liners.
9 Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping!
Enjoy!