Football Friendly Foods (that include BEER!)

We were recently watching some of the NFL Playoff Games.  We had a whole crew here this weekend to visit — 13 of us, in fact — and Kara’s family are die-hard Steelers Fans.

Since they played the Denver Broncos on Sunday, we of course had to watch the game, which included lots of yelling and lots of cheering.  And a game that went into overtime, which the Steelers then lost in the first play when Denver scored.

But outside of the game itself, one thing people always associate with football — particularly the Super Bowl, which is around the corner — is food.  And lots of it.
Usually wings.  Beer.   Chips.  Dip.  Pizza.  You know, the foods that have left 75% of the country with their new years resolutions behind them.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m all for those foods (outside of wings, which I hate) — the key is that these are once in awhile foods, not every day foods.  But what if you could have your “football friendly” foods that were actually good for you and, maybe even more importantly, taste great?

Not to rain on your football food parade, but cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer of U.S. men and women. But it is preventable 80% of the time.

You know what can save you?  Changing what you eat.  Yeah, exercising is important too — of course — but let’s focus on nutrition today.
First, low fat is not the answer.  There was a point where we all thought it was.  In fact, back in high school when I was trying to lose weight, I had a goal of eating as absolutely little fat as possible. In my mind, if less was good, MUCH less was even better!  And I still have my food journals from that time with one day where I logged just 3 grams of total fat. TOTAL.

Did I lose weight?  Sure thing, I ate less calories.  Was it the best approach and the healthiest approach?  Not a chance.

Here’s the deal — fat is fantastic for you.  It’s picking the right ones that’s the key.  And we’ll go into some other quality food choices in future blogs.
One fat I’m often asked about is canola oil.  I spent some time up in Saskatoon, Canada last year, actually, seeing where canola oil comes from (most is grown in that region) and seeing the entire process – from how it’s grown (imagine fields and fields of yellow flowers blooming) to how it appears on your store shelves.

Pretty interesting — the more we can find out about the source of our foods, the better .  Happy with what I saw and learned, I partnered with CanolaInfo.org to help bring you truthful info.  

Interesting stuff — canola oil has the least saturated fat and most omega-3 fat of any cooking oil.  And with little flavor but a high smoke point (meaning you can heat it to higher temperature without it smoking), it’s got a ton of uses.

Getting back to football last Sunday, we needed some grub to go with the game.  And wings and beer weren’t going to cut it.  CanolaInfo put together a “Dude Food” Recipe Collection that was perfect for game days (or anytime you want it).  Since one of the recipes actually has beer in it, that made it even more awesome (and football-friendly).

Try this:

Deep, Dark and Stout Chili
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp canola oil 30 mL
1 1/2 lb/750 g extra lean ground beef (or 1 lb/500 g extra lean ground beef and 15-oz/426 mL can kidney beans, rinsed and drained)
2 cups diced green bell peppers 500 mL
1 cup diced red onion
3 cans (14.5 oz/412 mL each) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
1 bottle (12 oz/341 mL) dark stout beer
3 Tbsp chili powder 45 mL
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin 20 mL
1 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika (optional) 20 mL
1 Tbsp sodium-free beef bouillon granules 15 mL
1 tsp salt 5 mL

Toppings
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 125 mL
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion 125 mL
1 medium lime, cut into six wedges

Instructions:
Heat 1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, brown beef, about 3-4 minutes per batch, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile, in a sauté pan heat remaining 1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil and cook bell peppers and onions 4 minutes or until onions are soft, stirring frequently. Stir into cooked beef. Add stewed tomatoes, beer, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and bouillon. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in salt.
Serve chili with choice of toppings placed in three small bowls.
Yield: 8 servings. Serving size: 1 1/3 cups (325 mL) chili. 
Cook’s note: Like most chili recipes, the flavors are more blended if the chili is served the next day. This dish freezes well, too.

They have a ton more great recipes on CanolaInfo.org, perfect for Superbowl Sunday or any other day …

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