Game Night Recipes
No Playing Games with your Appetite Here
The sweet, the savory, the salty
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SAVORY
Goat Cheese Poppers with Honey
Cauliflower "Hot Wings" and Aioli
SWEET
Smoked Salmon New Potatoes
—Serve on a platter, toothpicks are optional
—Prep fully before guest arrival
INGREDIENTS FOR 36 BITES
- 36 baby red potatoes (1-1/2 inches wide, about 1-1/2 pounds)
- 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
- 2 packages (3 ounces each) smoked salmon or lox
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dill weed
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Fresh dill sprigs
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered, until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes; immediately drop in ice water. Drain; pat dry.
- Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each potato to allow them to lie flat. Using a melon baller, remove a small portion from the top of each potato.
- For filling, place all remaining ingredients except dill sprigs in a food processor; process until smooth. To serve, pipe or spoon about 2 teaspoons filling into each potato. Top with dill sprigs.
Mini BLTs
—Serve from a platter with picks
—Prep the day of the party, but not recommended to stay in the fridge longer than 1-2 hours.
INGREDIENTS FOR 30 BITES
- 30 cherry tomatoes
- 3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
- 2 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves, torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup salad croutons, broken into pieces
- 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- Coarsely ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut a thin slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out and discard pulp; invert tomatoes on paper towels to drain. Pipe mayonnaise into tomatoes.
- Roll lettuce pieces and insert into tomato centers. Repeat with croutons and bacon. Sprinkle with pepper.
Goat Cheese Poppers with Honey (V)
—Serve from a platter with picks or skewers
—Prep ingredients, but best served warm
INGREDIENTS FOR 8-10 SERVINGS
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 (11-ounce) log soft goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups grapeseed oil or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine flour and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk together egg, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and 2 tablespoons water in a second small bowl. Combine panko and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt in another small bowl.
- Roll goat cheese into 24 balls (about 1 tablespoon each). Roll each goat cheese ball in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, and dredge in panko mixture. Freeze 20 minutes or until firm.
- Heat oil to 350° in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry goat cheese, in batches, 1 to 2 minutes or until golden and crisp on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place on paper towels to drain.
- Arrange goat cheese poppers on a platter, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with chives and red pepper. Serve immediately.
Pigs in an Everything Blanket
—Serve from a platter
—Prep dip and ingredients beforehand, and serve pigs warm
INGREDIENTS FOR 42 PIGS
Pigs
- Cooking spray
- 1 pound refrigerated prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 (14-oz) package cocktail franks (42 franks)
- 8 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons dried minced onion
- 4 teaspoons dried minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
Cream Cheese Dip
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- To prepare the pigs, preheat oven to 425°. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Roll pizza dough into an 11x17-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pizza dough into 42 even strips, stretching each dough strip slightly using your fingertips. Tightly wrap each cocktail frank horizontally with 1 dough strip. Place wrapped franks onto prepared baking sheet.
- Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large stockpot; add baking soda and honey to pan, stirring until dissolved. Add 5 to 6 wrapped franks to water; cook 20 to 30 seconds. Return franks to baking sheet using a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure until all franks have been boiled. Arrange franks 1 inch apart on baking sheet.
- Whisk together egg and half-and-half in a small bowl. Whisk together poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried onions, dried garlic, and salt in a shallow bowl. Lightly brush the dough of each frank with egg mixture using a pastry brush; gently roll each in the poppy seed mixture, returning to baking sheet as they are coated.
- Bake at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned; cool 5 to 10 minutes on sheet. Gently transfer to a platter using a spatula. Serve with cream cheese dip.
- To prepare the dip, place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. With the mixer at low speed, mix in the buttermilk and remaining ingredients (through pepper) until smooth.
Garbanzo-Stuffed Mini Peppers (V, GF, DF)
—Serve on a large platter
—Prep fully ahead of time
INGREDIENTS FOR 32 BITES
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 16 miniature sweet peppers, halved lengthwise
- Additional fresh cilantro leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a dry small skillet, toast cumin seeds over medium heat until aromatic, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a food processor. Add garbanzo beans, cilantro, water, vinegar and salt; pulse until blended.
- Spoon into pepper halves. Top with additional cilantro. Refrigerate until serving.
Cauliflower “Hot Wings” and Aioli (V, GF)
—Serve from a bowl with smaller bowl or ramekin for aioli. Toothpicks are optional.
—Prep until baking the cauliflower but serve warm.
INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS
- 1 3/4 head of cauliflower
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or chickpea flour for a gluten-free version)
- 1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk
- 2/4 cup water
- 3 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 3/4 teaspoons paprika powder
- salt
- black pepper
- 1 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (omit for a gluten-free version)
- 1 ¾ cup spicy BBQ sauce
- 1 ¾ teaspoon sriracha sauce (optional)
- 3 1/2 green onions, cut into rings
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 350 °F.
- Carefully cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
- In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, the plant-based milk, the water, the garlic power, the paprika powder, the salt, and the black pepper. Stir until well combined. For a gluten-free version substitute the all-purpose flour with chickpea flour (also omit the water if using chickpea flour).
- Dip the florets into the batter, so they’re completely coated.
- Roll them in the panko breadcrumbs. Omit this step for a gluten-free version. However, they’re way crispier with the panko breadcrumb coating.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the cauliflower florets on the baking sheet. Don’t put them on top of each other. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 °F.
- Transfer the cooked cauliflower wings to a bowl. Combine the BBQ sauce with a teaspoon sriracha sauce and pour it over the baked cauliflower wings. Evenly coat them from all sides by stirring them a few times.
- Put the coated hot wings back on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake again for 20 minutes at 350 °F.
- Serve immediately and sprinkle with the green onions and serve with vegan aioli or vegan ranch sauce.
Trix Bars (VG)
—Serve from platter
—Prep fully ahead of time
INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS
- 4 cups Trix cereal (or whichever is your favorite!)
- 7 ounces marshmallows (about 2/3 of a 10 ounce bag)
- 2 tablespoons butter
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start off by spraying a cake pan or baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Put marshmallows and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at full power for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and mix. Then, microwave again for 1 minute. Quickly add in the cereal and other add-ins and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Pour the cereal mixture into the cake pan and flatten with the back of the wooden spoon. Pro chef tip: if it’s not flattening the way you want, cover the cereal with parchment paper and flatten it with your hands.
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