Game Night Recipes
No Playing Games with your Appetite Here
The sweet, the savory, the salty
Menu
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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