With over 22 million sets of eyes tuned in each week, the odds are that many of you reading this are watching NFL football this weekend. Even if you’re not a fan, you know folks that are. Baseball may be America’s pastime, but football dominates the screens throughout the fall and into the winter.
If you’re hosting a game day spread or you need to prepare a dish to bring to someone else’s, having access to allergy-friendly recipes may be helpful. Of course, the following recipes are fun and flavorful just to make for a meal or snack even if you’re not watching a game. From wings to dips, these recipes are a perfect treat at the end of a cool, colorful autumn weekend.
Start with Wings
Wings are to game day what turkey is to Thanksgiving. For many, they go hand-in-hand. Yet some recipes for wings include allergens ranging from wheat to soy and everything in-between. Finding a recipe with deep flavors and a zesty bite can take a little work. This recipe from Nut Free Wok is free of the top 9 allergens and can be made in your air fryer. Don’t have an air fryer? That’s okay, Sharon Wong gives you tips on how to convert the cooking instructions for a regular oven.
Allergy-Friendly Buffalo Dip
Dips can be difficult when you’re avoiding dairy. So many of them rely on ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream, and cheese. This recipe for a Buffalo Chicken Dip from Kaleena’s Kitchen, however, offers a good option for a game-day favorite without the allergens. Of course, if you came across another recipe you wanted to try if only it didn’t use mayo (egg) or sour cream and cream cheese (milk), you could substitute those ingredients for a safe alternative.
As an example, 3 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas), mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp of mustard, ½ tsp of salt, and ¾ cup of oil will produce a good egg-free mayo substitute. Alternatively, you could pick up an oil-based vegan mayo substitute from the grocery store.
Pigs-In-a-Wheat-Free-Blanket
Those small bites of hot dog wrapped in a light blanket of bread show up at everything from game day plates to cocktail receptions. This versatile bite, however, can be difficult for those avoiding wheat and other allergens. Recipes like Gluten-free on a Shoestring can offer you a wheat-free option if you’re up for making your own version.
Another option if you really want to up your game, is to skip the breaded blanket altogether for a healthy, flavor-packed veggie blanket like the one in this recipe from Paleo Gluten Free Guy.
Loaded Potato Skins without the Dairy
Here’s the thing about loaded potato skins, you can load them up with whatever you want. There is no hard and fast rule that says your potato skin must contain gobs of sour cream and gooey, melted cheese.
If you wanted it to, sure, you can swap out traditional milk-based ingredients, for dairy-free alternatives. You could also try this recipe from My Dairy Free, Gluten Free Life. Another good pick is this recipe from Paleo Running Momma that uses coconut cream and lime juice in place of sour cream. Yum!
7-Layer Dip
Just because your dip has seven scrumptious layers doesn’t mean one of them has to be loaded with dairy. In fact, this recipe from Real Food Whole Life pulls it off quite nicely using an avocado-based mayo. Of course, you can experiment with your own layers using a variety of allergy-friendly alternatives for sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese. As with a lot of these traditional treats, you’ve got the flexibility to make it your own using different layers or substitutes that work for your dietary needs.
