Fun & Delicious NCAA National Championship Snacks

I will be on FOX21 Living Local this morning during the 9:00 hour with some fun and delicious recipes perfect for the NCAA National Championship tonight. These are all super simple to make and budget friendly. Plus I’ve included some cute ideas for serving snacks.

 

In the south, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a tradition that supposedly brings you good luck for the coming year. So I thought, why not use those “lucky” beans in a salsa for a fun, and different game-watching snack? This salsa has some heat and spice without being overwhelming and it contains lots of fiber along with protein, folate, manganese, and vitamin A. 

Besides being delicious, you can toss this salsa together in about 15 minutes and it’s super affordable. The most expensive ingredient in this dish is the jar of roasted red peppers, which I found at Wal-Mart for $2.29. 

Like I said, this is delicious. It’s also a great “basic” salsa that you can add your favorite ingredients to customize it to your own personal taste. The second time I made this I added some chopped jalapeno, chopped red onion, and some fresh cilantro. Totally changed the flavor and gave us a bit more heat. In the summer when fresh corn is in season and super affordable, I’ll add some roasted corn to the salsa. 

BLACK-EYED PEA SALSA 

Prep: 15 minutes                 Makes: 3 cups for approximately $4.00

INGREDIENTS:

1 (15.8 oz.) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 (12-oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, chopped

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons hot sauce

3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Tastes great with tortilla chips!

 

BACON & CHEDDAR CHEESE BALL

INGREDIENTS:

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cup set aside

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 can chopped black olives (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

With mixer or in food processor, blend cream cheese, 2 cups shredded cheddar, and rest of ingredients. Put mixture on plastic wrap and shape into ball, using the wrap to help form it. Press in reserved cup of shredded cheddar all over the cheese ball. Cover with plastic wrap and fridge for about 3 hours to form. 

Decorate with chopped olives to look like a basketball if desired.

 

I thought this was just a cute way to serve cheese balls. It literally took minutes to make these. I used white cups from the Dollar Tree and cut out the backboard from white poster board. A small slit cut on each side lets you slide the backboard on to the cup.

Another fun way to decorate the table with a healthy snack! I found this “net” basket at the Dollar Tree.