Gluten Free Super Bowl Party Recipes

Super Bowl parties are one of the top home gatherings of the year for football lovers and even football haters. The parties are often causal and food is served buffet-style. Party goers can step up to the buffet and enjoy a wide range of foods from fresh fruit and vegetables to pizza and chicken wings. Everyone enjoys mingling and talking, while eating and watching the game.

Nearly everyone can attend a party and eat most of the foods served. However, many who are allergic to wheat/gluten, have celiac disease, or are wheat/gluten intolerant have a tough time finding anything to eat that won’t make them sick. All parties, including Super Bowl parties are a challenge for those who must avoid wheat/gluten in their diets.

Are you getting ready to have a Super Bowl party at your house? Do you have family or friends who must avoid wheat and gluten in their diets? Don’t worry! This hub will offer some wheat and gluten free ideas and recipes for your party. But before we get to the food, let’s take a look at gluten for a better understanding of what we’re dealing with.

Gluten is a protein that is found in foods such as wheat, barley, and rye. It helps to make bread dough elastic, hold its shape, it also helps dough to rise, and gives bread its chewy consistency. People with certain autoimmune disorders, such as allergy and celiac disease, are unable to eat any food containing gluten. There are also people who are wheat and gluten intolerant. These individuals need to eat what is known as a “gluten free diet.”

Gluten is found in many foods—everything from candy bars to vegetarian burgers. A diet free of gluten is difficult to manage, and requires learning what foods and recipes have gluten in them, and it is crucial to read every food label in order to avoid gluten in the diet.

Symptoms of Gluten Allergy, Wheat/Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease

Gluten allergy, wheat/gluten intolerance and celiac disease are not all the same. Each condition has it's own effect on the body. Here are some of the signs and symptoms you find with each condition. A gluten or wheat allergy is able to cause hives, sneezing, runny nose and eyes, and in some cases breathing trouble, along with gastrointestinal discomfort and anaphylaxis. Wheat/gluten intolerance can cause diarrhea, constipation, bloating, cramping, and gas. Celiac disease can lead to iron deficiency, muscle weakness, joint pain, stomach pain, intestinal cramping, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and more. People who have these conditions need to avoid wheat/gluten at all costs in order to stay healthy.

You can see why those who need to avoid gluten have a hard time going to parties. Eating the wrong food can make them very sick, and in some cases cause an emergency trip to the hospital.

It’s possible to serve a table full of gluten and wheat free foods, with none of the guests realizing they are made with "alternative" ingredients. Many of the same foods we use for Super Bowl parties can be made without wheat and gluten, and have much the same texture and taste as the same food made with “real” ingredients. It’s always a nice surprise when one of your guests says the food tastes as good as the “real”version.

Below is a list of basic wheat and gluten free ingredients you'll need for the recipes following this section. These ingredients are a few of the basics for a gluten free pantry.  Be sure to carefully read all product labels to ensure you avoid all sources of gluten. Sources of gluten include wheat, barley, and rye. These grains are often used as fillers and to add texture to many foods and recipes. The following ingredients have been listed as gluten free, but manufacturers have been known to change their product recipes. So always read the label before you buy.

Basic Gluten and Wheat Free Ingredients You'll Need

Super Bowl party buffets are filled with many different types of foods. Suggestions for healthier fare include a fresh fruit and cheese platter, and fresh vegetables easily eaten as finger food. Here's a simple recipe for making a fresh vegetable platter with a homemade gluten free dip.

2 t salt

2 t dried powdered or minced garlic

2 t dried powdered or minced onion

2 t sugar

2 1/2 t paprika

2 1/2 t parsley flakes

1 c sour cream or low-fat sour cream

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until well-blended.

2. Store in tightly sealed container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving with a vegetable platter.

Here is a list suggested fresh vegetables you can arrange on a serving platter, however, you may use any fresh vegetables you prefer:

Celery

Baby carrots

Green, red and yellow peppers

Cherry tomatoes

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Another party favorite is Chex mix, made with Chex cereal, nuts and more. Chex cereals, made by General Mills, are made from rice, wheat and corn. It is important to note that wheat Chex are not gluten free. However, Chex made with rice and corn are safe for those on a gluten free diet. General Mills guarantees these cereals to be gluten free.

Here's a simple recipe to make a completely gluten free version of the original Chex mix recipe.

3 c. Corn Chex

3 c. Rice Chex

1 c. mxed nuts or any nuts you prefer

1 c bite-sized gluten free pretzels

1 c. regular gluten free bagel; broken into 1-inch pieces

6 t butter or margarine

2 T Worcestershire sauce, gluten free

1 1/2 t seasoned salt

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C)

2. Mix rice and corn Chex, bagel pieces, nuts, and pretzels in a large bowl and set aside.

3. Melt butter for 30 seconds in a microwaveable dish, and then add Worcestershire sauce and spices. Stir together till well-blended.

4. Combine the butter mix and the Chex mix and stir until all is coated.

5. Put combined mix into a 13”x9” baking pan and bake for one hour, being sure to stir every 15 minutes.

6. When done baking, put mix into a large bowl, and let cool to room temperature.

7. Serve once mix has cooled.

No Super Bowl party would be complete without chocolate. A favorite snack of many football lovers is brownies.

Here's a gluten and wheat free recipe that is quickly put together for delicious, chewy gluten free brownies. Your gluten free guests will be very happy to find this delectable snack on your party buffet.

1/3 c cocoa powder

1/3 c canola or sunflower oil

1/2 c rice flour

1/2 t gluten free baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 eggs

1 c sugar

1 1/2 t gluten free vanilla

One 12 oz. bag of gluten free chocolate chips

Optional: nuts of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C), and grease an 9"x9" baking pan, set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together cocoa and oil, blend well.

3. Whisk eggs and vanilla together in a separate large bowl, till well blended. Next, whisk in sugar, baking powder and salt. Then add cocoa mix and rice flour, stirring together till well blended. Last, fold in chocolate chips and make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the brownie batter. You can add the optional nuts at this point, too.

4. Pour brownie batter into greased baking pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Once brownies are finished baking, leave them in the pan to cool till they reach room temperature.

6. Cut brownies into 1" or 2" squares to serve.

Optional: You can also frost the brownies with a gluten free frosting of your choice.

You can't have a Super Bowl party without pizza.  Pizza is a favorite for many people, and is a food that can safely be made, with all gluten/wheat free ingredients, for those who are on a gluten free diet.

Here's a pizza and sauce recipe for your party.

Pizza crust:

1 store-bought gluten free pizza crust

Pizza sauce:

8 oz can of gluten free tomato sauce

1/4 t dried garlic

1/2 T sugar

1/4 dried onion powder

1/4 t dried oregano

1/4t dried marjoram

1/4 t dried basil

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/8 t red pepper flakes

1/4 t salt to taste

Pizza Topping

1 c. mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine tomato paste, dried garlic powder, sugar, dried onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt, stir until well-blended.

2. Stir constantly for about 5 minutes, then lower temperature to low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. When sauce is done, spread on pizza crust.

4. Top pizza sauce with mozzarella cheese and any other toppings you desire.

5. Bake according to directions found on the store-bought pizza crust box/wrapper.

*Recipe makes enough sauce for a 12 inch pizza. For a larger pizza, double the sauce recipe.

There's one food most party-goers expect to find at a Super Bowl party, and that's chicken wings.  Wings are usually covered in a BBQ sauce and then fried, grilled or baked.  Whichever way you like to cook chicken wings, there is a gluten free version that tastes like the "real" ones.  Your gluten free family and friends will be very pleased to see this Super Bowl special in a version they, too, can enjoy.

2 dozen chicken wings cut up

3 T gluten free ketchup

3 T brown sugar

2 T gluten free vinegar

1 T lemon juice

2 T gluten free Worchestershire sauce

1 t salt

1 t chili powder

¼ t fresh ground black pepper

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C), and line a 13"x9" baking pan with foil.

2. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, mix together ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

3. Put the chicken wings into a 13"x9" baking pan, lined with foil, and pour the sauce over them. The foil will keep the chicken wings from sticking to the pan.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, and remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes.

Options: You can also deep fry or grill the chicken wings. You can also add 1/4 t garlic powder to this recipe.

Another staple of Super Bowl parties is beer. Most beer is made from grains containing gluten, making beer unsafe for those on a gluten free diet. Gluten free beer was very hard to find in the past, but in the last years the gluten free market has seen a significant increase in the number gluten free beers available.

I've included a couple of links in the resources box so you can find more information about gluten free beers.

I hope this hub has helped you to see that Super Bowl parties and a gluten free diet can happily coexist. You can make your whole buffet gluten free for you and your friends and family. Or if you're going to someone else's party, then you can take along one of these delicious gluten free favorites to share with everyone.

It takes a little more work to ensure your food is gluten free, but you can find many ingredients these days that are very close in taste and texture to the "real" ingredients. Many gluten free recipes are very similar to their "real" counterparts. In fact, if your whole Super Bowl party menu is gluten free, and you don't mention that fact, none of your party-goers may even notice the difference between these "alternative" foods and the "real" versions.

Have a great time at your party and I hope your team wins!

Here is a list of other helpful articles and sites to help you with a gluten free diet.

Gluten Free Beer: Here you can find a description and review for several different gluten free beers: Gluten Free Beer Review

Other Helpful information about gluten free diets:

Gluten free diets can be expensive, but there are ways to save money. This article discusses the way to save money by making your own rice flour: Grind Your Own Gluten Free Flour

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I am not a health care professional, and do not claim any special knowledge about living a wheat- or gluten-free lifestyle. I am writing only to share my own experience with others who may be suffering from wheat and gluten allergies. Please follow this advice at your own risk. I am not responsible for any results you might have as the outcome of following the advice presented in this article. Always first check with your doctor and other health care providers before making any changes in your daily living situation, diet or medications.