Glam Slam: The Friday Five: Bethenny’s Guilt-Free Super Bowl Snacks

“What’s more Super Bowl than wings?” laughs Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New York City” star Bethenny Frankel.

Wings. Guacamole. Chips. Dips. Super Bowl Sunday is traditionally a caloric minefield, but it doesn’t have to be. Bethenny, a chef and author of “The Skinnygirl DISH” & creator of the Skinnygirl Margarita (Bethenny.com), shares five ways to make your Super Bowl snacks guilt free.

BETHENNY’S TIPS
1. Love guacamole? You can cut down on the fat without sacrificing flavor using my “Mock-A-Mole” recipe. Replace half the avocado with frozen defrosted peas. This adds fiber and reduces fat/calories. Also the more tomato you add, the more you reduce the fat/cals and increase fiber/antioxidants per serving.

2. Instead of store-bought chips, slice a whole grain baguette and toast. This is a great thing to do with leftover bread.

3. Simply toasting a whole grain pita and cutting it into triangles is a better bet than fried pita chips.

4. Instead of ranch dressing, use hummus. You’ll save fat, increase protein and fiber and reduce calories. To lighten ranch, add a little Dijon or red wine vinegar, which makes it less thick.

5. My Simply Irresistible Blue Cheese Dip is so creamy and decadent, yet it’s much lower in fat than the conventional version. Its strong flavor makes a little go a long way. (It’s also great with wings, which Bethenny suggests you bake instead of fry for a lower fat alternative.)

To make the dip yourself, try Bethenny’s own personal recipe:

Simply Irresistible Blue Cheese Dip
Makes about 2 1/2 cups

8 ounces reduced fat vegetable cream cheese, softened

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon minced fresh dill

Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Simply Pretzel Thins

1. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese, garlic powder, pepper, parsley and dill in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended.

2. Sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve with pretzel thins for dipping.