The Lighter Side of Super Bowl Snacks

With the Texans out of the playoffs weeks ago, and our other favorites out of the mix too, the Super Bowl was a bit of a non-event for our household this year.  Of course we watched it, but it was just the three of us--no big party to host or go to, but we still had to have munchies for the big game.

Since it was just us, I thought it was more important than usual to make sure the food was on the healthier side--I mean we were going to be eating everything that made up our spread, and as much as I love sour cream and melted cheese laden dips that always make an appearance on game days I just couldn't do that to us.

I came up with this menu for our party of three:
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings (I know, it's not really possible to make a healthy chicken wing, but mine are slightly better for you than standard bar fare)
Baby Back Ribs (I can't resist buying them when they are less than $2/pound!)
Cucumber Salad
Seven Layer Dip

This was the first time I had attempted a Seven Layer Dip (light or traditional), so I turned to Pinterest for a little inspiration.  I found this recipe and it was exactly what I was looking for. 

Here's my 5 1/2 Lighter Layer Dip:
Not-Refried Beans*
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Fat Free Greek Yogurt
Low Fat Colby Jack Cheese, Shredded
Green Onions, Chopped
Cilantro, Chopped

Prepare the beans the day before, or overnight in the crock pot.

Prepare Pico de Gallo: Combine one chopped medium onion, two chopped medium tomatoes, half a diced jalapeno, juice of one lime, salt and pepper to taste. (Alternatively, you could use prepared salsa or pico, but it's so good fresh-made.)

Guacamole: I'm in love with HEB's fresh-made guacamole, so that's what I used, but by all means, feel free to make your own from scratch, just make sure your avocados are ripe.

Determine the quantity for each layer based on the container you're serving the dip in.  My bowl was 1.75 qts and I used about 2 cups of beans, and  1-1 1/2 cups of pico, guacamole and yogurt.  Whatever the size of your container make sure you can see all of the layers :)

Layer the beans, pico de gallo, guacamole and yogurt.  Sprinkle with cheese and top with cilantro and green onions.

Enjoy with tortilla chips, or we really liked it with sweet potato chips.

*The only adjustment I made to the recipe is I used half a jalepeno which made the beans very mild (I would guess with a whole jalepeno it would be mild/medium).

This dip didn't taste like a light version of Seven Layer Dip it tasted like a really good homemade layered dip.  Even if you're not in the mood for the dip, I highly recommend the bean recipe, I plan on making another batch soon for enchilada night (and perfect for a Friday Lenten dinner too).

What dish do you enjoy "lightened" up?  Do you have a favorite meat-free meal?