Avocado & Bacon Sammies

Lyell from www.RollBamaRoll.com shared a great recipe for Avodado & Bacon Sammies:
 

Ingredients:

• AppleGate organic bacon (or any other organic bacon). If you can't find organic bacon, regular bacon works just do your own research on the healthiest, least processed brand in your area.
• 4-6 Avocado's (You may need less or more depending on the amount of servings you need)
• Juice from one lime (may need more depending on serving size)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1-2 bags of Romaine Hearts

Steps:

1. Cook bacon as flat as possible. There are many ways to do this but using a heavy skillet or a bacon press is the best option. Set aside on paper towel to cool, making sure to keep bacon as straight as possible.
2. While the bacon is cooking, de-pit avocados and place avocado in a bowl. Add juice from lime and salt and pepper to taste, mix well.
3. Peel off strips of romaine hearts, rinse and set aside.

Assembly Required:

There's a couple of different ways to go about this:

1. Take 4 strips of bacon (2 for top, 2 for bottom), spread guacamole over the 2 bottom pieces of bacon and top with remaining 2 pieces of bacon. This can be a bit messy to eat, so you can use the romaine hearts as a wrap.
2. Take just 2 pieces of bacon (1 for top, 1 for bottom), repeat steps above and then use romaine hearts either as a wrap or a "taco".
3. Cut bacon strips into 2 inch pieces and make "mini" bite size sammies. (see picture above)

Either way you go, you have BACON and delicious avocado. I mean, how can you go wrong? Additional toppings could be: 

• Homemade pico de gallo
• Grilled chicken
• Jalapenos
• Sweet Peppers

Black Bean Corn Flautas with Cilantro Lime Dip

From the TailgateFan:

Try out this recipe for one of my favorite game-day appetizers: a zesty, filling dish that will keep the crowd happy. Black Bean Corn Flautas with Cilantro Lime Dip – makes about 30 flautas.

Ingredients
2 cups frozen corn
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
4 green onions, chopped fine
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 package of wonton wrappers

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients (except the wrappers) in a large bowl. To assemble the flautas, place a tablespoon of the mixture onto one of the wonton wrappers. Roll tightly, and wet the edge of the wrapper with a bit of water, pressing to seal. Repeat until you are out of mixture or out of wrappers.

Place the flautas seam-side down on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Once all of the flautas are on the baking sheet, spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with salsa or cilantro lime dip (recipe follows).

For the Dipping Sauce
Makes about ½ cup of dipping sauce
Adapted from Big Girls Small Kitchen

Ingredients
4 ounces plain Greek yogurt
½ lime, zest & juice
Large handful of cilantro
2 garlic cloves, pushed through a garlic press or chopped fine
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cumin
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine. Serve cold alongside the flautas

Source: http://tailgatefan.cbslocal.com/2011/12/29/tailgate-recipe-black-bean-corn-flautas-with-cilantro-lime-dip/

Armadillo Eggs

The crew over at Inside Tailgating have a nice recipe for a tailgating snack... Armadillo Eggs:

Primary Ingredients

* 1 lb. hot bulk pork sausage
* 8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
* 8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1/2 cup sliced jalapenos, or to taste
* 1 1/2 cups baking mix (Bisquick)
* 1 6-oz. package pork-flavor Shake ‘n Bake (optional)

Directions
1. In medium bowl, thoroughly mix sausage, cheddar cheese, 1/2 the Monterey Jack cheese and baking mix.

2. Shape a biscuit-size piece of the sausage dough into a 1/4-inch thick patty. Place 2 slices of jalapeno peppers and a pinch of Monterey Jack cheese in center of patty and wrap it around the filling. Seal well. Repeat for remaining peppers.

3. Roll prepared jalapeno peppers in Shake ‘n Bake (optional) to give the Armadillo Eggs a crispy crust like an armadillo shell.

4. Bake in a preheated 325° oven on a lightly greased baking sheet until browned, about 25 minutes.

Source: http://insidetailgating.com/food-drink/armadillo-eggs/

Top 10 tailgating recipes

About.com has a list of their top 10 tailgating recipes.  They have the standby items such as wings and burgers, as well as a few surprises.

Check it out: http://bbq.about.com/od/seasonal/tp/10_tailgating_recipes.htm

Sweet & Spicy Peanuts

This is a great mix of salty / sweet, with a little heat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peanuts
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients in a pan over medium heat
2. Stir until most of the moisture from the water is gone, leaving a thick syrup
3. Cover a baking sheet with foil, and spread peanut mix onto the foil
4. Put sheet into a pre-heated oven at 300*
5. Stir after 15 minutes, put back in
6. Let bake for another 15 minutes
7. Remove and let cool

 If you have a recipe you want to submit for consideration for the Recipes section, please visit our Submit A Story.

Buffalo Chicken Dip / Spread

This is a great recipe as a dip, or even better, to spread on top of a burger!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Package Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
• 1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce (choose the heat that suits you)
• 1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• ~ 1-1.5 lb Chicken, Shredded (I use chicken breast from my smoker)

 Directions:

1. Place cream cheese into your cooking vessel, and stir to soften.
2. Mix in dressing, wing sauce, cheese and chicken
3. Cooking method can vary.  Put in an oven at 350 for ~20 minutes (bubbly).  You could also cook in a crock pot on low until it is gooey.

Another method, which we do at tailgates is to cook in a disposable pan on the grill while we cook our other foods.

Recipe: Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread

Here's a great recipe for a snack at the tailgate.  It is pretty simple to make, and goes great with anything.  A great use of this is to use the bread instead of a bun.  Just toast it slightly on the grill.

Ingredients: 

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar
• 1 Can of Beer
• 1 Lb Thick Cut Bacon, Cut in Pieces and Fried 
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Stick of Melted Butter 

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix dry ingrdients
3. Mix in beer, bacon pieces and cheese
4. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray
5. Pour mix into pan
6. Pour melted butter over everything
7. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool

 Have a great tailgating recipe?  Please send it our way!

Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs

There is nothing like throwing down some kabobs on the grill before a little football action.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast cut into
• 1 1/2 inch pieces
• Skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and limejuice. Season with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear

Tailgate Beer Brats (Bratwursts)

We want to give a big thank you to Milly from Philly for sending in this recipe (yes, that’s her real name, we just made it rhyme). It’s no secret that bratwursts and beer are quite fond of one another, and there is perhaps no greater tailgate food than Beer Brats. Below is a different take from the traditional fashion. The prep work would have to be done the night before the tailgate for this recipe to really boom.

Note: This recipe is intended for 6-8 brats.

Marinade Ingredients
1 12 oz. bottle of a pale ale beer
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Click to read more ...

Marinade In Minutes with the Cajun Injector

The Cajun Injector can be a very valuable time-saving tool to use out on the tailgate lot. Traditional marinades require hours of soaking, but thanks to Cajun Injector, you can infuse your favorite meats with flavor, and have it on the grill before your tailgate patrons decide to walk over to a neighboring tailgate spot. And with 16 different injectable marinades to choose from, you'll find something to please everyone. Since their introduction to the world in 1977, Cajun Injector’s marinades have become famous in many of America's most popular restaurants, hotels and resorts.

You can check them out at http://www.cajuninjector.com/