Each year new recipes and food combinations for the Super Bowl release, let’s compare the possible dishes being served within the rival cities: Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Rams.

Cincinnati:

Gold Star Mini Dogs

Since Gold Star is the official chili of the Cincinnati Bengals, it only makes sense to include the brand in your game-day spread. These mini dogs are like pigs in a blanket surrounding a swimming pool of chili.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of refrigerated crescent rolls

• 1 package of cocktail wieners (about 30 dogs total)

• 10-ounce can of Gold Star chili

• ½ diced white onion

• 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

• 5 tablespoons of yellow mustard

Instructions: Break open two cans of crescent rolls. Cut individual crescent triangles in half. Baste the inside of each dough triangle with a wash of yellow mustard. Wrap each triangle around a cocktail wiener. Place the wrapped wieners upright (like little fingers) two layers deep around the edge of a cast iron skillet (a baking dish or round cake pan also could work), leaving space in the center for the chili. Bake the wrapped wieners at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Take the skillet out of the oven and fill the center with chili, topping it with as much onion and cheese as you’d like. Place the skillet back into the oven for 5 minutes or until chili is warmed through and the cheese is melted.

Frisch’s Big Boy Pizza

To bring Frisch’s to your Super Bowl party, make this pizza version of the chain’s classic Big Boy sandwich. By swapping Frisch’s Tartar sauce for pizza sauce and topping it with cheesy ground beef, you can transform a regular pizza into a Cincinnati special.

Ingredients:

• 1 pre-made pizza crust or homemade crust

• 9-ounce jar of Frisch’s Tartar sauce (original or spicy)

• ½ pound of ground beef

• ½ cup of shredded cheddar or American cheese

• Shredded lettuce as desired

• Lawry’s seasoning salt

• Salt and pepper

Instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake the pizza crust according to the directions on the package, removing it from the oven when it’s browned but not done. Brown the ground beef, season it with salt and pepper, then drain. Spread a 9-ounce jar of Frisch’s Tartar sauce on top of the crust and add a layer of ground beef. Sprinkle shredded cheddar or American cheese over the entire pizza. Bake until the cheese is melted (about 5 minutes). Top with shredded lettuce if desired.

Pizza Bagel Bites with LaRosa’s Pizza Sauce

Throw some LaRosa’s pizza sauce on it, and you’ve got yourself a Queen City version of a favorite. LaRosa’s has also released a new “diablo” spicy version of its sauce, available in jars at Jungle Jim’s and LaRosa’s. This is an adaptation of a Betty Crocker recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen mini bagels, split

• 1 cup of pizza sauce

• 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

• Chopped toppings (pepperoni, ham, vegetables, etc.), as desired

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Split mini bagels in half and place on top of a lined baking sheet. Spread a layer of LaRosa’s pizza sauce onto each bagel. Top with shredded mozzarella and other favorite pizza toppings. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Los Angeles:

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 1½ cup shredded vegan chicken

• 1 (8-ounce) vegan cream cheese

• ½ cup vegan ranch

• ½ cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (like Frank's RedHot)

• ½ cup shredded vegan cheese

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a 1-quart or 2-quart baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly. Serve warm.

Mediterranean Seven Layer Dip

This vegan dip calls for amazing Mediterranean flavors like hummus, olives, and cucumber.

Ingredients

For the Tahini Garlic Sauce:

• 1/2 cup tahini

• juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin

For the Layers

• 1 batch My Favorite Hummus or use store-bought, see notes

• 1 batch Baked Tofu Feta see notes

• tomatoes seeded and diced

• cucumbers seeded and diced

• kalamata olives sliced

• green onions sliced (or use minced shallot)

• tahini garlic sauce see above

• parsley to garnish chopped fine

• chips for serving pita chips or tortilla chips work well

Instructions

To make the Tahini Garlic Sauce:

1. Put all Tahini Garlic Sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until completely combined.

For the Layers:

1. Start with a base of hummus. I filled each jar about 1/3 of the way full with hummus, maybe 1/4 cup of hummus)

2. Add the other layer ingredients one at a time. Spread them out to the outside edge of the jar so you can see the layers through the glass.

3. Place about 1/4 cup of the tahini garlic sauce in a small plastic bag. Snip the corner off with a pair of scissors and use it as a piping bag, squeezing a drizzle of tahini garlic sauce over the top of each jar.

4. Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley and serve with chips for dipping.

5. (If not serving right away, cover with the lid and store in the refrigerator. These are best relatively fresh, but can sit in the fridge for the day if need be.)

Vegan Fondue for the Game or a Nice Dinner

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashew

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 10-ounce container Sabra Original Hummus

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, to taste

Instructions:

1. Soak the cashews in the water for at least 3 hours to overnight.

2. Add the soaked cashews, the soaking water, hummus, nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powder, and mustard powder to your blender and blend until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape down the blender a few times in between blending to get it extra smooth.

3. Then add salt and apple cider vinegar to taste. Serve with toasted bread cubes, lightly steamed veggies and even some seared tofu or tempeh!