The Anti-Preview: Notre Dame At Arizona State

Welcome to the Anti-Preview on Subway Domer. Friends, the Irish are 7-1 and losing more respect by the day. I want to lawyer this up, but I think we put way too much focus on this whole “national narrative” thing, and far too little attention to each game as it stands alone.

The fun is dying on the vine with some of you.

This week, although this is late as all fuck, I wanted to mix it up a bit. For your eat and drank, I commissioned my sister-in-law to lay out a food and drink for the ASU game. What I got, in typical Julie fashion, was a novella packed with an all day guide. It’s long and detailed and full of goodness. If you’re into clean eating- or want to be, check out her Facebook page.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DRINKING?

Skinny Sunrise Cocktail

2 Tablespoons (1oz) rum (could use any other type of liquor)
1 Tablespoon (.5oz) strawberry simple syrup
3 Tablespoons (1.5oz) orange juice (about 1/2 navel orange)
3 Tablespoons (1.5oz) pineapple juice
1/4 cup (2oz) club soda
ice

For the strawberry simple syrup (makes ~1 cup syrup):
1/2 cup granulated sugar (to make recipe “cleaner” substitute sugar for ¼ cup honey!)
1/2 cup water
3 large strawberries

For the strawberry simple syrup: Combine sugar, water, and strawberries into a small saucepan over high heat. Mash strawberries as the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and allow syrup to cool completely. Transfer syrup to a food processor or blender, process until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the strawberry seeds (optional.) Chill in the fridge.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add rum, strawberry simple syrup, orange juice, and pineapple juice. Shake until very cold. Pour into a glass, including the ice, then top with club soda.

Glass of Arizona Cabernet Sauvignon

The Cabernet Sauvignon & Chardonnay are solely produced from Arizona-born grapes, and they also make two blends (a red and a white) from Napa Valley grapes. Has Smells of cherry, mild spice and chocolate & tastes– fuller bodied, dark red fruit with undertones of chocolate and spice.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE EATING?

Breakfast:

Start the day off with a Slutty Breakfast (from the Urban Dictionary), a MASSIVE meal consisting of eggs, a waffle, and a shitload of other stuff. Probably used as a cure for a really, REALLY bad hangover or as a source of energy and absorbency for the “day drinking” that might occur later.

The Devil’s Mess Breakfast Scrambler + 1 Liter of Water! (Hydrate for day drinking!)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped andouille sausage (about 6 oz.)
6 sun dried tomatoes (the kind not packed in oil), soaked in water, chopped
10 large eggs
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
¼ teaspoon red chile flakes, or to taste
6 ounces spinach, washed and thoroughly dried (about 2 qts.)
Hot sauce

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and stir often until onions are light golden, about 10 minutes.
Increase heat to medium-high, add sausage, and stir often until sausage has browned slightly and released some fat, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and 3 tbsp. water.
Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and chile flakes. Stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach to pan and toss with tongs until it has wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer sausage-vegetable mixture to a bowl and wipe pan clean.
Add eggs to pan and scramble just until set, 4 to 5 minutes, then gently stir in sausage-vegetable mixture. Serve with hot sauce if you like.

Clean Eating Saturday Morning Waffles

2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 whole eggs
3 cups milk (any kind)

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Cook in your waffle maker to appliance directions.
TIP: Make a double batch and freeze! Then just warm up in the toaster.

Game-Day Meal

Skinnier Slow Cooker Fall-Off-The-Bone-Ribs

1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp brown sugar
Approx. 16 ribs/2.5 lbs baby back pork ribs (leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together)
⅔ cup Clean BBQ sauce (I have found two that are clean. One called “Bone Suckin’ Sauce” and the other is a brand called OrganicVille) or make your own clean BBQ recipe!

In a small bowl, mix salt, cayenne pepper, pepper, oregano and paprika, garlic powder and onion powder and brown sugar.
Rub the seasoning on the ribs, completely covering them. Place ribs in slow cooker by standing them up against the walls, meaty part facing wall of slow cooker
Cover and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
Remove from slow cooker (they will be falling off the bone!) and brush with BBQ sauce — serve hot!

Clean Eating BBQ Sauce

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce – no sugar added
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste – no sugar added
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
4 tablespoons unsulfered molasses
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl and mix well using a whisk.
Use as you would any other bbq sauce!

Sides:

Sweet Potato Mash (the Sun-Devils!)

4 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. cinnamon

Using a fork or knife, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes. Set potatoes on a paper towel in the microwave and cook them for about 8 minutes (or until soft). Leave them setting in microwave for about 5 minutes to allow them to cool off a bit.

Cut potatoes into large chunks (including skins) and put them in food processor. Add honey, almond milk, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. Serve warm.

Celeste’s Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Brussel Sprouts

1 lb fresh Brussel sprouts, ends trimmed and sliced in half
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger (I like the kind in the tube)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon light cooking oil (canola or vegetable are fine)
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
A few red pepper flakes
Black and white Sesame seeds
1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
1/4 cup honey

In a large saute pan, over medium to medium high heat, add both sesame and light oils
with the grated ginger and a pinch of red pepper flakes. (Can also add black pepper here).
Once oils are heated and ginger starts to bubble add brussel sprouts.

Shake pan to distribute brussel sprouts and add soy sauce.

Cook for about 10 minutes, once brussel sprouts begin to caramelize (turn a golden brown)
you can deglaze the pan with your broth or white wineâ€¦just need a splash.

Cook another 2-3 minutes, shaking pan a few times.

Add honey and a few sprinkle of sesame seeds, cook another 2-3 minutes or until
brussel sprouts are tender and taste done.

You can add more soy sauce, honey or red pepper flake prior to serving.

Healthy Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
1/4 C plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt
paprika to garnish

First you need to hard boil the eggs! Place the eggs in a pot, add just enough cold water so that they are fully covered, and put on high heat. Add a little salt to the pot, too — it’ll make them easier to peel.

Cover and bring them to a boil, then turn off the heat and let them sit, still covered, for 12 minutes. Then they are ready! I usually rinse them with some cold water and let them sit for a bit to cool them down first. You can also put them in an ice bath.

Once they’ve cooled, peel them and cut them lengthwise.

Place the whites on a plate and the yolks in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the paprika) to the yolks in the bowl, and mash it all together. If you would like the mixture to be smooth, use a blender.

Once it is mostly uniform, add the mixture back into the empty egg whites, top with a sprinkle of paprika, and enjoy!

Desert:

Dark Chocholate!

Always opt for quality ingredients. Make sure to look at the ingredients label. Make sure the ingredients include cocoa mass (or cocoa liquor), cocoa butter and sugar. Watch out for CBE (cocoa butter equivalents) ingredients such as vegetable or hydrogenated oils. Also, ask if the chocolate is made from Grade AA Cocoa Butter and GMO free cane sugar. Cane sugar, when added sparingly, perfectly complements the taste of the cacao bean and produces a finished result that is the very best it can be. Natural vanilla, as long as it isn’t too much, can help accent the chocolate’s nuances too. Research points to flavanols – substances that help lower blood pressure and vascular function, improve cognitive function , and even provides UV protection for our skin! Dark chocolate has a higher proportion of flavanols than milk chocolate. A higher percentage of cacao (cocoa) means a higher amount of flavanols.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE WEARING?

What else would you wear when you go to do battle with devils in the desert? You ain’t rocking camo this week.

GOLDEN TWEETERS

Going a different route this week…

https://twitter.com/ASUConfessions/status/530440566396702721?lang=en

Be sure to check out the entire ASU Confession Twitter account. They just had Halloween ya know. (DO NOT send your daughter to ASU).

OTHER THINGS

The entire conversation about the weather for the game this week is dumb. Yes, Notre Dame is in Indiana and it’s cold right now. Yes, Arizona is pretty fucking hot at midday. I sure am worried that all of ND’s starters have never played in 85 degree heat….

PLAY ON PLAYA

Instead of “predicting” MVP’s this week, we focus on a few players. (No silly, of course we aren’t going to go in depth).

Two guys not named Golson stand out this week, and that’s Nyles Morgan and Tarean Folston. Morgan takes over for the beloved and injured Joe Schmidt, and if the Irish want to slow the pace of the game down (or just really get physical against a defense not so great against the run), you tractor beam in on Folston.

Seriously. That’s all I really have this week.