VeggieDag Thursday: super food; super beer; Super Bowl.

VeggieDag Thursday is an occasional Thursday post
on an animal-free diet and ecological issues.

Denver Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning was jonesing to “get a Bud Light in [his] mouth,” after his victory in the AFC championship game. We can forgive him his poor beer trespass but relate to his sentiment.

Americans drank 50 million cases of beer during the 2008 Super Bowl. That's the equivalent of 1.2 billion 12-ounce bottles (or cans). The actual total volume was even greater than that, because the Neilsen Company reported only on beer purchased at stores, not ordered at bars and restaurants (or the stadium!).

Surprisingly, then, the Super Bowl, is only the eighth busiest beer-purchasing day. The top eight are:

• 1. Independence Day
• 2. Labor Day
• 3. Memorial Day
• 4. Fathers Day
• 5. Christmas/New Year's
• 6. Thanksgiving
• 7. Easter (Think college spring break.)
• 8. Super Bowl

Here's what Americans ate during the 2013 Super Bowl(compiled by The Street). Thanksgiving is the only U.S. holiday on which Americans eat more.

• 1.23 billion chicken wings
• 79 million pounds of avocados
• 11.2 million pounds of potato chips
• 8.2 million pounds of tortilla chips
• 4.3 million pounds of pretzels
• 3.8 million pounds of popcorn
• 2.5 million pounds of nuts

Here are are a few recipes for non-carnivore snacks to nibble on during Sunday's game.

• Baked kale chips
• Green bean and dill pickle spread.
  
• Hoppy Hummus
  
• Kepta Duona
  Lithuanian fried garlicky rye bread strips.
  
• Black bean dip
  
• Guacamole, of course!
  
• Buffalo chickpea pitas with vegan ranch dressing
  
• Welsh Rarebit
  Dish made of beer, Worcestershire sauce, and Cheddar cheese.
  
• Panino di Pizza with roasted cauliflower and romesco.
  Video from Joe Yonan, Food Editor of Washington Post: here.
• Meatless Beer Chili
  Sorry, Texas. Lots of beans!

Happy eating; happy drinking. And, no matter who wins the game —the Seattle Seahawks or the Denver Broncos— here's hoping for a good Super Bowl XLVIII.

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• Neilsen measures the sales of the day itself and the week preceding and following. Of course there are more current figures, but you get the general idea: it's a lot of beer!
• Why the name VeggieDag Thursday? Here.
• Read all the posts: here. Follow on Twitter with hashtag: #VeggieDag.
• Suggestions and submissions from chefs, writers, and home-cooks welcomed! Contact me here.