January 28, 2012: Skinny Mashed Potatoes Recipe

For yummy mashed potatoes that don’t pack a lot of calories, this recipe fits the bill perfectly! These potatoes are flavorful and creamy enough to make you think they’re loaded with fat.

Skinny Smashed Potatoes served with Buttermilk Chicken with Mushroom Sauce and Sugar Snap Peas

Skinny Mashed Potatoes

4 large red potatoes (or combination of red and Russet potatoes)

¼ cup low fat buttermilk, warmed through

2 T. plain yogurt

1 T. margarine

1 t. dried parsley

1 T. chopped chives (or substitute green part of green onions, minced)

½ t. dehydrated garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

If using Russet potatoes, peel them. Cut all potatoes into fourths. Place in a pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover. Boil gently for 30 minutes, or until soft. Drain and return to pot. Place on warm stove burner to evaporate any remaining water.

Add remaining ingredients. With a manual masher, coarsely mash potatoes.

Serves 4

August 21, 2011: Chevre Cheese Recipe

I decided that I was going to use this weekend to do some projects I’ve had in mind for a while. I happened by a small farmer’s market on Wednesday and stopped. There I bought some cucumbers to make pickles and I also got lucky enough to buy a quart of goat’s milk. It’s luck because legally you can’t sell the stuff (our government thinks we’re too dumb to realize the dangers of drinking fresh, unpasteurized milk). I’m not a big milk drinker but I absolutely love cheese! So I did a bit of sleuthing online and found some easy recipes for goat’s milk chevre (soft, bland) cheese.

I learned a lot while making my first batch of cheese. For one thing, a quart of goat’s milk doesn’t make much cheese (I got about a quarter cup out of it, although that was probably my own fault because I poured some of it into the cheesecloth instead of ladling). For another, it doesn’t taste like much until you put some seasonings in it. I also added a layer of olive oil to make it less dry.

But overall, making cheese was fun and something I’ll do again in the future. Here’s the recipe I used.

Chevre Cheese

1 quart unpasteurized goat’s milk

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Salt, garlic, and herbs, such as fennel, chives, dill, sundried tomatoes, etc.

In a saucepan, heat the milk to 180 degrees (although the instructions I had said it shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes, it took about half an hour for my milk to reach the appropriate temperature). Remove it from the heat and add in the lemon juice. This will make the milk curdle – but don’t expect something resembling cottage cheese; the mixture will still be thin.

Place a quadrupled length of cheesecloth over a colander resting over a big bowl. Slowly ladle the curdled milk into the middle of the cheesecloth. Do not pour the pan of milk over the cheesecloth because you’ll end up wasting a lot of curds. When you’ve gathered all the curds, tie up your cheesecloth parcel and attach it to the handle of a wooden spoon. Let the parcel sit over a bowl for at least an hour and a half, to allow the whey to drain.

When the cheese is completely drained, scrape it into a bowl and add salt (I used garlic salt for extra flavor) and herbs (I used chives and a bit of garlic from a jar). Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tip: You can add this cheese to just about anything... use it on crackers, put it in an omelet, top a baked potato, make a quesadilla - the possibilities are nearly endless!