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

January 20, 2012: Semi-Homemade Meatloaf Pizza Recipe

It’ difficult to make a whole meatloaf for two people and not have tons of leftovers. That doesn’t stop me from making it when I’m craving this comfort food, however. What it does mean is that I have to be creative about using up those leftovers. While I love meatloaf sandwiches slathered with mayo, those aren’t too diet friendly. This recipe is surprisingly not high in calories, if you can limit yourself to one sixth of the total recipe.

Semi-Homemade Meatloaf Pizza

1 canister refrigerated Pillsbury French bread

1 cup canned tomato pasta sauce (I used Bertolli’s healthy variety)

1 t. dehydrated garlic

6 white mushrooms, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

4 thin slices leftover healthy meatloaf

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll the French bread dough and pat it into place on the cooking sheet. Spray surface with nonstick cooking spray. Place bread in preheated oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

While bread is cooking, place pasta sauce in a saucepan and add garlic. Heat over low and cook until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Spray a small skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat to medium. Add mushrooms and peppers, spray with nonstick cooking spray. Sauté for 5 minutes, or until veggies start to soften.

Spread pasta sauce on bread dough. Top with veggies, crumbled meatloaf and cheese. Return to oven and cook an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and edges of crust are browned.

Serves 6 with approximately 325 calories per serving.

December 3, 2011: Rice Alfredo Recipe

If you want to sneak more veggies in to the food your family eats, this recipe for a yummy rice side dish just might fit the bill. Because the cauliflower is the same color as the rice, chances are no one will even notice it's there!

Alfredo rice served as a side dish with Parmesan Chicken and fresh green beans.

Rice Alfredo

1/2 cup white rice
1/3 cup finely chopped cauliforets
1/2 t. dehydrated garlic
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dried parsley
1 cup water
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup prepared Alfredo sauce (or just use bottled, such as Ragu)
1 T. butter
2 T. milk

In a medium sized saucepot, add rice, cauliflower, garlic, parsley, garlic salt and water. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until rice is done. Add pepper, butter, Alfredo sauce and milk. Heat through.

Serves 3 - 4

August 2, 2011: Ham and Potatoes Au Gratin Recipe

Here’s another simple casserole dish that’s easy to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Since I was gone over the weekend, I hadn’t gone grocery shopping for a while and that’s the reason I decided to make this dish before we left for my 30th high school reunion in Silver City, NM. It’s simple to put together and tasty – hope you enjoy it!

Ham and Potatoes Au Gratin

3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
8 ounces ham, trimmed and cut into one inch cubes
2 t. dehydrated garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease a casserole dish. Place one third of the potato slices in the bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with one half of the ham, one half of the garlic and one third of the cheese. Add another layer of the same ingredients. End with remaining potato slices and cheese. Warm the milk in the microwave and pour over the casserole. Cover the dish and cook in the oven for 35 – 45 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Remove cover for last five minutes of cooking.

Serves 3 – 4

July 24, 2011: Grilled Potatoes Recipe

Here’s an easy side dish to put on the grill while you’re cooking meat. As shown in the picture, the potatoes are great in combination with avocado boats and chicken or steak.

Grilled Potatoes

2 large or 4 medium-sized yellow potatoes
3 T. butter
2 t. dehydrated (or jarred, minced) garlic
1 t. dried parsley or 1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Scrub the potatoes, poke them several times with a fork, and cook in the microwave until almost done (since microwave powers vary so greatly, use your experience to determine the right amount of time). Cube the potatoes and toss with remaining ingredients. Put in grill-safe pan and cover tightly with foil. Cook for 10 minutes over indirect heat, until the bottoms of the potatoes are slightly crispy and all the butter is melted.

Tip: Because this is such a simple recipe that doesn’t require many fresh ingredients, this would be a good dish to make while camping.

Note: The dehydrated garlic adds exceptional fragrance and flavor so don't substitute unless you have to.

July 19, 2011: Grilled Asian Tuna Recipe

Here’s another way I came up with to make tuna steaks on the grill using a quickly concocted Asian seasoning blend similar to 5 spice powder. This tuna was a big hit with my picky husband! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

My husband has perfected his technique for grilling tuna - it should always be bright pink in the center when you serve tuna.

Grilled Asian Tuna

2 fresh tuna steaks, about 1/3 pound each
1 t. chopped ginger (jarred)
2 T. soy sauce

Asian Seasoning Blend
1 teaspoon each Coriander seeds, Fennel seeds, Sesame seeds, Black peppercorns
1/3 stick cinnamon
1 t. dehydrated garlic
½ t. cumin powder
1 t. citrus peel seasoning blend
1 t. kosher salt

Combine seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium and stir frequently, just until toasted and fragrant (5 – 10 minutes). Remove from heat and crush with a mortar and pestle or whirl in a coffee grinder.

Add remaining spices. You will have more than you need for this recipe; store the remainder in tightly sealed jar.

To prepare tuna:
Rub both sides of tuna steaks with ginger and pour soy sauce over. Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with a total of 2 teaspoons of the spice blend. Let the tuna marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Grill over medium high heat for a few minutes per side.

Serve with pineapple salsa, if desired.