Vegetarian

Cheddar and Chive Smashed Potatoes

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and didn’t eat too much or spend too much money shopping all of the sales that have been advertised for days and days. Once again, as Thanksgiving came to a close and I was left eating mounds of leftovers until yesterday, I kept wondering why in the world I only eat these delicious foods once every November? Is it because only eating them once makes them more special? Or is it laziness? These foods really aren’t hard to make so I’m really not sure the answer. This week I have a few foods I made over Thanksgiving that I think deserve a fair shot at being put on the dinner table throughout the year, starting with Cheddar and Chive Smashed Potatoes.

Red potatoes are cooked until perfectly soft and coated in a warm milk, butter and garlic bath before being hand mashed until creamy and still slightly lumpy. Cheddar cheese, chives and sour cream are added to make these potatoes even more decadent, fluffy and flavorful. The worse part about making mashed potatoes to me is the pealing but this recipe keeps the skin on so that painful process is eliminated (although you do still have to scrub them). This recipe made a TON of potatoes which I barely made a dent into and still sadly have in my fridge. These would make for great base for potato pancakes or just as a side to a good ol’ chicken dinner. Winner winner.

The ingredients:

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover pot and heat to boiling on high. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Reduce heat to medium; cook potatoes, partially covered, 30 minutes or until tender.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and add garlic; cook 1 minute or until golden, stirring. Stir in milk and heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat; set aside.

Drain potatoes well and return to pot. Add milk mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. With potato masher, mash until smooth.

Stir in cheese, sour cream, and chives.

Serve hot.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Light sour cream
Fat-free milk

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Good Housekeeping Magazine

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

I’m fortunate to work in a building that has a large “cafe” available to employees with a variety of lunch options such as a deli, two salad bars, a sushi bar, brick oven pizza and warm foods that change each day like fish tacos, chicken kabobs or grilled steak and potatoes. Yet, for some reason, each time I go up there on days when I didn’t bring lunch, I end up walking around the whole place, eyeballing each item to find that nothing looks good and I ultimately end up getting the same thing every time: egg salad on a spinach wrap. I know this before I even ride the elevator up 15 floors to the cafe but I always hope each time that something else will strike my fancy. And it never happens. The wraps are huge and I’m full after just a half of one but I always end up eating the whole thing. Oh, and instead of getting baby carrots and celery which are an optional free side, I typically succumb to the question “Do you want chips?” The word yes comes out of my mouth before I even know what I’m saying and I rationalize it by figuring that I’m already eating so badly with the mayonnaise-laden egg salad that what’s the point of fooling myself with carrots. I’m a hot mess. So to keep myself away from the deli counter, I’m bringing in my own Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps for lunch this week.

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise in this recipe, keeping it lighter in calories without sacrificing too much flavor. Keeping a little light mayonnaise in keeps the Greek yogurt from making the egg salad too tangy. I also added celery for crunch, roasted red pepper for an additional flavor boost and cayenne pepper for a little kick. Putting the salad in lettuce really keeps the calories down and, depending on the kind of lettuce you use, provides and additional crunch factor, making this a satisfying lunchtime bite. In additions, if you are watching your Weight Watchers points, one serving has 5 points so you can be on a diet and have egg salad too! See ya’, deli counter…I won’t be back for a while!

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps (makes 6 servings)

12 eggs
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers in water, chopped or 1 red pepper, roasted (see note below)
1/2 cup celery or one stalk, chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 lettuce leaves, preferably butter lettuce
salt to taste

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine. Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine. Stir in cayenne pepper and salt. Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.

Note: To make your own roasted red peppers, cut fresh red peppers in half, remove seeds and ribs, flatten, and broil, skin side up, for 10-15 minutes, until blackened, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place blackened peppers in a zip-top plastic bag, seal and let stand 15 minutes. Remove from bag, peel and discard skin; chop.

If you like this, also check out Enlightened Egg Salad Pitas.

The ingredients:

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine. Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine. Stir in cayenne pepper and salt.

Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.

Penne with Vodka Sauce & Vegetables

August 8, 2012
Shannon
0 comments
food, pasta, peas, spinach, tomatoes, vegetarian, zucchini

I’ve noticed a pattern in the food I’ve been eating lately – vegetarian and with zucchini. For someone who didn’t touch zucchini as a kid and grew up eating deer meat and rabbit, this is an interesting revelation. Trust me when I tell you, I prefer my diet much more now. Although I wish I didn’t eat so many carbs, I’m happy that I don’t eat nearly as much as I did when I was a vegetarian and ate pasta constantly. As in every single night. Because things have changed, I look forward to a hearty pasta dish, especially one made with vodka sauce. Penne with Vodka Sauce and Vegetables is a lightened up version of regular pasta in vodka sauce which is hearty enough that you won’t even notice the fact that there is no meat in sight.

Whole-wheat penne is mixed with zucchini, peas, onion and spinach and tossed in a tomato sauce made with vodka and half-and-half. The sauce is creamy and light, given subtle touch of heat from red pepper flake. Add Canadian bacon for an additional flavor boost as per the recipe if you prefer. This recipe makes a ton, making it perfect for a family, guests or tons of leftovers. This will be my lunch and dinner for days but that’s ok. I’m used to eating a lot of pasta.

The ingredients:

Cook penne according to package directions, approximately 11 minutes. Add zucchini and peas during last 3 minutes and stir in spinach. Drain and place back into the pot.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; add vodka and cook 1 minute.