Tag Archives: cheese

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

Turkey, Apple, and Swiss Melt

I’m staying local for Thanksgiving this week and by local, I mean home.  I’m not planning on leaving my house or making a ton of food, but just enough for me to think I made too much.  I couldn’t scale down my menu because things like stuffing and scalloped corn are foods I only eat once a year so they have to be made.  I also have to make something called Rice-Nut Loaf which probably sounds gross to you but it was my main protein source for 13 Thanksgivings while I was a vegetarian and I still want it each year (I might even share it with you soon!).  This year, I decided to forgo the turkey and just stick to the loaf.  Weird, probably, but it’s nothing I’m not used to.  So, since I’m not planning on having any turkey, therefore no leftover turkey for sandwiches, I picked up some sliced turkey last weekend to make myself this Turkey, Apple, and Swiss Melt.  Hardly a leftover turkey day sandwich but it fit my bill.

Sliced deli turkey is layered with thin slices of Granny Smith apple, lowfat Swiss cheese and homemade honey-Dijon before being toasted in a pan until crispy and golden brown.  The apple provides a crunchy tartness while the cheese melts just enough to make each bite gooey.  You might find yourself left with some turkey, a random apple you didn’t use for the stuffing and a little extra cheese from your cheesy mashed potatoes and realize you’ve got what it takes to make this sandwich.  Even if it’s on a leftover dinner roll and all you have is yellow mustard, give it a try.  By Friday, I’ll be making a rice-nut loaf-smashed potato-scalloped corn sandwich which won’t even come close to this one.  But I bet you I’ll love it anyway.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

The ingredients:

Combine mustard and honey in a small bowl.  Spread one side of each of 4 bread slices with 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard mixture.

Place one cheese slice on dressed side of bread slices; top each with 5 apple slices and 2 ounces turkey.

Top sandwiches with remaining 4 bread slices.  Coat both sides of sandwiches with cooking spray.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sandwiches to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until bread is browned and cheese melts.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Now that I’m finally able to use my stove and oven to make some healthy food since Hurricane Sandy swept through, I haven’t made anything.  After Sandy, I had to throw out everything in my refrigerator (due to 3 days of power loss) and ended up eating take-out for a few days before I jumped on a plane for a whirlwind weekend in New Orleans.  My diet is taking a beating as a result.  Days of Chinese food followed by days of Cajun, deep-fried food does not bode well for my waistline.  And since I haven’t been home, I have yet to get to the grocery store so my fridge has nothing but water in it.  Oh and a scary-looking left0ver piece of Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Roulade.

Thin-sliced chicken is layered with spinach, cheese and tomato before being rolled up and baked.  To top it off, a simple sauce of tomatoes, basil, spinach and red wine vinegar adds another layer of vibrant flavor.  I made this dish last week when I was trying to cook all of the chicken in my freezer, knowing the hurricane was coming and my power was going.  This dish is light and perfect if you are looking to make a low-calorie, high-flavor chicken dinner.  I made a batch of this and took it to my friend’s house before the hurricane.  If we’d chosen to not eat so badly, we would have eaten all of it.  But when the weather is bad, the only thing I want is bad food like cheese fries and chicken parm sandwiches.  I’ll end up making this dish again because it’s very tasty and can be made with other ingredients like kale or feta.  However I make it next time, I will eat every bite.

The ingredients:

Place thin chicken breasts on work surface, smooth side down. Top with 1∕4 cup of the spinach, 1∕4 cup of the cheese, and 1 tomato slice.

Fold in ends and roll tightly.  Place seam side down on a platter.  Repeat with remaining chicken.


Whisk together egg whites and broth.  Divide flour onto two large plates.  Coat stuffed chicken with flour, then dip into egg mixture and
back into flour.

 

Heat oil over medium heat in large sauté pan.  Brown each chicken roulade, then place on a baking sheet.  Bake in a 325 oven for 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, combine tomato, spinach, vinegar, broth, and herbs in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes.  Season with salt and
pepper.

Slice each chicken roulade horizontally into 1-inch slices and top each portion with warm tomato mixture.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Shape Magazine

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