Lighter Twice Baked Potatoes

Notice I said "lighter." Emphasis on the -er. : )

These are still made with white potatoes and are definitely a nutritional splurge. But they're a splurge you can feel better about. And you'll never miss the full fat stuff!

Lighter Twice Baked Potatoes
Prep Time: 20 minutes / Cook Time: 90 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 medium baking potatoes
• 2 tablespoons buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/4 lb. reduced fat grated cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 turkey bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced
  

Directions

• Wash potatoes well.
• Bake at 400* for one hour (or until well done). Allow to cool until easy to handle.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350*.
• Slice off top 25% of each potato and set aside.

• Using a spoon, carve out the center of each potato into a large bowl, leaving just enough flesh around the skin to hold its shape.

• Whip potato whites with a hand mixer on medium-high until no clumps remain.

• Add all remaining ingredients except scallion greens to bowl and mix well.
• Gently fold in scallion greens.

• Spoon potato mixture back into skins.

• Use a fork to make decorative indentions, if desired.
• Bake at 350* for 30 minutes (or until thoroughly warmed and lightly browned).

So it's turkey bacon instead of the real deal, lowfat cheese, fat free sour cream and better "butter". If you're craving twice baked potatoes, this should do the trick!

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

I didn't grow up eating sweet potatoes.  Mom and Dad aren't fans, so it's just one of those things I was told I wouldn't like.  Along with guacamole.  { Yum and wrong on both counts. }

Then I came across a coupon for frozen sweet potato fries.  They were delicious. But there were no more coupons to be had.  And as good as they are, they are really expensive.  { And honestly, they're not all that good for you... they are fried, after all.  } So with a little experimenting... now we make our own spicy sweet potato chips instead.  Spencer is happy because the grocery budget stays in line and I'm happy because they're quick, easy, and it's one more vegetable I can add to our repertoire.

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

{ Shown here alongside one of our favorite Turkey Burgers }

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• Seasoned Salt

Equipment

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Food processor or mandoline (optional)
• Large bowl
• Teaspoon measure
• Tablespoon measure
• 2 baking sheets
• Tongs or spatula

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400*.
• Scrub sweet potatoes under cold running water to remove any dirt.
• Slice off pointed ends of each sweet potato and discard.  The blunt end of the potato should be approximately 1" in diameter.
• Using a mandoline or food processor, slice sweet potatoes into 1/4" disks.  A large, sharp knife can also be used, but I don't have a good track record with dense vegetables and sharp knives. : )  The important thing is just that the slices be the same thickness in order to cook evenly.  Slices that are too thin will burn before the others are done.
• Toss slices with remaining ingredients in a large bowl until evenly coated.

• Arrange slices in a single layer on { ungreased } baking sheets.  I usually need two pans.

• Bake for ten minutes, remove from oven, and use tongs or a spatula to flip each slice.
• Return to the oven for an additional ten minutes, or until chips are golden brown and crispy.

• Serve warm and enjoy!

Grilled Zucchini

I have a husband who, if left to himself, would live on chicken fingers and pepperoni pizza.  And he did, for quite some time. { Upon reading this just now, Spencer adds, "Hey!  I eat peanut butter, too!"  I rest my case. }

Until we started dating, very few vegetables were even in his vocabulary.  Least of all zucchini.  { As my cousin Dave used to say, "that's you-keeny, not my-keeny!" } But I snuck in some grilled zucchini recently and he actually liked it.  It was easy to make and definitely qualifies as a vegetable, so I liked it, too.

Next time you're grilling steaks, burgers, chicken or anything along those lines... give these a try!

Grilled Zucchini

You'll need:

• Zucchini (one medium sized per person, depending on how many other sides you're serving)
• Italian Salad Dressing (I use the Kraft Roasted Red Pepper variety, but any will work)

• First, slice off the stem end of each zucchini.
• Cut each one in half lengthwise, then into three or four triangular logs per half (depending on the diameter of your vegetable, you'll get 6-8 logs out of each).  You just want to make sure that they're not so thin that they'll fall through your grill grates.
• Pour a little of the salad dressing into the bottom of a rectangular baking dish, just enough to thinly coat.
• Layer the zucchini logs in your dish, alternating with salad dressing, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

• Place zucchini on the grill, perpendicular to the grates, and cook over medium-high heat.  Turn every 3-4 minutes as nice grill marks begin to appear.  You'll rotate each piece a total of three times to have markings on each side (including the green one).

Quick, summer-y... and good for you, too.  Enjoy!