where the secret ingredient is love
Week of January 20
Monday: chile relleno casserole
Tuesday: chicken noodle soup [from the freezer]
Wednesday: butternut squash tortilla pie [didn’t make last week]
Thursday: black beans & rice
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: breakfast for dinner
Sunday: roasted chicken
It’s January! For many people, that means a [re]commitment to healthy eating. Sticking with a healthy diet can be hard. Since I am all for moderation of all things, instead of strict denial, I like to find healthier versions of my favorite treats. These potato skins are a prime example.
The regular version is loaded up with tons of cheese, sour cream, and bacon. This version, à la Ellie Krieger, features broccoli, Canadian bacon, avocado, and cheese. The perfect substitute! And perhaps, even better than the original?
While I love the usual loaded potato skins [and ate my fair share in college], this version with broccoli and avocado is just fabulous. They’re more filling and more of a meal-appetizer than an appetizer-appetizer. Make sense? I had forgotten just how good Canadian bacon was… salty and a little more gourmet than regular bacon. Gourmet may be a bit of an overstep, but I love its juicy, smoky sweetness. It pairs SO well with that avocado cream, which MIGHT be my new favorite thing! It’s like guac, but creamy and with just a hint of lime. The only change I might make to this dish would be to chop the broccoli up a little more after steaming it, but that’s just a minor thing.
This app is perfect for a football party, or just a casual night at home in your cozy slippers. 🙂 Enjoy!
two years ago: Perfect Black Beans
three years ago: Triple Chocolate Oat Cookies
Broccoli Stuffed Loaded Potato Skins with Avocado Cream [from Comfort Food Fix by Ellie Krieger]
click to print
Ingredients:
for avocado cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork 8-10 times each, then wrap in paper towels and microwave until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut in half lengthwise.
Scoop out all but an 1/8 inch of the potato flesh, reserving for another use. Brush the inside and outside of the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down on a baking sheet and cook until crispy and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, making the filling. Steam the broccoli until crisp-tender. Add the Canadian bacon to a skillet set over medium-high heat and saute until crisp, about 4 minutes. Divide the broccoli and cheese equally amongst the potatoes
Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees and return potatoes to oven, baking for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
To make the avocado cream, place all ingredients except green scallions in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, top potato skins with Canadian bacon, avocado cream, and green scallions.
Time: 45 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.
Week of January 13
Monday: I work til 8 on Mondays this semester, so I’ll have random things to eat these nights… Ben gets to fend for himself 🙂
Tuesday: pineapple fried rice
Wednesday: lemony lentil soup
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: chickpeas, orzo, & kale w/ sweet potato sauce
Saturday: butternut squash tortilla pie
Sunday: roasted chicken
This beauty is alllll because of Ben. [Who just started a blog, p.s.] Apparently, in his high school cafeteria, Oreo Ice Cream Pie was all the rage. Along with weenie winks [hot dogs wrapped in American cheese and white bread, then baked]. Look at this photo at your own risk, I’m not quite sure how anyone would find that appealing. But apparently some do. I can guarantee that pretty much everyone will find this pie appealing. And delicious. Certainly, delicious.
I don’t think I ever ate anything this good in my high school cafeteria, partially because we had open campus so I often went home or out to eat. But I digress. Who cares about high school food? That was so last decade! Instead of lamenting about the old caf, you can make an easy no-bake dessert at home that you can enjoy for days [if it lasts that long!!].
This pie couldn’t be simpler: an Oreo crust, Cookies and Cream ice cream, Cool Whip, and some cookie crumbs. Piece of cake. Cookie? Pie? Regardless, this pie is AWEsome. I made my own Oreo crust with butter and Oreo crumbs, but you can buy one if you’re pressed for time. My time concession was to use Cookies and Cream Ice Cream instead of mixing Oreos into vanilla ice cream. Whatever ingredients you choose are sure to be delicious! I think sometime I’d like to try it out with mint Oreos and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Mmmm! But this time, I wanted to make the original for Ben to take him back to his days as a Lake High School Flyer! Happy Friday! 🙂
two years ago: Spaghetti and “Meat” Balls
three years ago: Caramelized Onion Dip
Ingredients: Directions: Crush 24 Oreos in a ziploc bag or food processor until you have fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl, then pour melted butter over cookie crumbs, stirring well to combine. Press mixture onto the bottom and sides of a 9 inch deep dish pie pan to form the crust. Spoon ice cream over crust, then cover completely with Cool Whip. Crush 2-3 remaining Oreos and sprinkle over Cool Whip. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and return to freezer for at least 2 hours before serving. Alternatively, you can stick the pie in the freezer uncovered for about 20 minutes, then remove it and stick a few toothpicks in the Cool Whip and then cover it with foil, using the toothpicks to hold up the foil so it doesn’t stick. Then return to freezer for at least 2 hours before serving. Notes: I used the full 1.75 quart container of ice cream in a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. It was nearly overflowing. If you use a regular pie pan, use less ice cream. I’m sure you can find a use for what’s left! 🙂Oreo Ice Cream Pie
Linked up with: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday.
If you like cranberry sauce, then you’ll love these oats! Steel cut oats are a special treat for me. They take too long to make on a weekday morning before work [who has time to babysit at the stove for 30 minutes?], so they’re reserved for the weekend in my mind–and I always make extra for leftovers. 🙂 But I digress. This past Saturday, I whipped up these easy Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears, and let me tell you… they were something amazing!
I’ve only made steel cut oats a few times in the past and these were by far the best–tender with just a little bit of chewiness. These steel cut oats were the most flavorful oats I’ve ever tasted, and the prettiest too! See that pink? I cooked fresh cranberries in with the steel cut oats to achieve that gorgeous color, added some cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to cut down the tartness of the fresh berries, then topped off with some easy, juicy caramelized pears. The subtle sweetness of the pears plays so well with the tart cranberries, I love it. I first experienced that unique flavor combo over Christmas when my mom, sister, and I were making brunch for the family and we all helped throw together the pear cranberry compote. Divine! [Everyone loved it, so I knew the flavor combo was a winner.] This breakfast may be a bit time consuming, but it’s totally worth it. If rich and indulgent oatmeal is a thing, this would be it, because, duh, caramelized pears! Enjoy! 🙂
one year ago: Mexican Cornbread Pot Pie
two years ago: Lasagna Soup
three years ago: Whole-Wheat Cornbread
Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears [adapted from S. John & Sandra Ross and Martha Stewart]
click to print
Ingredients:
for oats
for pears
Directions:
Add water, cranberries, and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. When berries begin to burst, add steel cut oats, pear cider, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 25-30 minutes until oats are softened, stirring occasionally.
To prepare pears, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When bubbly, sprinkle in sugar gradually. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add pears, carefully flipping to fully coat in sugar-butter mixture. Cook until just soft, about 2-4 minutes [depending on how thin you slice them], then gently fold in cloves and cinnamon.
Top cranberry oats with caramelized pears to serve.
Time: 40 minutes.
Yield: 4-5 servings.
Linked up with: What’s Cookin’ Wednesday.
The Pajama Chef 