Oven Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

Lately, I have been getting really bored with some of my side dishes. I feel like I have the same things over and over again, so I've been trying to find new ideas. I've been looking for a while now...And I'm happy that I finally found a new (well, maybe not so new) idea. Sweet potatoes! I've made mashed sweet potatoes before, but Addison didn't seem too happy about them. I've done baked sweet potatoes, but again, not much excitement from the troops. Over the weekend, I was watching Food Network - as usual. On one of Paula Deen's show, they were doing sweet potatoes fries. They used a lot of butter in theirs. But while I was watching this, it dawned on me that I could do these instead of some of the white potato fries that I do. Why didn't I think of this before?

I did a test run over the weekend just to figure out the different tweaks that I needed to make. I'm pretty happy to report that I did pretty well with my first attempt. I will admit that these aren't the prettiest fries, but what do you expect when you have an orange vegetable that you're putting brown cinnamon on? Just trust me when I tell you that these are definitely worth a shot. They're very easy to do, too! Here's the recipe:

OVEN BAKED SWEET POTATO WEDGES
Servings: 3
Points+: 3

3 large (6 oz. each) sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into wedges
2 T. Splenda
2 t. cinnamon
Butter Flavored Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, splenda and cinnamon. Spray enough cooking spray into bowl to allow even coating of the sweet potatoes. Toss to coat all potato wedges evenly.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Roast the potatoes until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and serve immediately.

EXERCISE
My knee is a little sore from the ciruit training that I've been doing - at least that's what I'm blaming it on. So I needed to take it easy tonight. I was pretty excited that I got what I call a "bonus" run in today during lunch. I wanted to test my knee to see if running would bother it. I also wanted to make sure that it wasn't the running that was bothering it. I'm happy to report that I ran 3 miles in 27 minutes today. I was happy about that. I wasn't pushing myself too hard so that I could take it easy on the knee. I'm also going to do JM Yoga Meltdown after Addison goes to bed for the night. My knee might be bothering me because of the BL Weight Loss Yoga that I did last week. I figure that it didn't bother me while I was doing Yoga Meltdown, so I'm going to do it again and hope that the knee isn't any worse for the wear. Hope it starts to feel better soon!

So long for today...

Oven Baked Fries

I love a french fry as much as the next guy (or gal). But I don't like all of the fat and calories that go along with the traditional french fry. For a couple of years, I've been cutting my potatoes into chuncks and baking them. I actually made these pretty often. I think my husband got tired of them, so I had to find something new to make. For Christmas last year, I received a french fry cutter. I was so excited to try it! It comes with two different sizes. I've tried them both. I actually like the bigger setting, but during the week, I like to use the smaller setting so we don't have to wait all night for our dinner to be ready. When we have our hamburgers on the grill (which is pretty often) sometimes I like to make oven baked fries so that we can have our burger and fries, just a healthier version. Here's what I do...

OVEN BAKED FRIES
Servings: 4
Points+: 4

4 medium russet potatoes, washed and dried
olive oil non-stick cooking spray
salt and pepper, seasoned salt or garlic salt

Using french fry cutter, cut all fries to your desired thickness. Dry potatoes very well after cutting to remove any moisture and place in large bowl. Spray cooking spray onto fries and toss to coat. Add seasoning of your choice and toss until potatoes are evenly coated. Place fries on cooling rack above baking pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes, or until desired crispness.

These are pretty simple to make. The french fry cutter makes them a lot easier, too. Now go grill yourself a burger with some healthy oven baked fries.

So long for today...

Loaded Dutchess Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes = Good! Loaded Mashed Potatoes = Better! Loaded Dutchess Potatoes = THE BEST!! I saw these years ago in Cosmo. They were part of an article telling how to make your Valentine a romantic dinner. Awww! I thought I had kept the magazine with the recipes, but after a brief search today, realized that I didn't. So this recipe was all my creation. I love the dutchess potatoes and I love loaded baked potatoes. So I decided to combine the two and this is what I came up with...

Loaded Dutchess Potatoes
Servings: 4
Points+: 4

4 medium potatoes
1/4 c. skim milk
1/4 c. FF sour cream
1/3 c. 2% milk shredded cheddar cheese
2 T. bacon bits
1 t. garlic salt

1/4 c. egg beaters
1 t. skim milk

Peel and dice potatoes. Cook until fork tender. Using hand mixer, mix together potatoes and milk until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Using piping bag, pipe into small mounds onto greased baking sheet. Chill for 20 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine egg beaters and milk to make egg wash. Remove potatoes from fridge and brush with egg wash.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with chopped scallions, bacon bits - what ever strikes your fancy! These are great because they're really not hard to do, but they're so fancy. Make them when you want to impress your guests. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

So long for today...