Just one more, just one more ! That’s what you’ll be saying after you have a few bites of this warm potato salad. The flavors were outstanding and it’s a nice dish next to fish or chicken.

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

8 servings
173 calories per serving

2 lb. small new potatoes, quartered (about 20)
2 T oil
1 bulb garlic
1 t oil
½ c sliced green onions
2 T white balsamic vinegar
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
2 T oil
¼ c sliced olives
¼ c sun dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put potatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with 2 T oil and toss then roast 10 minutes and stir. Cut the top off the bulb of garlic (DO VIDEO) and remove any loose paper skin and then cut side up in a baking cup and drizzle with 1 t oil. Cover with foil and place in oven and continue roasting 10 minutes. Stir potatoes and add onions and continue baking another 15 minutes or until potatoes and garlic are tender. Let stand until garlic is cool enough to handle. Squeeze out garlic cloves and mash with vinegar, salt and pepper then whisk in 1 T oil. Mix in the olives and tomatoes with the potatoes and then add the dressing and toss to coat.

Oven fries can get very dry – but with a few tricks, they are delicious and you won’t even be missing your fried fries. First, use some chicken or vegetable broth to give the potatoes some moisture. You can even add a little extra during the cooking process to keep the potatoes moist. And then at the very end, spray with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray for a buttery flavor and much added moisture.

Garlicky Oven Fries

4 servings
139 calories per serving

½ c chicken broth
1 t garlic powder
1/8 t pepper
4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed, and cut lengthwise into shoestring potato size
Pam
ICBINB Spray
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine broth, garlic powder and pepper and add potatoes and toss. Spray baking sheet and arrange potatoes in a single layer and bake 40 minutes or until crisp and golden. Stir several times during the baking process. If you want them a little browner, broil for 2-3 minutes at the end of the cooking process. When you remove them from the oven, spray with ICBINB Spray and sprinkle with salt.

These are very filling and make a great snack, appetizer or even a side to a low cal fish dish. You can always dress them up with more ‘stuff’ and just each one to keep the calorie count down – they are very filling, so one should do as a side. Tye adding some cooked crumbled turkey bacon, or some extra low fat cheddar cheese…maybe even some caramelized onions !

Potato Skins

4 servings
262 calories per serving

4 large potatoes (8 oz. each)
2 t oil
¼ c parmesan cheese
½ c skim milk
3 T low fat cream cheese
¾ t salt
¼ t pepper
3 T low fat sour cream
3 T sliced scallions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash the potatoes and prick them with a fork. Microwave on high 10 minutes, then turn and microwave another 5 minutes. Let cook a bit and then slice in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flash keep the skins intact. Place the skins on a cookie sheet and brush with the oil and sprinkle with 2 t of the parmesan cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Meantime mix the rest of the parmesan with the potato, milk, cream cheese, salt and pepper. When skins are toasty, fill with the potato mix and bake another 7-9 minutes or until hot throughout. Dollop with sour cream and sprinkle with scallion just before serving.

A baked potato sounds simple enough but one not done right is bad…and one done good is just GREAT! What makes a good potato? A nice crispy salted skin and fluffy, perfectly cooked insides ! After many years of trying a dozen methods here is the one I like best…

Baked Potato

2 servings
160 calories per serving

2 medium baking potatoes
Salt
Molly McButter or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray
Chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes and poke several times with a fork. Salt the outside of the potatoes if you plan on eating the skins. Place in a microwave and oven safe dish and microwave on full power 7 minutes. Take dish from microwave and place in oven and cook 15 -30 minutes as you prep the rest of your dinner. If you have something else in the oven that needs it to be a little lower or higher temperature, no worries – the potatoes will be fine at the alternate temperature.

If you are using larger sized potatoes, increase the microwave time a few minutes.

Split potatoes and prepare with ICBINB spray and sprinkle with salt and chives. Another great low cal topping for potatoes is salsa – - for just 40 calories you can load a 1/2 cup on top of your potato !

Let’s face it – peeling potatoes is a drag ! Well, I came across these instructions on the internet and let me tell you, they work like a charm. The peels just pulled off the boiled potatoes in no time ! Usually if you peel them ahead of time, the outsides get all mushy and mealy and peeling them afterward with a peeler or knife is time consuming at best.

Here is a video instructional showing you how to do it:

Basically, you just score the potatoes the whole way around with a sharp knife (about 1/4 inch deep) and drop them into boiling water for 15 minutes. Take them out and place into an ice bath (ice cubes mixed with cold water) and mix around for 15 seconds. Then take them out of the ice water and apply a little squeezing pressure and the peels come right off !

The only thing I would do different than the video is cook the potatoes a little longer – they were not quite done yet in the middle. If I was going to cube them up for hash browns or further cooking after being sliced or cubed, this would be fine. But they were too undercooked to use for potato salad – I would boil another 5-7 minutes for that. Hope you use this method for easier potato prep in the future !

Serve this super filling potato with 2 T low fat sour cream for just another 40 calories. Leave out the layer of beans and this one is kid friendly.

Potato with Mexican Topping

1 serving
226 calories per serving

6 oz. potato
2 T shredded fat free cheddar cheese
10 sprays ICBINB
1/4 c black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 t taco seasoning
2 T chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional – sour cream

Pierce the potato several times and microwave 8 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Cut oval hole in the top (like you would in a pumpkin) taking care not to cut through the whole shell. Scoop out the meat of the potato and place in a bowl. Add butter spray, cheese, salt and pepper, and taco seasoning and stir to mix.

Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds and stir. Fill the potato shell with a layer of black beans, then the potato mix and microwave another 30 seconds. Sprinkle top with a few reserved beans and the chopped tomatoes. Microwave 2 minutes to heat through or stick in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

A great potato side dish that is a bit different from your regular mashed or baked potatoes. Kids love these – what’s not to love….cheese and potatoes in one great package ! I often add canned green chilies or some steamed chopped up green bell peppers and steamed shredded carrots to give these a little extra flavor and some color.

Cheesy Potato Balls

8 servings
185 calories per serving (1 serving=3 potato balls)

1 package Oreida frozen steamed mashed potatoes
1 T light butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 oz. shredded light cheddar cheese
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 t garlic powder
Pam
1 large egg white
1 1/2 t skim milk
2 T water
2/3 c bread crumbs

Prepare potatoes according to package directions. Mix with butter, salt and pepper. Cool potatoes to room temperature and add cheeses and garlic powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Make 24 balls and place on sheet of paper or foil. Mix egg white, water and milk in a small bowl. Put bread crumbs in a bowl. Dip balls in egg and then drop into crumbs to coat – do one at a time. Place on baking sheet and mist tops with more Pam.

Bake 10 minutes and serve immediately. If you have had the mix refrigerated over 3 hours, you may want to cook 15 minutes to make sure they are heated through.

There’s nothing like a hot bowl of stew on a cold night. This one is packed with goodness and tastes so very yummy !

Beef Stew

4 servings
275 calories per serving

1 lb. lean steak (sirloin, London broil, filet, etc.) cut into 1 inch cubes
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 c green beans
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 1 very large)
1 can (14 oz.) fat free beef broth
1 can (14 oz.) fat free beef gravy
¼ t garlic powder
1/8 t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t olive oil

Heat pan to medium high heat and then add oil. When oil is hot, add beef. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook beef until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add broth, gravy, and carrots. Bring to a boil. Then cover and cook 45 minutes on low heat. Add potatoes and cook another 30 minutes. Add green beans and cook a final 15 minutes.

Alternately, you can add all at once and crock pot this meal on low 5-6 hours – but the veggies will not be as crisp.

This soup uses up leftovers and is super simple to put together. You can always add extra fresh or dried herbs to make it as spicy as you like. I just sent some of this over to my sick soon to be sister-in-law. Hope it makes her all better

Rustic Chicken Soup

6 servings
202 calories per serving

3 ½ quarts water
2 c tomato soup
6 oz leftover grilled chicken, cut into small cubes
1 c shredded carrots
1 c green beans, trimmed
1 c small potato cubes
1 c white beans (canned)
1 onion, sliced
1 c celery, thinly sliced
1 c leftover roasted tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes
½ c grated parmesan cheese
2 t dry chicken bouillon powder
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes.