Whether you serve these as a dinner side, a snack or an appetizer, you’ll be in love. Cheese and potatoes are just meant to go together !

Cheesy Stuffed Potatoes

16 servings
142 calories per serving (1 serving = ½ potato)

3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes (equaling roughly 8 potatoes)
1 c milk
1/3 c light sour cream
1/4 c low fat buttermilk
1 c shredded fontina or swiss cheese
1/4 c finely chopped chives (or 1 t dried chives)
2 T butter
Salt and pepper to taste
6 T grated parmesan cheese
paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean potatoes and pierce them then bake one hour or until tender. Let cool a bit and then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh leaving a shell and about ¼ inch of potato on it. Preheat your broiler at this point. Mix the scooped out flesh with milk, sour cream, buttermilk, salt and pepper then stir in the fontina, chives and butter and place potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parm and paprika. Broil 3-5 minutes or until cheese is all melted.

This is one of those ‘all in one dishes’ that I love to make. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate, and then do the baking right at the very end. Very convenient, very easy, very good !

Chicken Casserole with Wild Rice

8 servings
371 calories per serving

You can make this casserole ahead and refrigerate until you are ready – just bake longer (about an hour) to make sure it heats all the way through.

2 c water
1/2 c wild rice
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cooked (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !) and cut into bit sized pieces
2 T oil
3 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c flour
2 c skim milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 c low fat sour cream
1/3 c chopped parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c frozen French cut green beans
1/2 c sliced almonds

Mix water and rice and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook 35-40 minutes. Drain and reserve. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and cook mushrooms 12 minutes or so to release all the liquid and allow it to dry up. Add broth and scallions and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir then add milk and simmer 2 minutes. Add cheese, sour cream parsley, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with Pam and place the rice in as the bottom layer. Top with chicken and beans then pour over the mushroom sauce and sprinkle with nuts. Cook 30 minutes and let stand a bit to cool before serving.

This is just what it’s called…a great company casserole. It is easy to prep, all the prep is done way ahead, and the result is a creamy, tasty vegetable side dish that disappears very quickly !

Company Casserole

7 servings
178 calories per serving

1 can low fat cream of celery soup
1 c low fat sour cream
1 c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder
½ c finely chopped onion
9 oz. frozen cut green beans, thawed
6 oz. frozen peas and carrots, thawed
2 c frozen corn, thawed
¼ c crushed low fat Ritz crackers
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup, sour cream, cheese, garlic powder, salt, pepper and onion then stir in the veggies and place in a 2 quart baking dish sprayed with Pam. Cover and bake 25 minutes. Then uncover, sprinkle crumbs around edges and spritz the crumbs with the ICBINB spray. Bake another 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

The lemony sauce on the sprouts add a nice surprise tanginess to the dish.

Lemony Brussel Sprouts

4 servings
121 calories per serving

8 cups Brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1/4 c light sour cream
1/4 c Miracle Whip Light
2 t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t Dijon Mustard

Boil sprouts 8-10 minutes. Mix the rest of the ingredients and mix with drained sprouts.

What a burst of flavor you get from the fresh herbs in this soup ! Totally refreshing and so summery. Serve next to your lunch sandwich or as a quick palate cleanser in between courses of your favorite summer grill fare. At only 61 calories per serving, don’t think twice about adding this into a meal for a nice taste of summer.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

4 servings
61 calories per serving

1 c fat free sour cream
1/2 c fresh basil
1/2 c fresh mint
1/4 c sliced scallion
1 c water
½ of a large English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into a few pieces
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Tabasco sauce
Salt to taste

In a food processor mix sour cream, basil, mint, water and scallions very well. Then add cucumber, lemon juice and salt and just pulse a few times making sure you leave cucumber chunks. Chill up to 6 hours.

When you add in a lot of veggies to bulk up mac salad, you can really bring down the calorie count and this one is so creamy !

Low Fat Mac Salad

16 servings
121 calories per serving

8 oz. multi grain pasta, uncooked
3 c small broccoli florets
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 c low fat mayo (I like using the olive oil one!)
1/4 c low fat sour cream
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T red vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions and add the veggies into the water during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and then drain well. Add mayo, sour cream, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mustard and stir well then add eggs. Chill at least 3 hours so the flavors mingle.

This makes a really different dessert – instead of just pudding or just fruit – you have a creamy pudding-ish base with tons of yummy fruit thrown in. Very refreshing and very different !

Fruit and Cream

16 servings
96 calories per serving

20 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice (not syrup), drained
15.25 oz. can sliced peaches in juice, drained
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
4 apples, peeled and diced
1 ½ c skim milk
1/3 c orange juice concentrate
1 oz. package sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
¾ c fat free sour cream

Mix fruit in a bowl. Whisk milk with pudding and orange juice for 2 minutes them mix in sour cream. Fold into fruit then cover and refrigerate.

This has such a burst of lime flavor ! Your tastebuds really dance when you enjoy this parfait. At only 125 calories – have 2

Key Lime Parfait

8 servings
125 calories per serving

12 oz. evaporated milk
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
½ c confectioner’s sugar
½ c low fat sour cream
½ t grated lime zest
½ c bottled or fresh key lime juice

Pour the milk in a bowl and place in the freezer for about an hour, or until crystals begin to form. In a glass measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin over ¼ c cold water and let stand 5minutes then place the cup in a pan of simmer water and heat 4-5 minutes or until gelatin has dissolved and then cool it to room temperature.

Beat the milk until soft peaks form and then gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the sour cream and lime zest and then the cooled gelatin mix. Place bowl in refrigerator and chill ½ hour or so then fold the juice into the milk mixture and place into parfait glasses and chill another 2 hours.

Rich, decadent, creamy goodness – this has a great cream cheese / cheesecake flavor while screaming CHOCOLATE !! It makes a great special occasion dessert.

Chocolate Cheesecake

10 servings
265 calories per serving

1 Oreo crust
1 c nonfat cottage cheese
½ c Egg Beaters
12 oz. Nefchatel (low fat cream cheese) at room temperature
1 c sugar
½ c unsweetened cocoa
¼ c flour
1 t vanilla
¾ c powdered sugar
¾ c nonfat sour cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a blender or food processor, mix cottage cheese and eggs until smooth. In another beat cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth and then add the cottage cheese mix, cocoa, flour and vanilla. When smooth pour into the prepared pan. Bake 60-65 minutes or until set. Cool 15 minutes and then cover and chill 4 hours. Just before serving, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the cake.

This serves up a super scrumptious stroganoff and serving it atop potatoes is a nice change from the typical noodles.

Beef Stroganoff Topped Potatoes (Crock Pot)

6 servings
320 calories per serving

1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ lb. boneless beef round steak cut into strips
2 4.5 oz. jars of Green Giant Sliced Mushroom and Garlic, drained
2 t beef boullion crystals
2 T water
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
6 medium baking potatoes
8 oz. low fat sour cream
1 T flour
1 T ketchup
Chopped parsley for garnish

Layer onion, beef and mushrooms in the crock pot. Combine beef boullion, salt, pepper, spices and water and pour over beef mix. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. An hour before serving, cook baked potatoes (LINK TO RECIPE). Mix sour cream, flour and ketchup and stir into beef mix. Place heat on high and recover and cook another 10 minutes. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and loosen the pulp with a fork. Spoon beef mix over potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.