Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins Ingredients 3 medium sweet potatoes 1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 2-4 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed 1 ounce light cream cheese 1/4 cup light sour cream 1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste) 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work) Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes. While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans. Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better. Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon, depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro. Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter 2-oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp red food coloring 2/3 cup all purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 8-oz cream cheese, room temperature 1/3 cup sugar 1 large egg 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together. Stir until combined and very smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and red food coloring. Add chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir until just combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. To prepare cheesecake mixture, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Distribute the cheesecake mixture in 8 dollops over batter in the pan. Swirl in with a knife or spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies.
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Breaded and baked, these avocado fries provide a healthy alternative to their potato cousins. Ingredients 2-3 slightly firm avocados1 cup panko breadcrumbs1/4 cup Parmesan cheese1/4 cup pine nuts3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, divided use (or your favorite seasoning blend)2 large eggs1 tablespoon olive oil1/2 cup flour or pancake mix (optional)1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)pinch of sea salt1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice1 tablespoon chopped cilantro1 tablespoon ranch dressing Instructions Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Remove pit from avocados. Slice and peel. Each avocado should yield 8 pieces. Combine panko, Parmesan, pine nuts and 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning in food processor and pulse until combined. Pour into a shallow dish. Whisk the egg, remaining teaspoon Cajun seasoning and olive oil in a shallow dish. Pour flour or dry pancake mix in third dish. To bread the avocado slices, dip each piece first in flour, then egg wash, then breading. Place on baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until evenly browned. While fries are baking, combine yogurt, salt, lemon juice, cilantro, and ranch dressing in a bowl. Serve fries hot with dipping sauce! While avocados are baking, you can whip up the dipping sauce. I wanted a ranch sauce, but I didn’t want it to be all ranch. I took a little non-fat Greek yogurt (sour cream would work too), mixed it with some lemon juice, cilantro, and about a tablespoon of your favorite ranch dressing. This way, you get a hint of the ranch taste along with the bright flavors of lemon and cilantro and a little tartness from the yogurt. (Plus, the yogurt cuts down on the fat as well).
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