Healthy Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Last St.Patrick's day I ate some delicious Irish mashed potatoes at the O'Grady's house.  I was trying a spin on these with shredded cabbage and more veggies and ended up with this dish.  Who knew that adding the cabbage would add moisture and make them taste buttery!  I also added some onion, garlic, corn, and peas for extra veggies and flavor.  Oh and if you love mashed potatoes but don't own a food mill, go buy one now.  There's nothing like it for creamy, fluffy potatoes.

These have also been great during my pancreatitis recovery made with fat free sour cream.  Again a wok comes in handy for low-fat cooking.

Ingredients:

3 large or 5 medium potatoes – I like white potatoes for mashing

6 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion, diced

2 ears of corn, shucked or 1 can

1 cup frozen peas

1 bag shredded cabbage

2 Tbsp butter

¾  cup low fat sour cream

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

Method:

Peel and quarter potatoes.  Place into a large pot and cover with water.  Add 2 Tbsp salt to the water and 2 whole cloves of garlic.  Bring to a boil and cook until very fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Add the cabbage during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

In the meantime, heat the oil on med-high heat in a wok or large saucepan.  Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add the corn and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sauté until cooked, another 7-8 minutes.  Add the peas and season again.

Drain the potatoes and cabbage and return to the pot.  Mash through a food mill or using a potato masher.  Stir in the corn mixture, butter, and sour cream.  Season with salt and pepper (potatoes need a good amount of salt).

Baked "Fried" Green Tomatoes

I found green tomatoes at the nearby farmers market, and while I can't eat fatty foods because of the pancreatitis, I couldn't resist the thought of some fried green tomatoes!  So I decided to try baking them, and they were just as good!  These were so easy, I actually made them for midnight munchies after getting home late one night.  New favorite snack.  For slightly different flavor, add a little curry or garlic powder to the break crumbs.

Ingredients:

2 green tomatoes, sliced about ½” thick 

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 cup flour

2 eggs plus a splash of water, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place a baking rack over a sheet tray – the baking rack helps the breading crisp.

Prepare your breading station: 3 bowls - one with the flour, one with the eggs, and one with the panko.  Season the panko with salt and pepper. 

Dip each tomato slice first in the flour, shaking off excess.  Then dip it into the egg wash, and finally the panko.  Pat the panko onto the tomato to get good “coverage.” 

Place the breaded tomato slices on the baking rack and spray with the cooking spray.  Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, flip tomatoes over and spray the other side. Bake for another 8-10 minutes until browned.  Sprinkle with a little more salt.