Sour Cream and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup full fat sour cream
4 oz sharp aged Cheddar cheese, grated, plus a few tablespoons for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place a steam basket into a large saucepan and fill with a few inches of water.
Cut cauliflower into florets and rinse with water. Place in pot along with garlic cloves and steam until tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Drain and transfer to the bowl of a food processor, including garlic cloves.
Puree until smooth.
Return to empty pot and stir in sour cream and grated cheese until creamy and smooth.
Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cheese for garnish.

Oh my gosh!!!!  I would love to win this prize pack!  I would put ALL of these items to great use, and they could surely help me on my weight loss journey, as I still have 30-40 more lbs. to go before I hit my goal weight.  Sweet potatoes are my favorite, and casserole is even better!  They are very healthy for you, as long as there isn't too many bad ingredients added.  Here is a recipe for a healthy version of the sweet potato casserole - my fav!!

Meringue-Topped Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients for the Sweet Potato Casserole:
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup low-fat evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Ingredients for the Meringue Topping:
4 teaspoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions, or 2 large pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preparation:
Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and coo****il tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Process until smooth.  Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (or similar 2-quart) broiler-safe baking dish (see Tip) with cooking spray.  Whisk whole eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, oil, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Add the sweet potato; whis****il smooth. Stir in pineapple and its juice. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with pecans.  Bake the casserole until heated through and the edges are bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. Set aside while you make the topping. 

To prepare meringue topping: Position rack in top third of oven; preheat broiler. Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until soft peaks form (see Tip). Beat in granulated sugar in a slow, steady stream. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Spoon the meringue into a gallon-size sealable bag. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Cut a 1/2-inch hole in one corner. Pipe the meringue onto the casserole, making marshmallow-size dots. (Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip or spread the meringue over the casserole as if you were frosting a cake.) Broil until lightly browned, watching carefully to prevent burning, 30 to 90 seconds.

Tips & Notes:
Make Ahead Tip:  Prepare through Step 4; cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat, covered, in the microwave on High, before finishing with Steps 5-6.
Tips: To toast chopped nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.  A broiler-safe baking dish is one made of metal or earthenware. Glass baking dishes, such as Pyrex, may shatter under the broiler.  To make soft peaks, beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer until they are stiff, but still soft enough to curl over when beaters are turned upside down.
Note:  Pasteurized dried egg whites are a wise choice in recipes that call for uncooked egg whites. Look for brands like Just Whites in the baking section of most supermarkets.

Makes: 10 servings, about 1/2 cup each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

Nutrition:

Per serving:  196 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono);46 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrates; 10 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 194 mg sodium; 361 mg potassium.  Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (281% daily value), Vitamin C (23% dv).  Carbohydrate Servings: 2.

ENJOY!!!!

My favorite recipe is 

Roasted asparagus 

With garlic and sweet potatoes drizzled with coconut oil and cinnamon 

One of my "new" favorites is a recipe using Torani and I believe it is on their website.  To me Thanksgiving dinner is just not Thanksgiving dinner without yams or sweet potato's.  After being diagnosed with Diabetes I went on the hunt for a good tasting yam casserole and found the recipe below.  I don't remember which website or who suggested it but it is a fabulous twist on yams/sweet potato's and made me a happy camper.  Thought I would try the recipe with the Gingerbread syrup this year.

     Baked Praline Yams with Pecan Streusel

• 1/2 cup Torani Butter Pecan syrup
• 6 medium sized yams, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 tsp. salt + 4 Tbsp. butter
• Streusel Topping: 1/4 cup Torani Butter Pecan syrup
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup Spenda brown sugar (I use a little less)
• 2 Tbsp. butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a casserole dish and layer the yams inside, sprinkling with salt. Dot the top with butter and pour syrup over. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Meanwhile, mix the streusel topping ingredients together. When casserole has baked for 30 minutes, sprinkle topping over casserole. Bake, uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

32 oz bag frozen broccoli florets

1/4 cup reduced fat mayo or if you prefer, 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, finely grated

Directions:

Cook broccoli in water until fork tender and drain. 

Add mayo and sour cream and mix well.

Pour into casserole dish and topped with grated cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

My favorite is my grandmother's stuffing - however it's not bari-friendly and since I'm only 2 months post op, I'm not quite ready to try to alter the recipe.  To get similar flavors, we will be making...

Sausage and Herb Stuffed Mushrooms

• 30 medium white mushrooms
• 1/2 lb Italian turkey sausage
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 T grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg white
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

3. Remove stems from the mushrooms and finely chop. Set the chopped stems and the caps aside.

4. To make the filling, heat a medium skillet over med-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring to break it up into smaller pieces.

5. Add the reserved mushroom stems, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6-7 minutes. Transfer mixture into a bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the parsley, bread crumbs, cheese, egg white, and pepper; mix well. Stuff each mushroom cap.

7. Place in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes until browned.

Per Serving: (5 mushroooms) 101 cal, 3g fat, 9g carbs, 2 g fiber, 11g Protein

Yummo!

Sautéed Spinach with Bacon

Spinach - Raw, 2 lb(s) washed and cut into leaves
Bacons - Bacon, 2 slices cut into pieces
Garlic, raw, 3 cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a wok sauté the bacon and garli****il the bacon is cooked.
When bacon is cooked added the the spinach, it will only take a few minute to cook. No liquid is needed, spinach with release a lot of water. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Great with hot sauce like Tabasco

My sugar free cranberry Orange sauce. No one else knows that it is sugar free! 

Sugar Free Cranberry Orange Sauce 

Mix together 1 cup Splenda and 1 cup water. Add 1peeled a sectioned orange with it's juice. Bring to a simmer and add 1 bag of cranberries and coo****il the berries pop. Allow to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

A fruit salad with a bit of honey!  Does not get any easier then that