Saturday, June 15, 2013

Loaded Potato Salad

I've never been a huge fan of traditional potato salad, so I decided to make a potato salad that tasted more like a loaded baked potato! I thought of all my favorite toppings and then in place of the sour cream and butter, I opted to use nonfat plain Greek yogurt. The result was quite tasty and I think you'll agree! It also earned the seal of approval from both my husband and my father-in-law. Enjoy!

Loaded Potato Salad

What You'll Need:

  • 2 1/2 pounds Red Potatoes
  • 1 Packet dry Ranch Dressing Mix
  • 2 Cups Nonfat Greek Yogurt
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/4 - 1/2 Cup Diced Green Onions
  • 1 -2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Friday, June 14, 2013

The Best Homemade Dry Rub

I just made a batch of this today and remembered that I have had several friends request the recipe, so here it is! This is a super easy rub to make and can be used to season just about anything like chicken, burgers, steaks, a pork butt to make pulled pork or baby back ribs, which is what we're having tonight! Try it and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

The Best Homemade Dry Rub

What You'll Need:

  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Generously rub mixture all over whatever meat you're going to cook. You could even let it sit overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator to really allow the flavors to soak into the meat. 

If you want, you may store any unused rub in an airtight container.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken and Pasta

Over the last year or so, I discovered the joy of cooking with my slow cooker. I went on a kick where I was trying out new recipes on my family several nights a week. I had found this recipe on the Crockin' Girls website, and figured just by the recipe name (Bacon Ranch Chicken) that it would have to be delicious. Of course, I have made some modifications to the recipe and it has made it's way into our regular dinner rotation. I use more bacon, more garlic and have substituted Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. The great thing about this recipe is you can make this dish as sinful or as skinny as you like. I've listed both the skinny and sinful options in the recipe. Enjoy!

Creamy Bacon Ranch Chicken and Pasta

What You'll Need:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    (I use frozen.)
  • 1 cup of Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (skinny) or Sour Cream (sinful)
  • 1 can (98% Fat Free - skinny) Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
  • 2 large cloves of Garlic, minced (approx 1 1/2 Tbsp)
  • 6-8 Slices of Bacon (sinful) or Turkey Bacon (skinny), cooked and crumbled
  • 1 package whole grain ribbon noodles or egg noodles