Bacon Mac and Cheese

Instant FOMA. (Food coma)

Ingredients
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
16 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
5 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Add bacon to bread crumbs. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Recipe was taken from Alton Brown but I added more cheese and bacon.

Caramelized Onion Stuffing with Apples and Sage

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
1 loaf (small; about 1 pound) country bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onions, chopped
Kosher salt
Pepper
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
3 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 crisp red apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large eggs, beaten

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a 3-quart baking dish. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry and beginning to turn golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add the celery and parsnips and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onions are beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes more.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley and sage and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more; remove from heat.
Pour the broth over the toasted bread and toss until nearly absorbed. Add the vegetable mixture and the apples and mix to combine. Fold in the egg, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Winter Root Vegetable Mash

Root veggies are perfect to whip up in the winter on a snowy day. This mash is so good, you'll want to have it year round! The crunchy buttery breadcrumb topping really makes it indulgent, but it's not pasta or potatoes and with fake butter - it's not too bad!

For the mash:
3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into similar sized chunks as the parsnips
1 tablespoon horseradish
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon oregano

For the topping:
1 tablespoon butter (real butter)
3 tablespoons I Can't Believe it's Not Butter (fake butter)
1/2 onion, peeled and minced
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Place the rutabaga and parsnips into a pan of salted boiling water. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes until quite tender. Drain well. Mash together with a potato masher and then stir in horseradish and oregano. You want a rough texture so don't mash too finely. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Butter a shallow baking dish. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring until golden brown. Add the Panko and cook, stirring until the crumbs are crisp and golden.

Spread the vegetable mash in the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the crumbs over top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Broccoli Roulade with Chili-Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Having trouble being creative with the staples? Chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes get transformed into something fun with this simple recipe...and it's healthy for you too!

BTW - diabetic patients can profit from the sweet potato’s low or moderate glycemic index. Compared to high-GI foods, sweet potatoes break down more slowly in the body, producing smaller fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels. In addition, sweet potatoes are low in calories.

Also, the mash is practically fat-free and the chili powder contains capsaicin, which studies have shown may inhibit fat-cell growth and help people consume fewer calories. And cinnamon is no slacker spice either: It keeps your blood sugar stable and your appetite in check, so you won't be tempted to go back for a second helping.


Make the Roulade:

Ingredients:

3 (24 oz total) large chicken breast halves
2 large eggs
2 tsp water
1 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs or panko
2 cups broccoli floret, cooked, chopped small
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp low fat milk
2 tsp oregano
salt
spray oil
wood toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine 1 egg, milk and a little salt. Beat with a fork to make an egg wash. Set aside. Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

Slice chicken breast halves into thin cutlets. I usually get 3 thin cutlets out of one breast half. Pound them to make them thinner. This helps when you wrap the cutlets.

Put the chopped broccoli on a bowl and add water. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for about 2 minutes until broccoli is cooked. Add 1 egg, parmesan, and oregano. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the broccoli mixture on a chicken breast. Then roll the chicken tucking in the sides if possible. Keep in place by using a wooden toothpick. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumbs. Repeat until all chicken is used and bake for 30 minutes.

Make the potato mash:

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot on the stove top about 25 minutes until potatoes are soft. Mash the chunks of potato and add in remaining ingredients. Viola!

Prickly Pear Cranberry Sauce

I started making my own cranberry sauce a few years ago. I can never go back to the canned stuff again. This year I made it different - I used prickly pears! Say what?! It really amped it up with that extra ingredient. I would recommend making it this year for your Thanksgiving feast.

1 pound prickly pears
1 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) bag cranberries
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of half a lemon

I had never handled prickly pears before but I found out quickly that they have fine spines that are uber annoying. You can wash and scrub them off but I personally wouldn't handle them with bare hands. If you have gloves you're golden, otherwise stab them with a fork to balance them and using a knife cut the top and bottom off then the sides. If you managed to scrub them, cut the ends from the fruit, score one side and peel skin from flesh.

Chop up the fruit and put in a pot with 1/4 cup of water. Bring it up to a boil then reduce heat. Cook 5 minutes.

Strain puree through a fine sieve and discard seeds.

Combine prickly pear juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Add cranberries, lemon, and orange zest to pot and return to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer 6-8 minutes, until cranberries begin to split.

Remove from heat to cool completely. Refrigerate before serving.

Ina Garten's Hummus

I love hummus but I've never made it myself...until now. This was super easy to make and tastes so much better homemade. With fresh veggies and bread, this is the perfect spring lunch! To my WW peeps: 1/4 c of hummus is 4 points. 

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
8 dashes hot sauce

For the bread:
1 roll of pizza rough
2 teaspoons EVOO
1 tbsp truffle salt

Directions for hummus:
Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Directions for bread:
Preheat oven to 450. Roll the pizza dough out and drizzle with EVOO. Use a brush to spread the EVOO evenly. Sprinkle with truffle salt. Let bake for 15/20 minutes. Cool and cut into strips. Serve with hummus!

Roasted Chick Peas

Want a hearty and nutritious snack? These guys are my go to. So simple to make too. Shout out to Meghan Sullivan for snacking on them at work one day and introducing me to it. WW peeps - 1/2 a cup is only 3 points!

Ingredients
1 can of chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt

Make it:
Coat the beans generously and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool a few minutes. Munch away!

Roasted Artichokes

I touchdown in Iceland in exactly 12 days. I haven't had a vacation (a real one) since the last time we were in Iceland two years ago, so I am really looking forward to this one. They say that when you're on vacation you gain weight. Depending on what you're doing, of course. For example, the average person on a cruise ship gains a pound a day. To prepare for this vacation, I'm going to do 12 days of Healthy. It's like the 12 days of Christmas, but with diet and workout tips instead of milking maids and golden rings.

I have never made an artichoke before, but they are very good for you. They are high in antioxidants, in fact they contain more antioxidants than most vegetables. They are good for the liver and have even been found to regenerate liver tissue. Artichokes help the digestive system. They are a natural diuretic, they aid digestion, improve gallbladder function and, as mentioned above, they are of great benefit to the liver. Wait - there's more! Ingredients in artichoke leaves have been shown to reduce cholesterol. They raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL). These bad boys are also high in fiber! One large artichoke contains a quarter of the recommended daily intake of fiber. A medium artichoke has more fiber than a cup of prunes.

Let's get started...

Ingredients:
4 whole large artichokes
2 lemons, halved
4 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Preparation for Roasting:
If the artichokes have little thorns on the end of the leaves, take a kitchen scissors and cut of the thorned tips of all of the leaves. This step is mostly for aesthetics as the thorns soften with cooking and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.

Using a serrated knife, cut the artichoke off 1-inch of the top. Quickly rub each artichoke with a cut lemon so they don't discolor. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem.


The stem can be done two ways. You can cut the excess stem, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke. The stems tend to be more bitter than the rest of the artichoke, but some people like to eat them. Alternatively you can cut off the stems and peel the outside layers which is more fibrous and bitter and cook the stems along with the artichokes. For my dinner, I am going to completely cut off the stem of the artichoke where it meets the base. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water.


Tear off 4 large square pieces of heavy-duty foil. Rub a few drops of olive oil on the foil and place an artichoke stem side down. Stick a clove of garlic into the center and push down an inch or so. Sprinkle over 1/4 tsp of salt. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over the top. Finish by squeezing the half lemon over the top. The lemon juice will "wash" the salt and olive down in between the leaves. Gather up the corners of the foil and press together on top to tightly seal the artichoke (like a chocolate kiss). You can wrap in a second piece of foil if you don't think you have a tight enough seal.

Repeat with the other artichokes. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees F. for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes before unwrapping and serving. Can be eaten hot, warm, or chilled.

Make it another way:
Follow instructions above all the way to the part where you rinse them in cold water. In a large pot, put a couple inches of water, a clove of garlic, a slice of lemon, and a bay leaf (this adds wonderful flavor to the artichokes). Insert a steaming basket. Add the artichokes. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25 to 45 minutes or until the outer leaves can easily be pulled off. Note: artichokes can also be cooked in a pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes cooking time). Cooking time depends on how large the artichoke is, the larger, the longer it takes to cook.

How to Eat an Artichoke:
Artichokes may be eaten cold or hot, but I think they are much better hot. They are served plain or with a dip, either melted butter or mayonaise. I did plain and I gave my sous chef fat-free mayo with a little bit of balsamic vinegar mixed in.

First, pull off outer petals, one at a time. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal. Continue until all of the petals are removed.

With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.

Today's workout tip is.... HILLS!
If you run or bike or walk for cardio, you’ll want to incorporate hills (after the first month or two of doing it at an easy pace on flat ground). These will make you stronger and make your limited workout time even more effective. Take them easy at first, but once you’re used to hills, you can get a good pace going. Either use a hilly route or do repeats on one hill. I find that there are some really challenging hill courses on the elliptical and bikes in the gym. Scroll through and find the ones that best challenge you. You'll notice you feel the burn in your legs more AND you burn more calories. Yeah, buddy!

Crispy Breaded Pork Cutlets and Sauteed Swiss Chard with Orange

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by Martha Stewart. I loved toasting the breadcrumbs and the mustard was subtle. Super crispy crunch and juicy tender pork = delicious! Plus the pork is baked, which makes it healthier for you. The orange on the chard was terrific! Made it sweet and not as bitter. Great combo!

For the chops:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
4 boneless pork loin chops (6 to 8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss panko with oil. Bake, tossing once, until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
Meanwhile, one at a time, place chops between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a small heavy pan, pound to make 1/4-inch-thick cutlets.
Dividing evenly, coat pork with mustard; season with salt and pepper. One at a time, dip cutlets into panko, pressing firmly to adhere.
Place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet; place pork on rack, and bake, without turning, until opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes.

For the swiss chard:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 bunches Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch strips
Zest from 1 orange, cut into wide strips, plus juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add Swiss chard and orange zest. Cook, tossing frequently, until chard wilts, about 4 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper, then add juice of the orange; toss to coat.

Healthy Parsnip Puree

This dish is so easy to make and such a great substitute for potatoes or rice or pasta... The parsnip is a little sweeter than the cauliflower puree. It pairs nicely with meat or fish. My sous chef loved it!

Recipe below will serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:
2 lbs parsnips, peeled and ends trimmed
2 cups chicken stock
4 branches fresh thyme
6 cloves garlic, skins on, smashed
1 tbsp butter substitute (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice parsnips approximately 1/2 inch-thick. Place in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Make sure water just barely covers the parsnips. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes, or until a knife can easily pierce the parsnip slices.

In a small sauce pot or sauté pan over medium heat, simmer stock, thyme and garlic. After 3-5 minutes, remove pan from heat and strain out thyme, garlic and garlic skin.

Drain cooked parsnips in a colander, allow to cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a food processor. Begin pulsing parsnips with half of the stock. Continue adding stock until the mixture is very smooth.

Once desired texture is reached, add butter and pulse. Season with salt, pulse and taste. Season accordingly with more salt and pepper. Serve warm.

White Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche

I was looking for something different to do to my asparagus and I stumbled across this recipe. The dish has unique and strong flavors so pair it with something like lemon and garlic grilled chicken. (Not the Indian chicken I mentioned a post or two down). Learned that lesson.

Ingredients:
16 thick white asparagus
1 large egg
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small shallot, finely chopped
3 or 4 cornichons, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (parsley, chervil, chives, tarragon), chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mak it:
Place the egg in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Cool in cold running water. Remove the shell. Separate the white from the yolk and chop both finely.
Meanwhile, place a large pot of water (or an asparagus steamer) over high heat and bring to a boil. Salt the water.
Peel the asparagus and attach them in the bundle with kitchen string (optional) and blanch them in boiling water until tender. (If using an asparagus steamer, fill only half with water, place the asparagus in the basket and place the lid on. The asparagus tips will steam while the stems get blanched.) The cooking time varies depending on thickness but they take longer to cook than regular asparagus. Use the tip of a small knife to test doneness.
Place the mustard, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, cornichons, capers, chopped egg in a bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the chopped herbs at the last moment. Serve the warm asparagus with the sauce gribiche on the side.

Note: I only used 2 tbsp of EVOO. 1/2 a cup seemed cray cray to me.

Nancy's Baked Beans

My aunt Nancy is known for her baked beans. At every cookout or family get together, you can guarantee that she is making this dish. I finally broke down and asked her for the recipe and it's actually pretty easy. Here's the recipe straight from her:

This recipe is usually for 2 to 3 cans of beans (the larger sizes) I think they are 28 oz beans (not the gargantuan cans). Van Camp original recipe beans work the best. I will use other beans if they are on sale but just drain the liquid. I don't really have a recipe I follow, it just goes more by taste. Some people don't like it too sweet but the majority like it exactly like this and sweet.


1 1lb roll of sausage regular flavor (ie Bob Evans regular - not maple - it's just 2 much)
2 - 3 can beans
dark brown sugar
ketchup

Cook up sausage (sometimes I add onions) I cook in on high to get it real brown. The last recipe I made for the cookout was actually...... wait 4 it .........TURKEY SAUSAGE. No one ever knows the difference. Not with that much brown sugar.

While it's cooking measure about 2 cups of brown sugar in a bowl. If you make this recipe enough times you'll figure out how much brown sugar you'd use. I think mines about a 1 1/2 to 2 cups. I'm usually just dumping in the brown sugar. Also depends on how many cans of beans you are using.

SLOWLY add ketchup a little at a time to get a THICK sauce. It will be grainy and when it cooks down it will melt the sugar. When the sausage is done cooking, turn down to low and add brown sugar mix. Stir into sausage and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Then it smells like BBQ sauce. I usually let it cook down a good 10 to 15 minutes. Then add your beans and let them simmer on low for awhile and stir periodically! I have found that this recipe cooks really well in a dutch oven on top the stove. Voila!!

Brown Coconut Rice with Black Beans and Cilantro

Next time you're making a side dish, make it something better than plain brown rice - make it coconut rice with black beans and cilantro. Hells yes.

Ingredients:

1 tsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light
2 cups cooked brown rice
(I used the packet that you microwave in 90 seconds but I didn't microwave it)
1/2 cup lite coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
dash salt
3 tbsp cilantro

1/2 lime juice

Directions:
In a medium sized heavy pot add butter and garlic. Cook for one minute and add coconut milk, rice, water, ginger, garlic, and salt. Cook over low heat. Cook till all liquid evaporates. Fluff with a fork and toss with cilantro and lime juice.

Bacon-Sauteed Kale

Kale is good and good for you. I made mine with turkey bacon and it was a big hit. I didn't do this, but you could serve this for breakfast with potatoes and eggs. Word.

1 bunch Lacinto (or curly–whatever) kale, tough stems mostly removed and leaves chopped
1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
4 or so slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon), diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp Olive oil if using turkey bacon
1tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Do it:
Fry bacon over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until they are translucent and soft–4-5 minutes. (Note that if you’re using turkey bacon like I did, things will be lacking in the fat department and therefore dry–add a bit of olive oil as needed.)

Add kale and continue to saute, stirring often, until kale is wilted, dark and heated through, which should only take a minute or two. Season mixture with crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Add 1/2 c water and vinegar, let cook for about 20 minutes.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes

Found a version of this on The Two Bite Club's blog and made it my own. Delish!

Ingredients
1½ lbs brussel sprouts

1 small bag of potato medley (red, purple and white potatoes)
about ¼ cup olive oil
dried rosemary, about ½ teaspoon
dried thyme, about ½ teaspoon

powdered garlic, about ½ teaspoon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wash brussel sprouts and peel off any loose outer leaves. Cut off the stems, but not too much so all of the leaves fall off. Cut each on in half lengthwise.
Wash the potatoes and cut each in half. If you have really large potatoes, you may have to cut them in quarters. They should end up being about 1 to 1¼ inches in diameter after they're cut.
Place the cut brussel sprouts and potatoes into a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper until thoroughly coated.
Spread the bowl contents out in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Make sure that most of your potatoes are cut side down so they brown up nicely. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir around with a spatula. If you see any loose leaves from the brussel sprouts that have become very brown, you can pick them out. (Although, they're my sous chef's favorite part!) Return to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Haricot Verts with Herb Butter

I remember about 7 or 8 years ago asking a friend what haricot vert was. We were dining in a restaurant and I saw it on the menu and was like, "Hmm...this sounds fancy!" To my surprise my friend Lisa said, "Like skinny green beans." Oh word? I love a green bean and I love a skinny green bean. They cook so fast and they look so pretty. Get on the haricot vert train friends!

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 lb haricots verts or other green beans, trimmed


Make it:

Stir together all ingredients except haricots verts with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined well.

One way to cook: Cook beans in a large pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts water), uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes, then drain.

Another way: Put in tupperware and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.

Toss with herb butter. Amaze!

Brie Stuffed Potatoes

I love brie. I love potatoes. Well...isn't this a splendid idea! I adapted this version off another recipe I found online that involved eggs and baking the potato. I made my recipe for my NYC kitchen. Now anyone can do it! This recipe will serve 2 people. 

Ingredients
1 potato (idahoes or russets are good)
1ounce brie cheese
1/2 tbsp margarine (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light)
1/4 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1 tbsp shaved parmesan or asiago cheese (optional)


Slice the potato lengthwise. Cook in microwave at normal potato setting. Taking care not to pierce the skin, scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. In a medium size bowl, mash the potato flesh until smooth. Add the Brie, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash again. Stuff each potato shell with the mixture, mounding it in the center; transfer to a toaster oven dish. Run under the broiler until lightly browned- 3 to 5 minutes.