Baked Potato Curls

This is practically a meal in itself, but also goes great with steak or anything else on the grill. It was designed for The Pampered Chef's Deep Covered Baker stone, but could be made in any casserole dish. I served it for my husband's birthday, with grilled steaks and a tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, and he said the meal was better than going out to a steakhouse!

Peel and slice 4 potatoes and place in casserole dish. Chop 1 bunch green onion tops and place in medium bowl. Fry 4-5 strips bacon and chop into fine bits, then add to green onions (real bacon bits work fine, too). Press 2 garlic cloves into bowl and mix with one cup shredded cheddar, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix together and spoon over potatoes. Cover; bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Coconut Whipped Cream

If you like coconut and you like whipped cream, you're going to love this! I had heard about it and thought it was an interesting idea but I absolutely LOVED it when I tried it.

Buy a can of Coconut Milk. It needs to be full fat and preferably not generic (the generic ones are too thin). I buy the Thai Kitchen ones at Vitamin Cottage. They cost less there than my regular grocery store. Leave the can in the fridge for awhile and then open it and scoop off the thick, white part on top. Do NOT shake it before you open it. Save the clear liquid part for smoothies or to drink.

Put the thick part of the coconut milk in your blender and beat until fluffy. Add a small amount of vanilla and a little sugar if you'd like. Serve on pumpkin pie, smoothies or anything else that floats your boat. This stuff is SO good. It saves well for a few days so just put the rest in the fridge for later.

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup

This is another Vita-mix recipe and it's delicious! I love the flavors the rosemary and dill bring into the soup. It's hearty and yet still healthy. I substituted ham for the bacon as that's what I had in the freezer.

Yield: 4 cups

Speed: Variable to High to Variable
Time: 4 minutes
Ingredients

2 cups (480 ml) skim milk

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, baked

1/3 cup (40 g) shredded, low fat cheddar cheese

1/4 small onion, sautéed

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ounces (55 g) turkey bacon, cooked, crumbled

1. Place milk, one potato, cheese, onion, dill weed, rosemary and salt into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid. 2. Select Variable 1. 3. Turn machine on and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High. 4. Blend for 4 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid. 5. Reduce speed to Variable 3. 6. Remove the lid plug. Drop in remaining potato and bacon. Blend for an additional 10 seconds, until chopped.

Health Classification: Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Heart Healthy, Gluten-Free

Meal Type: Soups

Persimmon Pudding

I absolutely love Fall {who doesn't} and all the tasty treats that come with it. Here is one that I haven't made for awhile but definitely would like to make this season if I can find ripe persimmons in the grocery store. Although it is called "pudding" it really reminds me of dark gingerbread. My mom would make it and serve it with whipped cream. I think I'm going to have to try it with coconut whipped cream because I'm sure that would be incredible with this. 

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

1/3 cup melted butter

1 beaten egg

1 cup sieved ripened Persimmons

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

 2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Combine the two mixtures. Stir thoroughly, pour into buttered baking dish and place in shallow pan of hot water, cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove, cover, and brown for 10 more minutes. Serve with cream.

*Prepare one recipe at a time. Do NOT double!