Skinny Super Bowl Snacks: Onion Rings

Here is another great Super Bowl snack. These onion rings are so quick and easy to make, and the recipe is easy to double or even triple to serve larger groups.

Skinny Onion Rings

Serving Size: 1/2 recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 2

1 large onion

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon milk

1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

salt to taste

cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice onion into rings. Mix egg white and milk in a small bowl, and breadcrumbs in another.
• In small batches, coat onion rings with egg mixture, then dip in breadcrumbs. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spray with a light mist of cooking spray. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden. These would taste great with my Skinny Buttermilk Ranch Dressing!

Skinny Super Bowl Snacks: Spinach Artichoke Dip

With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, I thought I'd post some healthy makeovers of classic football snacks. Most food served at Super Bowl parties is far from "skinny," so if you're having a party of your own, make sure to keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand. If you plan on attending a party, make one or two healthy snacks to bring, and make sure to eat a meal before heading over. You'll be more likely to overeat if you're hungry...especially after a couple beers.

This is a great dip which I like to make when I have people over. It's packed with healthy spinach and artichoke, but it's creamy and cheesy. Every time I make this, it disappears. I would serve this with multigrain tortilla chips or pita chips and fresh cut veggies.

Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

WW PointsPlus Value: 2

1/2 lb fresh spinach

2 cans quartered artichoke hearts in water (not oil), drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for topping

1/2 cup lowfat sour cream

4 oz lowfat cream cheese

salt, pepper, and red crushed pepper flakes to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook garlic and spinach over medium-high heat in a saucepan until spinach wilts. Remove from heat, and add remaining ingredients, except for 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
• Spoon spinach artichoke mixture into an oven-safe baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
• Cook 25 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Remove and let cool 5 minutes before serving

Skinny Cuban Dinner: Picadillo with Tostones and Rice

Whenever someone finds out that I moved up north from Florida, the first question is usually "are you crazy???" followed by, "I bet you really miss the weather, huh?". To answer those questions, no, and...not really. I have more good hair days without the humid Miami air, and I get to wear fun winter scarves and hats. Not to mention the boots (ohhh...boots). But the one thing I really truly miss is the Cuban food. In my time in Miami, I had some unbelievable Cuban meals. But as delicious as the food was, it was not healthy in the slightest. So now, I just cook Cuban food at home, using all my skinny tricks to make it as tasty as I remember, while still being low in points.

Picadillo is a very simple Latin dish, and you can combine it with any number of sides to make an amazing meal. I've made it with rice, black beans, tostones, yuca...it goes with anything! You can also use leftovers to make empanadas, papa rellenas, or even a Cuban style sloppy joe. I'm also posting a really simple mojo sauce which I love to use as a dipping sauce for tostones or yuca.

Skinny Picadillo

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 4

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tomato, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

4 oz tomato sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup alcaparrado (I like to throw in a few extra capers, too)

Directions:

• Season meat with salt and pepper, and brown in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• While meat is cooking, chop onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato.
• Add chopped vegetables to the meat and cook on low heat. Add alcaparrado along with about a tablespoon of the brine, cumin, and bay leaf. Add tomato sauce and 1/4 cup of water and stir. Reduce heat to low, and simmer covered about 15-20 minutes.
• While meat is simmering, prepare rice to serve wtih the picadillo.

Skinny Tostones

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serving Size: 1/2 recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 3

1 green plantain

2 teaspoons canola oil

Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice plantain into 1" thick slices. Toss with oil and salt, place on a baking sheet, and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven. For this next step, you'd ideally want a tostonera to press the plantain slices flat...but if you don't have one (I don't), you can just press them with a heavy can under a couple sheets of parchment paper.

Put pressed plantains back on the baking sheet with the browned side down. Spray with a bit of cooking spray if you like, then bake for another 20 minutes or until crispy. Serve with mojo sauce (recipe follows).

Skinny Mojo Sauce

Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon

WW PointsPlus Value: 1

1/4 cup bitter/sour orange juice (or a 2:1 mixture of orange to lime juices)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large clove garlic, chopped

Salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano to taste

Directions:

• Whisk all ingredients together and serve on the table with tostones. I know it's delicious, but try not to drink it. Not while anyone's looking, at least.

Skinny Mac and Cheese with Apple Chicken Sausage and Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

When I was in college, I gained my freshman fifteen...and then some. Around my senior year, I couldn't stand it anymore and went into a crazy weight loss frenzy. I would have black coffee for breakfast, a spinach salad with no dressing for lunch, and a cup of brown rice with vegetables for dinner. I also spent hours every day at the gym, weight training, running, and boxing. The extreme lack of caloric intake combined with so much exercise caused me to shed tons of weight right away. I was the weight I thought I wanted to be, but the lack of food (and the blandness of the food I was eating) made me miserable. The exercise felt like a ball and chain that I would have to drag around with me for the rest of my life. I thought I would have to keep that lifestyle up forever to stay thin, and it was too overwhelming. So I stopped. I immediately gained 10 lbs, because I started actually eating again, but I ate in moderation, and maintained that weight for a bit. Until...I moved in with my boyfriend. It's fairly common knowledge that with domestic bliss comes weight gain. My clothes stopped fitting, so I bought bigger pants. It's okay, I thought, I'll just start losing weight next week (but I didn't). Then those pants got small, and so did all my cute little dresses. But I still thought, I'll just start running again (but I didn't). Other lies I told myself: I already know how to lose weight (yeah, it was an eating disorder, and made me miserable)...I don't need the help of Weight Watchers (yes I did)...besides, Weight Watchers is just for people who are really fat (no it isn't) and I'm not that fat (yes I was). Thankfully, last Spring, I recieved a much needed gift from my mom: a Weight Watchers membership. I'm so grateful for this gift, because it was honestly just what I needed. Now, 8 months later, I'm nearly 40 lbs lighter. I'm 4 dress sizes smaller. When I stepped on the scale this morning, the first two numbers were a 1 followed by a 2. The last time I was in the 120's was probably in middle school. I'm smaller now than I was when I was working out all the time in college.

So how did I do it?

Do I spend hours a day at the gym? Nope. I just walk the mile to and from work everyday.

Do I only eat a really super healthy/vegan/low carb/raw diet? Nope. I eat delicious food from all of the food groups, and haven't cut a single thing out of my diet.

Okay...really...how did I do it? I learned to cook meals I love with wholesome, healthy ingredients, and I eat them in the proper portions. It's really that simple.

The best part?

...I haven't been hungry for a second.

So here's a great comfort food recipe to try if you're like I was...struggling to start a weight loss program, and dreading health food. If someone had told me I could eat sausage-laced mac and cheese with a salad smothered in ranch dressing, I would have been thin a long time ago!

Skinny Mac and Cheese with Apple Chicken Sausage

Adapted from Al Fresco Recipes

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 9

16 oz package Al Fresco sweet apple chicken sausage

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon light butter, melted

12 oz whole wheat or high fiber pasta (I used orecchiette)

2 cups low fat shredded Cheddar cheese

1 egg white

12 oz can fat-free evaporated milk

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package.
• Slice chicken sausage. Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan, and cook sausage until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Combine breadcrumbs with butter, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until crispy and brown.
• When pasta is done, drain and return to pot over low heat. Stir in cheese, egg, and milk.
• Cook until cheese melts and sauce thickens. Add sausage and top with breadcrumbs.
• Serve with a salad of butter lettuce drizzled with skinny buttermilk ranch (recipe follows)

Skinny Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Serving Size: 1/3rd of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 1

1 Tablespoon ranch salad dressing seasoning mix (the powdered kind)

1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon mayo

1 Tablespoon lowfat buttermilk

Directions:

• Combine ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Drizzle over lettuce. Take a bite. You're welcome.

Skinny Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I've heard a lot of people say that when they go on a diet and start to lose weight, they find themselves craving sweets more frequently. This was absolutely the case with me. I've always been all about the savory. If I'm going to eat a 500 calorie dessert, why not make it a cheeseburger? But when the pounds started dropping off, I wanted dessert all the freakin' time. I'm not sure what the medical reason is for this (if they don't talk about it on Grey's Anatomy or House then I'm in the dark), but I'm sure there's a long Greek word to describe it. Anyway, I thought I'd share a few tips with how to deal with these cravings:

1. Keep your fridge stocked with fresh fruits that you love. Nine times out of ten, my sweet craving can be satisfied with fruit. Fruit tends to have a high water content and loads of fiber, so it fills you up quickly. Not to mention it has a Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value of zero!

2. You already know how much I love nonfat Greek yogurt, seeing as how it makes an appearance in many of my recipes...but it's also a great dessert! I like to add whatever fruit I have on hand (see tip #1) to a 1/2 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt and drizzle it with honey. You can even add a bit of oatmeal or granola for a nice crunch.

3. If you're more of a baked goods fan, fill your pantry with healthy baking supplies, so when the urge comes to bake, you're ready. Stock up on whole wheat flour, oats, dark chocolate, and light butter.

4. Rice cakes. Quaker makes them in tons of sweet flavors, my favorites are apple cinnamon and caramel corn. These are a nice crunchy sweet, and you can eat them completely guilt-free.

5. After dinner, have a cup of tea. Luckily, living with an Englishman means there's rarely a shortage of delicious tea in our apartment, and I found that drinking a cup of tea after dinner is a good solution to the sweets cravings.

So here's a delicious cookie recipe that's healthy and will satisfy your sweet tooth. Since they're banana and oats, I would even say you could eat a couple of these bad boys for breakfast.

Skinny Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Serving Size: 1 cookie

WW PointsPlus Value: 2

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp light butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar

1 egg

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups quick oats

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar. Then add egg, banana, and vanilla.
• Stir in dry ingredients and oats until just mixed.
• Drop rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack and...hey, I said let them cool! Those were just in the oven, you're going to burn your -- oh well, don't say I didn't warn you.
• Enjoy with that cup of tea we talked about earlier. It will give you warm cookie tummy. You can thank me later.

Skinny Whole Grain Mustard Crusted Salmon with Brussels Sprouts Sautéed with Chorizo

One great excuse (which I have used countless times) that a lot of people use to justify eating take-out and fast food on a regular basis is "working late/not having time to make dinner." It's not a great excuse, there are so many meals ready in under 30 minutes, and this recipe can be made in just 10 minutes. If you can find a restaurant that can deliver a delicious, healthy meal like this in 10 minutes, then go for it. Otherwise, take advantage of this speedy gourmet dish...you won't regret it.

Skinny Whole Grain Mustard Crusted Salmon

Adapted from Food and Wine

Serving Size: 1 Salmon Filet

WW PointsPlus Value: 4

1/4 cup whole grain mustard

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

4 4 oz salmon filets

Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine mustard, olive oil, and chives then spread mixture evenly on each salmon filet.
• Season salmon with salt and pepper, then place on a baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes. Then broil 6 inches from broiler for 4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook.

Skinny Brussels Sprouts Sautéed with Chorizo

Serving Size: 1/4th recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 2

Fresh Brussels sprouts

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 fully cooked chorizo sausage, diced

Salt to taste

Directions:

• Peel the outer layers from the Brussels sprouts, cut off the bottoms, and discard. Then chop sprouts until they're shredded.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté garlic, sprouts, and chorizo until nice and browned. Season well with salt.
• Serve warm with the salmon, and curse whoever wrote the recipe (that all the moms in the world seem to know) stating that boiling Brussels sprouts is the preferred method of cooking them, when they're oh-so-delicous sauteéd with garlic. Even the pickiest eaters in your house will enjoy these. If only I'd known about this when I was a Brussels sprout-hating kid. Oh well...at least my mom used to put cheese on them. Yeah that's right, my moms knows what's up.

Skinny Southern Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwich in South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce with Broccoli Slaw and Oven-Fried Okra

I think most people imagine that eating healthy is all steamed fish and boiled vegetables, and I have to admit that I used to be one of those people. There's a saying that's popular in a lot of weight loss programs: "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny"...but it's just not true! What about creme brûlée, and bacon-wrapped scallops...Belgian fries dipped in herb mayo and, and...BBQ pulled pork sandwiches? What about the pulled pork sandwiches?!?!

Thankfully, I've come to realize that there is a way to eat the food you love and still fit into your skinny jeans (okay, so they're stretchy jeans...okay! They're jeggings).

So here are a few of my skinny (and delicious...take that, Paula Deen!) southern tricks:

Skinny Southern Cooking Trick #1: I've already mentioned this one in a previous post...any time a recipe calls for mayo, use a 3:1 mixture of nonfat Greek yogurt to full fat mayo. You get all the flavor and creamy goodness without the fat.

S.S.C.T. #2: Anything that can be deep fried, can be baked...and a drizzle of oil or a light mist of cooking spray goes a long way.

S.S.C.T. #3: There are countless sweeteners besides sugar. If you're looking to eliminate sugar from your diet, Splenda and Equal are my favorite substitutes. If you hate the taste of fake sweetener, try agave nectar or honey.

S.S.C.T. #4: Light butter. That is all.

This recipe uses all of these tricks, while still doing every bit of comforting you'd expect from comfort food.

Skinny Pulled Pork in South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

WW PointsPlus Value: 3

Pulled Pork:

2 pound boneless center cut pork loin roast

1 cup diet ginger ale

2 large onions, sliced

Mustard BBQ Sauce:

1 teaspoon light butter

1 small onion, grated

3/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons dry mustard

Pinch of chili powder

Salt to taste

Directions:

• Place half the sliced onions in the bottom of a slow cooker, then top with pork and the other half of the onions. Pour diet ginger ale into the pot, and cook on the low setting for 6 hours. If you don't have a slow cooker, then what are you doing reading this? Go out, buy a slow cooker, and come back when you've got one.
• To make the sauce, heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then add onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Then, add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or until thick. Set aside until pork is done.
• After 6 hours in the slow cooker, shred the pork using two forks. Then add BBQ sauce and set to warm setting until ready to serve.

Skinny Broccoli Slaw

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

WW PointsPlus Value: 1

1 bag precut broccoli slaw mix (coleslaw mix would absolutely work as well...I just prefer the crunch of the broccoli slaw)

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon mayo

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Whisk together yogurt, mayo, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Add slaw mix and gently toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Oven-Fried Okra

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 2

Bag of frozen okra, thawed

1 egg white

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
• In a large bowl, gently toss okra in egg white, coating well. Place cornmeal and the breadcrumbs in a large ziplock bag and shake until okra is nicely breaded.
• Spread the okra evenly on the baking sheet and lightly mist with cooking spray. Bake 45 minutes or until crispy. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
• When everything is done, place BBQ pork on a whole wheat bun (only 2 WW PointsPlus if you opt for light buns), top sandwich with broccoli slaw, and serve the okra on the side. You can even dip the okra in ketchup...go ahead, I won't tell anyone (because I did it too). Enjoy with an extra large glass of iced tea.

Skinny French Dinner: Bifteck Haché with Tarragon-Shallot Potato Salad

Nearly every dinner I cook has some sort of theme, usually by region. I like being able to eat food from several different countries all within days. I love going out to dinner in the city and trying cuisine from a country I've never been to (Ethiopia) , or even a country where I've been and can't wait to go back to (France). But my favorite part, is going home and trying to recreate the dishes (and make them healthier, of course) so I can eat them whenever I want.

Making skinny versions of my favorite French dishes has been challenging. Anyone who's ever read Mastering the Art of French Cooking will know that (aside from being seriously hard to cook), most of these recipes call for a ridiculous amount of butter. One recipe I read online this week for bifteck haché called for 10 tablespoons of butter. That's 30 Weight Watchers points, and about 110 grams of fat. Not skinny at all...I have no idea how those French people stay so thin (yes I do...moderation). Luckily, there are so many other great flavors in French cooking, I've managed to come up with a few skinny dishes which take advantage of those ingredients.

Bifteck Haché is basically a fancy French hamburger, and is so very easy to make. I served it with a Bordelaise, but you can use any sauce you like. I'm also posting a recipe for a French potato salad using two of my favorite flavors, tarragon and shallots. I served this with a simple salad of mixed greens (skinny dinner tip: fill half your plate with salad) which I drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil and vinegar (skinny dinner tip #2: if you salt and pepper your salad, you won't need as much dressing). Serve this dinner with a nice bottle of wine, and if you want to be truly French, take 3 hours for dinner, and slowly enjoy every bite.

Skinny Bifteck Haché (with Skinny Bordelaise)

Adapted from Saveur

Serving Size: 1 Patty (about 1/6th recipe)

WW PointsPlus Value: 5

2 teaspoons light butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

3/4 lbs ground beef (I calculated for 85% lean, 15% fat)

1 egg

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup fat free beef stock

salt and pepper

Directions:

• Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cool, then add beef, egg, salt, and pepper. Stir together, then divide and form into 6 patties.
• Put flour in a dish, and dredge patties, making sure to shake off excess.
• Spray skillet with cooking spray, and cook patties over medium-high heat until nice and brown. Cook a few minutes on each side, or to your desired level of doneness. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Melt the remaining teaspoon of butter in the skillet and add shallots, stirring for about a minute. Then add beef stock and red wine, and simmer until reduced by about half. Season well with salt and pepper, then pour over patties in the platter.

Skinny Tarragon-Shallot Potato Salad

Adapted from Saveur

Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 3

1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes, quartered

3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 shallot, minced

3 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped

Salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon mayo

Directions:

• Boil potatoes in large pot of salted water for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
• Whisk together all other ingredients and gently toss with potatoes.
• Don your finest beret, pour a large glass of wine, and enjoy your French dinner.

Skinny Sour Cream Pancakes

I'm not the biggest fan of sweet breakfast dishes. I don't really consider doughnuts or danishes to be a legitimate breakfast. I want omelettes filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables...and home fries...and hey, can I get an extra side of meat with that? But about once a month, I wake up and just feel the need for pancakes. These pancakes are perfect for me because they're filling, and not too sweet while still being just as fluffy and delicious as a pancake should be.

Skinny Sour Cream Pancakes

Adapted from Can You Stay for Dinner

Serving Size: 3 Pancakes

WW PointsPlus Value: 5

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 Tablespoon nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

• Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Whisk milk and egg together in small bowl, then add to dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
• Add sour cream and Greek yogurt and gently stir in.
• Pour 1/4 cup batter onto a skillet (coated with butter flavored cooking spray) over medium heat. Cook a few minutes until bubbly, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until done.
• Serve drizzled with maple syrup and a side of colorful fruit.

Skinny Patatas Bravas con Chorizo

The Spanish have the right idea about so many things. Siesta. Sangria. Tapas. They've just got it all figured out. A couple years ago (after many mojitos) I stumbled into this restaurant in Barcelona and had a plate of life-changing patatas bravas. The potatoes were perfectly fried, the brava sauce was tangy and spicy, and it was served with a cool, garlicky aioli. I had dreams about these potatoes, they were that good. About a year later, I went to the same restaurant, eager to eat the delicious patatas. They had changed their menu, and no longer offered the dish I'd eaten the year before. The new patatas bravas was served "con chorizo." For those of you who don't speak Spanish, con chorizo translates to "with delicious, delicious sausage." It. Was. Amazing.

Unfortunately, fried potatoes with fatty meat and a mayonnaise-y sauce don't really fit under the "skinny eating" category, so I've come up with a (somewhat) lighter version that would be great as the star of a tapas themed dinner.

Skinny Patatas Bravas con Chorizo

Serving Size: 1/4 Recipe

WW PointsPlus Value: 6

The Main Bit:

1 large potato

1 fully cooked chorizo sausage

1 Tablespoon olive oil

The Brava Sauce:

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

Pinch of each of the following: onion powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, oregano

Red pepper flakes to taste

Dash of hot sauce

The Aioli:

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon mayo

Directions:

• Parboil the potato in vinegar spiked water, then remove and let cool.
• Combine all ingredients for the brava sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• While the brava sauce is cooking, combine all ingredients for the aioli in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• When the potato is cool enough to handle, cut into cubes.
• Heat olive oil over high heat in a frying pan, then throw the potato cubes in and mix them around, coating them evenly with the oil. Cook until nice and crispy on the outside, then add the chorizo until heated through.
• Put the potato/chorizo mix into a serving platter, and top with warm brava sauce and cool aioli.
• Enjoy with a selection of tapas and a nice glass of red wine. Or a cold beer. Or some sangria...Honestly, these taste good with anything.

Skinny Sriracha Aioli

I love Thai food. I love all the unique flavors that combine together in Thai cuisine. I try and keep staples of Thai cooking in my fridge and pantry at all times: Fish sauce, soy sauce, rice noodles, limes, curry pastes, and of course, Sriracha hot sauce. For those of you who don't know, Sriracha has become super trendy in the past few years, showing up everywhere from articles in the New York Times to tattoos on hipsters. It's a spicy, tangy chili sauce which tastes good on pretty much anything, which is why foodies have been touting it as "the new ketchup." It even has its own cookbook.

This is a great recipe which exploits the versatility of Sriracha, and uses one of my favorite "skinny" tricks: Any time a recipe calls for mayo, I use a mixture of nonfat Greek yogurt and full fat mayo. I usually use a ratio of about 3:1. Nonfat Greek yogurt is a great tool to use when you're watching your weight. It's thick, creamy, and works in both sweet and savory dishes. Plus it's packed with protein. The reason I use full fat mayo is because I'm using so little, and the yogurt takes on that flavor, so it tastes like you're eating something much more indulgent than you actually are.

I tried this on a hot dog, but it would really taste great on anything!

Skinny Sriracha Aioli

Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon

WW PointsPlus Value: 0

2 Tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon (or more to taste) Sriracha hot sauce

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients well, and chill until ready to use
• Spread/pour/drizzle onto your food of choice
• Enjoy!

Skinny(ish) Homemade Oreos

Now these are by no stretch of the imagination healthy, and should absolutely be eaten in moderation (should your willpower allow...mine did not, so I'll be taking this batch into work). But they are a bit lighter than the original recipe, thanks to a few tricks I've learned in my many many years (actually about 6 months) of (somewhat) successful "skinny" baking. I've adapted the recipe from one of my absolute favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.

Skinny(ish) Homemade Oreos

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (who adapted it from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman)

Serving Size: 1 Oreo (2 cookies + 1/2 tsp of cream)

WW PointsPlus Value: 4

The Cookie Bit:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup white flour

1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 sticks softened light butter

1 large egg

The Creamy In-Between-The-Cookies Bit:
1 stick softened light butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat to 375°F.
• Mix the flours, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. With an electric mixer on low, add the butter, and then the egg. Mix just until they're all combined.
• Place rounded teaspoons on paper-lined baking sheets, and with wet hands, gently flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes.
• While they're baking, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla with the electric mixer. Then put on some Devo, and whip it good for a couple minutes, until it's nice and fluffy.
• Once the cookies have cooled completely, you can assemble them into final oreo form. Put the cream in a large ziplock bag and cut a corner off (like a ghetto pastry bag), then squeeze out about a 1/2 teaspoon onto a cookie. Top with another cookie, and press to disperse cream evenly. Repeat until all cookies are assembled. Any misshapen cookies go into the reject pile for quality control and taste testing.
• Commence quality control taste test.