Sorry for the radio silence. I know I skipped a post but life happens. I am back and ready to provide another recipe I really enjoy making at home. In the time between though we had Mother's Day, a chance for my daughter to model clothes for a friend and a large fair came through town. In all of that we found plenty of chances for some family time.
I need provide a shout out also to my friend Alyssa! She and her husband are working on adopting their second child and to raise money she has started her own business called Evie Joy Children's Botique. If you would like to see more of the outfits similar to what my daughter is wearing in all but one of these photos please go to my friend's page and help support them growing their family. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1056979884801339/?ref=share
However, when all the special events are over it is back to reality and trying to keep on the straight and narrow... for me that means back to eating better. That is why I want to share one of my favorite easy recipes.
We all have those days we crave a hot breakfast or even breakfast for dinner. When that happens in my house it tends to include homefries, hashbrowns, tater tots or some form of fried potato. I mean, who doesn't love potatoes??? That being said potatoes are a trigger food for me. First, I want to eat as many as possible. Second, they can sometimes trigger my blood sugar to rise if I overindulge. I have found the best trick for me is to mix the potato with turnips. Hear me out before you run away.
What is a turnip? A turnip is a root vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. They do not have nearly as many calories or carbs as a potato but they can replace potatoes in many recipes. They are actually closely related to radishes and arugula. Roasting turnips brings out the most sweetness. The turnip greens are also really tasty when sauteed.
What I have found is that when I use equal amounts of potato and turnip I don't miss the extra potato but instead feel like I can double my portion without the calories or the worry over my blood sugar sky rocketing. As someone who had a nickname of Potato Queen based on the number of potatoes I could eat in a week this was a HUGE discovery.
In order to make my Lightened Up Hashbrowns I used the following:
1 large turnip
1 medium golden potato
paprika
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Pam cooking spray
The first thing I did was peel the turnip and then grate both the turnip and potato. I used a Rotary Cheese Grater that I had purchased on Amazon a while back. If you prefer any form of grating is fine. Use a standard grater, food processor or mandolin with the grating blade. All will work just fine. I just prefer how quickly I can run things through my rotary grater.
Next I added my seasonings to the shredded potato and turnip. I just sprinkled some of everything in so I can't give you specific measurements here. However, feel free to try other seasonings as well. When I'm not sharing with my daughter I will sometimes even add jalapeno seasoning so they are a bit spicy once they cook down.
I let everything sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the salt to do it's job in not just seasoning the mixture but also pulling the moisture from the vegetables. Then I put everything on paper towels and blot out all the water or I will put it on a dish towel and squeeze out the water. Either way, you will want to remove as much of the moisture as you can once they have sat for a few minutes.
I used a mini waffle iron to cook these in single servings. In doing this I had 4 hashbrowns. I simply sprayed my mini waffle iron with Pam cooking spray, put 1/4 of my mixture in the waffle iron and closed the lid for a few minutes. I lifed the lid to check doneness after about a minute but leave them in until they are as crispy as you desire.
I like to have mine with a bit of hot sauce and maybe ketchup. In this instance, I used some Old Bay hot sauce I had picked up on my recent trip to Maryland but when that isn't available whatever hot sauce is around works for me. Cholula, Frank's, Tabasco, Tapatio and Sriracha all rotate through my fridge, as do plenty of other varieties on store shelves.
The best part is that I could have eaten all 4 hashbrowns for approximately 170 calories. If you are buying the frozen pre-made hashbrown patties they run about 150 per patty so with not frying in oil and not using all potato you cut a HUGE amount of calories from that indulgence. So cook up a little bacon and have yourself some breakfast!
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