Category: Side Dish

Fit Ranch Dip (and Dressing Too)

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This is a staple around my house!  It is amazing the way this dip/dressing comes together and tastes so much like the REAL thing.  Have you ever blended cottage cheese?  Well, if not, you’re about to do it because I’m not sure how you can resist trying this!  By taking cottage cheese and blending it you end up with a very similar texture as sour cream.  I just add Ranch seasoning to it, and magically I have a ranch dip that is low in fat and high in protein.  This works great on a relish tray with vegetables, I put it on my baked potatoes, I often times add a little milk to it to make it more of the consistency of dressing and then use it as such on my salads (it tastes so good on taco salads), and whatever else you like to use ranch for.  I’m sure it’s easy to see why this is a staple at my house.  Perhaps it can become a staple at yours too!  Feel free to play around with the flavors or seasoning packets.  My favorite at the moment is the Spicy Ranch mix.

Fit Ranch Dip

1 cup 2% milkfat cottage cheese
1 tsp. ranch seasoning (such as Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mixes)

Put cottage cheese in a food processor or blender.  Process/blend until smooth (texture should resemble that of sour cream).  Add ranch seasoning and process/blend until combined.  Serve.

Serves 8.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Tablespoons)
Calories:  27.3
Protein:  3.9g
Carbohydrates:  1.4g
Fat:  0.5g (0.3g = Sat.)
Fiber:  0g
Sugars:  0.1g

Baked Potato Casserole

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This casserole makes an awesome side dish to SO many main dishes.  The taste of this casserole reminds me of the ever popular “funeral potatoes” but it doesn’t have all the fat, no cream-of-whatever soup, and is higher in protein (thank you cottage cheese!).  I’m not kidding; this is FABULOUS!!  I have taken this to many family parties and it is devoured in no time.  Nobody really seems to notice the difference and I feel completely satisfied in knowing that I can eat a serving too without any guilt.  Of course the men in my life tell me that this dish would be awesome with bacon, so if desired . . . top half the casserole with bacon for those who could care less about fat or calorie content.

I usually make the casserole in the oven, but this last time I tried it in the Dutch Oven.  It worked out just as well and complimented our BBQ pork perfectly.  We were THRILLED to have leftovers for a few days (and I’m excited to introduce you to a spin on these leftovers tomorrow).

Baked Potato Casserole

9 medium potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
4 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 bunch scallions (green onions), trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon paprika (original or smoked)

Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a slow boil over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are barely tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle.  Grate them into a large bowl (I use my food processor to do this step – it’s fast!); set aside.  Take garlic and place it into a food processor.  Add cottage cheese and process until completely smooth.  Add sour cream, salt and pepper, and process briefly to combine.  Add the cottage cheese mixture and scallions to the grated potatoes and mix well.  Place into a 2-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray.  Top with grated cheddar cheese and paprika.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  You can also make this within 2 days before baking – storing it covered in the refrigerator.

Serves 8 fairly generously (you can create smaller portions if wanting to reduce the nutritional information below).

Nutritional Information Per Serving
Calories 177
Protein:  10g
Carbs:  27g
Fat:  3g (2g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2g

Pretty Almond Green Beans

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Pretty Almond Green Beans | Mimi's Fit Foods

It’s always helpful to have additional ways to serve the same old veggies, right?  I love plain green beans, but these green beans were even better!  Not only do they look pretty in a serving dish, the flavors kind of reminded me of that traditional green bean casserole I see around the holidays . . . minus the gooky cream-of-whatever soup.  This dish is full of antioxidants and it is a great way to get those veggies in our bodies.

Pretty Almond Green Beans
Adapted by Taste of Home, “Healthy Cooking Annual Recipes 2009”

1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced thin
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/8 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook for 4-7 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the pepper, mushrooms and onion in oil until tender.  Drain beans; stir into vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approx. 3/4 Cup)
Calories:  63.3
Protein:  2.5g
Carbs:  10g
Fat:  2.3g (0.3g = Sat)

Basic Couscous

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What is couscous?  Well, it’s is a North African dish of semolina (the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat) traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it.  I have found it to be a wonderful option as a side dish to many different main courses.  I tend to serve it mostly alongside fish, (as I did here) but it goes with nearly everything!

That being said, the hubby and I love us some good couscous.  The texture is a little bit choppier than rice, yet somewhat resembles small beads of pasta.  You wanna know another GREAT reason to add this to the menu?  Couscous is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes (that even includes water boiling time)!  All you do is add boiling water to couscous, cover it, and let it set for 5 minutes.  Fluff it with a fork, then serve & enjoy!  It really doesn’t get much easier than that, folks.  Of course I wanted to take my couscous to a higher level by adding in a little extra flavor.  This may tack on an extra 3-5 minutes, but I promise it is SO worth it!

Basic Couscous
Mimi Original (Used from multiple sources to create my own.)

1 garlic glove, finely minced or pressed
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup couscous
1 1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat garlic, onion, and salt in sauce pan with olive oil over medium heat. Stir and cook until onion becomes translucent (about 2-4 minutes). Add couscous, toss until couscous is coated. Cook, stirring often, until some of the grains are just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate sauce pan (or in the microwave) heat broth, bringing to a boil.  Once couscous has begun to brown and get toasted, remove from heat.  Carefully pour hot broth over couscous, quickly stir to combine, and place lid on saucepan. Let set for 5 minutes. When 5 minutes is up, fluff with a fork and throw in parmesan (and S&P to taste).

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/2 cup, cooked)
Calories:  187
Protein:  7.3g
Carbs:  32.4g
Fat:  2.9g (1.3g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2g

Soft & Fluffy Baked Brown Rice

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The health benefits of brown rice are fabulous!  Cooked brown rice contains several minerals and nutrients that our bodies need (manganese, selenium, magnesium, trytophan. . . just to name a few).   Brown rice contains a greater amount of nutritional value than white rice as several of the nutrients are lost when white rice is processed.  Brown rice is packed with fiber.  Additionally, the oil in whole brown rice helps to lower cholesterol.  Brown rice aids in reducing metabolic syndrome (a strong predictor of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as visceral obesity, low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure being common features of metabolic syndrome).  Brown rice is CLEARLY a healthy choice for our bodies and helps aid in disease prevention.

That being said. . .Have you ever attempted to cook brown rice and been left with rice that still has a crunch on it. . . wishing it was soft and fluffy, yet you already spent FOREVER cooking it?  Not to mention the times when it cooked on the stovetop a little too long and then maybe got scortched on the bottom of the pan?  Please tell me I’m not the only one!  I battled with non-perfect brown rice for a long, long time.  And then, I was blessed with this fabulous new way of cooking, or should I say baking it!?  This rice comes out of the oven so soft and fluffy that I wish I could eat the entire batch in one sitting.  It’s a cinch to prepare and I find myself making batches of it so I can store the leftovers in my fridge to be reheated for a quick side dish.  I can honestly say that I’ve spent countless mornings at 5am sticking a batch of rice in the oven, heading to the gym, and then returning to a batch of rice that I know will last me for a few days.  You MUST try it so you know exactly what I’m talking about!  I hope you enjoy the ease, taste, and texture of this staple side dish of mine!

Baked Brown Rice
Source:  Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse rice.  Place rice and chicken broth in a 2-quart casserole dish.  Cover with foil (or a fitted lid works if your casserole dish has one).  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Remove foil, fluff with a fork, serve, and enjoy!  Pretty darn easy, eh?

Serves  5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/2 cup, cooked)
Calories: 143.5
Protein:  5.4g
Carbs:  27.8g
Fat: 1g (0.2g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.1g