broccoli and cheddar stuffed potato skins with avocado cream

I have had this recipe for ages. I made them for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday and I absolutely LOVED them! They were salty, crispy, creamy and pretty healthy. The recipe comes from Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger on the Food Network.  Her food is always so, so good! I love her baked onion rings; her Curried Chicken Salad is a standard in my house. We can never get enough of her zucchini rounds or Crab Salad in Crisp Wonton Cups.  I think she takes such a common sense approach to healthy eating. I might say that I model my cooking after her - except for when I'm eating a big greasy burger..... 

This year on Super Bowl Sunday it was only Tim and me, so it was a lazy day – perfect for a tiny bit of fiddling in the kitchen. Lots of steps involved here, but easy steps and worth the extra effort! I took two of these to lunch the following day – so,so good! (I also made these Bourbon Brownies for us to snack on. Click here to view the recipe. Most of those went to work the next day - way too dangerous to have them laying around the house. Wow.) 

Here’s what you need:

8 small Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and dried

4 t canola oil

¼ salt

8 ounces broccoli florets, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)

3 slices Canadian bacon, finely chopped (about 3 ounces)

¾ C sharp Cheddar cheese

Avocado Cream:

2 scallions, thinly slices, greens reserved

1 medium avocado

2 T reduced-fat sour cream

2 T lime juice

¼ C cilantro leaves

1 clove garlic

¼ t salt

Here’s what you do: 

Step One:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Step Two:

Pierce potatoes with fork, wrap in paper towels and microwave on high for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Remove and cool. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and remove the insides, trying to leave the skin intact. (It wasn’t easy ;~0) Reserve potato insides for another use. (Try not to eat the potatoes because you want to save your appetite for the skins :~)

Brush the inside and outside of the skins with oil and sprinkle the inside and outside with salt. Place potatoes, skin-side down on a baking sheet and bake until skins are crisp – about 20 minutes. (Try not to eat the skins yet – it won’t be easy…. they’re great just the way they are!  J )

Step Three:

Prepare the filling. Steam broccoli until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. Also, in a lightly sprayed skillet, cook the Canadian bacon until crisp. Set aside. (Try not to snack on these – that bacon is hard to resist. :~)

Step Four:

Prepare the avocado cream. Process until smooth: scallions, avocado, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, garlic and salt. (Try not to eat all this before serving J ) [Does everyone out there know this trick? If you drop your whole garlic clove in the processor while it is running, you will get perfectly minced garlic every time. Then simply add the remaining ingredients. No big chunks of garlic here!]

Step Five:

Mix the broccoli and cheese and stuff each potato skin. Lower oven to 400 degrees and bake until cheese is melted – about 5 minutes.

Look at those beauties!

Step Six:

Serve with avocado cream, bacon and reserved scallion greens.

OUTSTANDING! Can’t wait to make these again. So, so good!

(printable recipe)