Earlier this month, I shared with you about the “30 Days of Family Health” program, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. I am excited to share these scrumptious Basil and Parmesan Twice Baked Potatoes adapted slightly from the recipe for Basil Mashed Potatoes from Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking. This cookbook is not just for people with diabetes, but for everyone eating for good health. It is filled with healthy and simple to prepare dishes that your whole family will love.
One of the coolest elements of this book is the calendar aspect it offers. The content is broken into weeks, and each features a five day meal plan as well as a grocery list for all the necessary ingredients. I love this! As a working parent, time is usually short. This cookbook gave me enough suggestions to frame out a week of dinners. Plus, I didn’t have to frantically search the pantry to come up with an idea for dinner each night.
The first time I thumbed through this book I knew immediately I wanted to sit down as a family and review it together. Reading it with the kids allowed them to have input into meal time. The ADA wants more people to recognize that the best prevention for diabetes starts early in life, through maintaining a healthy lifestyle and developing good habits at a young age. I bring my kids into the kitchen to help on a regular basis. Their involvement inspires a willingness to try the new foods they help create and encourages these same healthier choices down the road.
As I mentioned, the original recipe in the book is for Basil Mashed Potatoes. I decided to take that simple dish one step further by turning the potatoes into a twice baked version. Twice baked potatoes require very little extra effort but they can make a weeknight dinner feel just a bit more sophisticated. Instead of peeling, chopping, and boiling the potatoes, I tossed them in the microwave for about 10 minutes, until they were the desired tenderness. Once the potatoes were cool enough to handle, I sliced them in half, scooped out the centers and added them to a large mixing bowl. I even enlisted one of my favorite helpers to mix the remaining ingredients into the potatoes.
Jed mixed all the ingredients to a smooth consistency, and then I placed the mashed potatoes into a resealable bag for piping back into the skins. I want to be sure to clarify that by making variations to the original recipe in cookbook, it is not an ADA-approved recipe. However, the printable recipe card shared at the bottom of the post is identical to the cookbook’s officially approved ADA recipe for Basil Mashed potatoes.
Once the potato skins were filled, I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top and popped them into the oven to bake until they were nice and toasty brown on top and heated through.
There are easily hundreds of recipes inside Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking. It will take ages to experience all the wholesome and well-balanced meals it features. It’s definitely going to keep the kids from complaining about boredom at mealtime.
Do you love cookbooks as much as I do? Check out the ADA store for all the great cookbooks being featured this month. Make a purchase through October 4, 2013 and use the code: KITCHEN2013 to receive 25% off!
And don’t forget the ADA is hosting a FAB giveaway on the Kitchen PLAY Facebook page in conjunction with #30DaysofFamilyHealth! Five winners will receive their choice of three of the five cookbooks involved in our blogger review series, plus a $50 Visa gift card!
- 4 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup fat-free milk, heated
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp olive oil 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- ½ tsp salt (optional)
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup basil leaves
- Add potatoes to a large soup pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
- Drain and return to the pot
- Pour fat-free milk over the potatoes and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth (about 5 minutes).
- Add remaining ingredients to a blender and purée until smooth.
- Fold basil mixture into potatoes.
1½ Starch
[…] Earlier this month, I shared with you about the “30 Days of Family Health” program, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. I am excited to share these scrumptious Basil and Parmesan Twice Baked Potatoes adapted slightly from the recipe for Basil …read more […]
Twitter: shockinglydlish
I would be tempted to do as you did, since the baked potato skin is practically my favorite part!
These potatoes seem amazing!!
I cannot live another minute without these in my stomach. These look ahhhhmazing!
That comment just made me choke on my lemonade, Lindsey! Get thee to the kitchen!
They are so easy too! Perfect for a weeknight! 🙂
As a kid I would have eaten the potatoes out of the potato skin bowl and thrown out the “skin”, but now I would eat them as they are. I guess that means I am getting old.
HA, David! Me too! I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter just sliced into hers and ate the whole thing. 🙂
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Those look incredible. I love twice baked potatoes! Also, basil mashed potatoes? YUM!
The basil was a new twist for me in mashed potatoes, and it worked beautifully! I’m a huge fan of chilled pesto potato salad so I was excited to try the combo.
Love the way everyone helps in the kitchen with you!
Thanks, Anne! It’s a great way to stay connected during busy schedules. 🙂
Oh my gosh!!! I was searching back your recipes after 1.5 years and finally found it. I’am a muslim and your recipes are perfect for us. Before this, i search twice baked potatoes and none of the pictures match from what i remembered. Suddenly, during my ‘research’ i accidently found out the parmesan words and my bulb light. When i look for it, i found your potatoes picture.😂😂…when i scroll down i found your kids mixing the potatoes and said..yes, this is the one. The pic where your son mixing is vividly stored in my mind…thank you so much for the recipes!!!
I love this comment so much! Thank you for the lovely compliments, and I’m glad you found the recipe you needed. Don’t hesitate to email me if there is something else you can’t find on the site. Happy to help. 🙂