Healthy(er) Twice Baked Potatoes

Confession: I have never made twice baked potatoes before...that is, until last week.  I think the reason I had never made them was because I knew they were basically calories in a potato skin.  Most twice baked potatoes recipes call for butter, sour cream, bacon, cheese, and some even call for cream cheese on top of all that!  I don't know about you, but my waistline cannot handle all that!  A lightbulb came on, though, and I figured I would try to create a healthier version of them.

I started brainstorming ideas and came up with something that worked.  I know that people often use mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes, so I decided to try to add some cauliflower.  I didn't replace the potatoes, I simply supplemented the potatoes with cauliflower.  Instead of using sour cream, I used nonfat Greek yogurt, which we've been using for the last few months.  It's typically more expensive than sour cream, but with sales and coupons, you can occasionally find it for the same or less than sour cream.  I prefer Fage, but any brand of plain Greek yogurt will do.  I also replaced the butter with olive oil and the bacon with chicken.

A note on pureeing the cauliflower.  I steamed it longer than I normally would if I were to just eat it.  I wanted it to be pretty soft so that we wouldn't come across chunks of cauliflower as we were eating.  Once it was soft, I put it in my food processor and pureed until smooth.

The amounts of ingredients listed below are what I used for our preferences and the size potatoes I had.  This is one of those taste-and-season-as-you-go type of recipes.

Healthy(er) Twice Baked Potatoes
2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (I used 6 medium)
1 cup pureed cauliflower
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 small bulb roasted garlic, smashed
1/2 cup cooked and cubed chicken (optional)
1/4-1/2 cup steamed and chopped broccoli
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350.

Pierce potatoes a few times with a knife or fork.  Place potatoes directly onto the oven racks (I lay a piece of foil on the rack below them to catch any drippings).  To save time, I roasted the garlic and baked the potatoes at the same time.  Bake for an 60 to 90 minutes, or until potatoes are tender on the inside.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise.  Carefully scoop out the inside of each potato half, leaving a thin layer so the skins don't rip or break.  Place the insides in a bowl and mash.  Add Greek yogurt, pureed cauliflower, and roasted garlic; mix well.  Add chicken, broccoli, green onion, and 1/4 cup cheddar.  Mix well; add salt and pepper to taste.  After tasting adjust other ingredients as needed.  Sprinkle potatoes with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar; and place them on a baking sheet.  Return to oven for 20 minutes.

Notice, I left some of the insides in the skin for support.

The filling.

Sorry for the white-washed photo, but this is the finished product.