Greek Yogurt Smashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

How do you bring good living to your life?

To me, "good living" means being good to yourself and putting your physical and mental wellness first. It includes taking time every day to do things that relax and fulfill me. During law school, it became apparently that I needed to take a step back and define my priorities for maintaining my sanity. I came up with a three part plan: cooking, exercising and reading. I love doing these things, and all three contribute greatly to my physical and mental health. So I decided that if every single day included these three things, I would be able to survive anything.

Since starting my blog last year, cooking has become an even greater part of my life. After a day of doing serious things at the office, I enjoy the meditative quality of being in my kitchen and creating things. Despite the fact that I usually make a big mess and dirty a dozen plates taking photos, this is my "me" time and I really enjoy it.

Mashed potatoes have been featured a lot around here lately, which I think is because I have Thanksgiving on the brain! I saw some gorgeous purple potatoes at the store and had to use them. I got such a great response to my Skinny Mashed Potatoes on Kelly's blog last week I wanted to create another version as well. Once again, there is no butter or cream in these taters - I used Fage Greek yogurt to create a smooth, creamy texture. As I've mentioned a million times, Greek yogurt is packed with protein and calcium and is a perfect, healthy substitution in so many recipes. I've already used it to make muffins and Indian food. So, these taters are super simple. Greek yogurt creates the amazingly creamy texture and adds protein while caramelized onions add a ton of flavor As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here.

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Chicken and Dumplings

So this weekend I was talking to my Grandma Jackie on the phone and she suggested I make chicken and dumplings for the blog. I've never made this dish, I've never even tasted this dish, but I decided to accept her challenge. She's a Brooklyn girl, but for the last decade or so she's lived down in Texas, so she wanted me to whip up some Southern comfort food. I was initially wary about creating my own version of this dish. I wanted to find a way to make it comforting and delicious without a ton of added calories and sodium. I compromised by cutting out butter, using lean chicken breast and low sodium chicken broth, and substituting whole wheat flour instead of white. To add lots of delicious flavor, I used fresh herbs. I also flavored the dumplings themselves with rosemary and black pepper.

I was shocked by how incredibly tasty and filling this dish was. It was simple to make and really comforting. The only thing I would do differently is to try and keep the dumpling size uniform. The dough was so sticky I had trouble getting them the same size.

Full recipe after the jump
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