Thursday, October 31, 2013

Ore-Ida, alrighty!

I've been a big fan of Ore-Ida products for years, especially their hash browns and tater tots. I mean, who in their right mind doesn't like tater tots!?!?! DUH! As part of my involvment with the allrecipes.com Allstar/Brand Ambassador program, I had the opportunity to try some Ore-Ida products and see how I could incorporate them into my meals.

The first recipe I made was Reduced Fat Potato Soup which you can find here on allrecipes.com. Considering I'm on a weight loss journey, the name immediately caught my eye. Reduced Fat you say? Sign me up! Normally potato soup is loaded with heavy creams and mucho calories. I was quite surprised that this soup was only 135 calories per serving! No way! Ore-Ida O'Brien Potatoes were the perfect ingredient for this soup. Oh, and let me mention how quick and easy it is! All you do is simmer the hash browns in some chicken stock, then whisk in a packet of country-style gravy. THAT'S IT. I'm serious! Top it with some reduced-fat cheddar cheese and green onions and you have the perfect autumn meal!

The second recipe I made with Ore-Ida products was...get ready for this one...Tater Tot Poutine!!! Wait, why aren't you jumping up and down? You mad? Oh, you don't know what poutine is. Friends, let me tell you, this is one of my favorite French Canadian dishes from back home. Yes, it does have heart-attack-on-a-plate-ish qualities, but those are minor details. For those who don't know, poutine is essentially fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. I'm not talking about freaky pale country-style gravy either! Do it right, or don't bother! Check out wikipedia for more than you'll ever care to know about poutine.

Now where was I? Right, so it's pretty much impossible to find poutine here in the US. If I get a serious craving, I always make it myself. But I try not to eat it too often, although it is a pretty stellar cure for a hangover. Just sayin'. I decided to put a twist on the traditional meal and use tater tots instead of fries. Who knew!? Pure deliciousness. I think there may have been angels singing at some point during my meal. This was scary good and I'm never, ever, EVEREVER making it again. (yeah, whatevs...screw you diet!)

Where's the recipe? You don't need one! I like to use a rich beef gravy, a lot of people use chicken, some use chicken/beef mix. Use what you want, but for the love of God, step away from the pale stuff! Cook those tater tots til crispy, throw on a handful of cheese curds, and top it with that awesome gravy of yours! That's it!

I decided to take a break from the madness and do something simple for my third meal. Why not let hash browns be hash browns? So that's what I did. Nothing fancy here, folks! Cook up some hash browns, top with shredded cheddar and an egg. Yup. Breakfast. Ain't she a beauty?

Three simple recipes, all made with a fabulous product from Ore-Ida. Check out their website for more recipe ideas and tips!

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