Pineapple Cheesecake Apple Salad (Dessert)

I'm not really sure if this delicious dish qualifies as a salad or dessert!  I suppose it might depend on at what point of the meal you enjoy eating it. If you take a few bites of this sweet, tart dish between bites of your savory main dish, I suppose it's a salad. If you save all the bites of crunchy apple wrapped in cheesecake flavored fluff, it's more like a dessert. Any time you decide to dig in, it's delicious.

I first had this dish at a family potluck at the lake several summers ago. I took a bite expecting something like a waldorf salad.  My taste buds detected the crunchy, tart apple pieces and the sweetness of the pineapple, but it took a few more bites to put my tongue on just what made this dish so incredibly dessert-like. The secret ingredient? Cheesecake flavored pudding mix. The best part? This pudding flavor from Jell-o comes only in a sugar free, fat free version. Mixed with fruit and some fat free (or low fat cool whip) and you've got a low calorie dish that can easily replace many of the fat laden dishes that often appear on potluck tables around the country.

I have taken this dish to many gatherings over the years and it always disappears quickly. I decided to make a batch today because I thought the sweet tartness would be a good ending to our pork carnitas dinner. Tonight we'll enjoy it as "dessert".  We're still recovering from the extra calories we consumed while on vacation a week ago so any low calorie treats I can fit on the menu are welcomed.

This dish is one that is relatively inexpensive to put together if you're in need of a dish to bring to a potluck gathering. I picked up cans of pineapple for 50 cents a can using store specials and coupons. The pudding is a little trickier to find. I usually can find it at Walmart for under $1, but I have not had as much luck finding this particular flavor at local Kroger or Meijer. I almost always have a container of $1 Cool Whip on hand in my freezer. I've made it with both fat free and low fat; I can't tell a huge difference in the end result. I picked up a couple of Granny Smith apples on my last grocery trip for around $1.

Here's the recipe:

Pineapple Cheesecake Apple Salad
1 can crushed pineapple
1 pkg cheesecake flavored pudding mix
2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
1 container Fat Free or Low Fat Whipped Topping














1. Place crushed pineapple (and juice) into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add pudding mix and stir to combine.
3. Add chopped apples and mix.
4. Fold in whipped topping.
5. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (actually tastes better the next day!)

Pineapple Cheesecake Apple Salad
Tart, crunchy apples, sweet pineapple held together by cheesecake fluff. . .YUMMY!



What's your favorite recipe that can be placed into two categories?

Corn Casserole

I love Paula Deen, don't you?   I love her sparkling eyes, her sweet voice, and the inspiration from her yummy comfort foods.  I fell even more in love with Paula after reading her autobiography, It Ain't All About the Cookin'.  I think what inspired me most about this book (after the drooling stopped from her descriptions of some of her favorite dishes), was how she decided to make some incredible changes in her life, one small step at a time.  That first step was taken doing what she loves most - fixing yummy things to eat for the people she loves.

As you know, butter is one of Paula's favorite ingredients.  I, too, love butter, but my backside does not.  A few years ago I joined Weight Watchers to help me lose some of the weight I had gained during the pregnancy of our 3rd baby.  One of the best things about Weight Watchers is that there really are no foods that are off limits, you just have to learn how to limit the foods you like to eat and make healthier choices.  Although I am no longer counting points with the vigor I did a few years ago, I do try to still incorporate many of those smarter choices while preparing our favorite dish.

This corn casserole is one that I have "lightened up" from the original Paula Deen version to a point where the family can't tell if it's the original or the light version.  It's one dish I often take to potlucks, and my dish always comes home scraped clean.  It takes about 5 minutes to throw together, and you can keep most of the ingredients on your pantry shelf so you'll have a yummy dish to share in no time for under $3.  (that's less than the cost of a bag of chips these days!)

Here's the recipe:

Corn Casserole
3/4 stick butter, melted                                          
1 can corn, drained
1 can cream style corn corn
1 cup light sour cream
1 pkg Jiffy corn mix.


(I have also experimented using plain Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream with pretty good success.  It alters the texture slightly, but not horribly so.  I just didn't have any Greek yogurt on hand today.)




1.  Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
2.  Melt the butter in a casserole dish in the microwave.
3.  Pour in the remaining ingredients.
4.  Mix until blended.
5.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 until golden brown along the edges and firmed up in the middle.
6.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Here it is all mixed up and ready to go into the oven. . . .

One of the reasons I like this dish is because I can make it earlier in the day and then just throw it in the oven before it's time to eat.  You may have to increase the baking time about 5 minutes if it's cold from the frig.







And here's the finished dish. . . .

This is one of my 11 year old's favorite side dishes.  She likes to add a few shakes of salt and pepper to her portion at the table, but it's fine without adding any at all.

This dish is the perfect accompaniment to a saucy BBQ sandwich or ham.





Try taking this easy dish to your next potluck. You'll come home with an empty dish! And no one will guess it's been "lightened up" from Paula's original recipe!

What's your favorite Paula Deen dish?