-

Sweet Potato No-Skins

Sweet Potato No-Skins
Sweet Potato No-Skins

A treat for your tastebuds from The Biggest Loser Quick & Easy Cookbook by Chef Devin AlexanderThese “No-Skins” incorporate a very strategic use of salt. You season the top of the potato rounds so that when they’re flipped, the seasoning will be on the bottom–ensuring that your tongue hits the salt on the potato first! That way, you need less salt overall, and your tastebuds will still be satisfied.

You’ll likely fool your children and spouse into thinking these are regular white potatoes if you purchase light-skinned sweet potatoes. Both versions taste delicious, but if you use the darker sweet potatoes, you might need to increase the cooking time a minute or two.

Ingredients
16 ounces 1/2″-thick rounds light-skinned sweet potatoes*
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
2 ounces finely shredded all-natural, low-fat Cheddar cheese (I used Cabot’s 75% Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese)
4 teaspoons all-natural bacon bits (I used Wellshire All-Natural Fully Cooked Salt-Cured Bacon Bits)
4 teaspoons finely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt (optional)

Makes 4 servings

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.

In a large glass or plastic mixing bowl, toss the potatoes and oil together until the potatoes are well coated.

Place the potato rounds in a single layer on the prepared pan so they do not touch. Sprinkle the salt, garlic powder, and cayenne evenly over the top of the potatoes. Bake them for 10 minutes. Flip them and bake for 7 to 9 minutes longer, or until they are tender inside and starting to brown lightly on the outside.

Push the potato rounds together so that they touch and you can easily top them in a single, even layer. First place the Cheddar, then the bacon bits, and then the scallions over the rounds. Bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately with 1/2 teaspoon of the yogurt on top of each, if desired.

Per serving: 141 calories, 7 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates (6 g sugar), 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 283 mg sodium

* You’ll need to start with about 11/2 pounds of potatoes in order to get 16 ounces of rounds. Try to choose potatoes that are roughly uniform in size. To create the rounds, peel your potatoes and cut both ends off. Then cut them into 1/2″-thick rounds and measure out 16 ounces.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup natural sweetener
1/2 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (about 7/8 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and set aside. Whisk the sweetener, oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, and applesauce. Add in the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until the flour has been absorbed. Place in muffin tins and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.

Chicken ‘n’ Veggie Stuffed Peppers

Chicken ‘n’ Veggie Stuffed Peppers
Chicken 'n' Veggie Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1 packet Knorr vegetable soup mix
1/2 c. marinara sauce
3 egg whites
3/4 c. salsa
2 – 4 large bell peppers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix chicken through salsa in a bowl
Cut off tops of peppers and remove the insides
Fill peppers with chicken mixture and bake for 40 minutes to an hour, until chicken mixture is fully cooked
Enjoy as is, or top with salsa or hot sauce

*Note: You may cook any leftover chicken filling in a loaf pan and enjoy it as a chicken meatloaf.