Recipes from the Biggest Loser Quick and Easy Cookbook

THE BIGGEST LOSER QUICK AND EASY COOKBOOK (Rodale Books; Paperback; $21.99) launches today, November 8th – and they’re sharing some Biggest Loser Cookbook recipes just for you. Author and Chef Devin Alexander will appear on tonight’s episode, (NBC 8pm ET/PT). The cookbook features more than 75 healthy meals you can prepare in 20 minutes or less. With six chapters of unique recipes for any occasion, the book includes flavorful and filing recipes such as Kids’ Favorite Chicken“Pucks,” Chocolate Pomegranate Protein Oatmeal, Olive Chicken Salad Pita and Chocolate Raspberry Dreamers and many more.

Sounds good, right? Now, just for readers of EverBeautiful.com, here are three Biggest Loser Cookbook recipes, complete with calorie counts and nutritional values, from Chef Alexander.

Enjoy! Please leave a comment below to let me know if you prepare any of these.

Sweet Potato No-Skins

These “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 taste buds 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)

Preparation

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.

Makes 4 servings
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 1 1/2 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.

Easy-Breezy BBQ Pot Roast Dinner

The most important rule when it comes to cooking lean cuts of meat is to not overcook it. Meats continue cooking when they emerge from the oven, especially large roasts. So, if you want this roast to be medium rare (130 to 135 degrees F), remove it from the oven when a meat thermometer reads 125 degrees F. Another important strategy is to tent the meat with aluminum foil after it’s done cooking and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before you cut into it. By “tent,” I mean place a piece of foil loosely over the roast (not sealed to the edges of the pan). When you slice it, slice it against the grain and make sure you slice it thinly.

Ingredients

2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into 1″ cubes
2 pounds poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1″ cubes (21 ounces
remain)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt-free mesquite seasoning ( I used The Spice Hunter Salt Free Mesquite Seasoning Blend)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 pounds eye round roast, trimmed
3/4 cup all-natural barbecue sauce, preferably sweetened with agave nectar or honey
(I used OrganicVille Original BBQ Sauce)
3 small sweet white onions, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
8 cloves garlic

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line the bottom and sides of a large roasting pan with nonstick foil.
In the prepared pan, toss the potatoes and peppers with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon mesquite seasoning until they’re evenly coated.
Rub the roast with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, then the salt, and the 2 teaspoons seasoning. Place the roast in the center of the roasting pan, and arrange the potatoes and peppers around it, not under it.
Drizzle the barbecue sauce evenly over the roast and vegetables, using a pastry brush to make sure the roast is completely covered.
Separate the onions into layers. Scatter them over the top of the roast and veggies. Distribute the garlic cloves throughout the pan, placing 3 cloves directly on top of the meat. Bake for 20 minutes. Using a wooden spoon (so the foil doesn’t rip), stir the veggies. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer reads 125°F when inserted in the center of the roast. Take the pan out of the oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board. Tent it with foil for 10 minutes. Slice the meat into very thin slices against the grain at a 45-degree angle. Serve immediately with the veggies.

Makes 6 servings (4 ounces meat, 1 1/2 cups veggies each)
Per serving: 474 calories, 39 g protein, 62 g carbohydrates (28 g sugar), 8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 454 mg sodium

“Fried ” Mushroom Parmesan Bake

This is a great vegetarian entree or a fun side dish to accompany an Italian entree. It’s super quick and easy to throw together, too.
When cleaning mushrooms, don’t run them under water. Instead, peel them or rub them with a damp paper towel to remove any dirt. Mushrooms are like sponges, so if you run them under water, they’ll absorb a ton of moisture. The end result could be mushy or tough.

Ingredients

2 (8-ounce) packages button mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed*
1/2 cup all-natural marinara sauce (preferably low-fat, low-salt, no sugar added;
I used Monte Bene Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) finely shredded almond mozzarella cheese (I used
Lisanatti)**
2 tablespoons all-natural whole wheat panko-style bread crumbs
2 teaspoons all-natural grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Add the mushroom caps to an 8″ x 8″ glass or ceramic baking dish.
Spoon the sauce evenly over the mushrooms. Sprinkle them evenly with the oregano followed by the garlic powder. Toss them gently to combine, flipping the mushrooms so they lay stem side down in the dish.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and mostly cooked through. Sprinkle the mozzarella, bread crumbs, and Parmesan evenly over the mushrooms. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and the mushrooms are tender but not mushy. Let them rest for 5 minutes and serve.

Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 62 calories, 6 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates (3 g sugar), 1 g fat, < 1 g saturated fat, trace cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 110 mg sodium
*You can save the mushroom stems to eat in a salad, or saute them and serve over a grilled buffalo steak or other extra-lean steak.
**If you can’t find almond mozzarella, substitute the lightest, most natural mozzarella cheese you can find.