Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

from The Biggest Loser Cookbook

• 1/2 lb Sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4"-thick sticks
• 1 tbsp Reduced-fat parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp Garlic powder
• Pinch of red and/or black pepper

preheat oven to 450 degree. In med bowl , toss potatoes, cheese, oil, garlic powder, paprika, red pepper, black pepper, and salt to taste. Place potatoes in single layer on med nonstick baking sheet. Bake 8 mins. Flip potatoes and bake 10-12 mins or until potatoes are tender and browned in spots. Serve immediately with ketchup if desired

Calories: 249 Total Fat: 4g Fiber: 7g

My Review: Holy crap! These were good. I loved the Parmesan - it melted and made the fries a little more decadent. I think I actually used red pepper AND black pepper. I'm a pepper girl! These definitely make the keeper list!

Spicy Hash Browns

Yay - I finally have time to blog and cook again. I've been so busy with the new job and wedding prep, I've been eating a lot of grilled cheese! Last night I made baked chicken (coated in Shake N Bake - I LOVE Shake N Bake), roasted green beans and spicy hash browns.

Spicy Hash Browns

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil (I think next time I make these, I'll only use 1 T oil)
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 3/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 6 1/2 C. diced potatoes… diced (about 2.5 lbs.) (I was too lazy to dice my own potatoes so I got the Simply Potatoes with onions from the refrigerator aisle.)

Preheat oven to 400.In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except potatoes; mix well.Add potatoes; stir well to coat.Spray a cookie sheet with Pam.Place potatoes in a single layer on cookie sheet.Bake 30 minutes or until browned.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 205 Calories; 6g Fat (24.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 229mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Fat.

My Review: This is a great, incredibly easy side dish. The spices had tons of flavor. They roasted to a fabulous level of crispiness. In a word - awesome!

Oven-Roasted Broccoli

by Rachael Ray

Serves 4

• 1 head broccoli, cut into pieces all the way through the stem
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons (eyeball it) extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Liberally drizzle EVOO over broccoli, add garlic, salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Transfer to oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is nice and crispy on the ends and a little brown.

MY REVIEW: Delicious! My new favorite way to cook broccoli!

Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

from the Biggest Loser Cookbook

Serves 1

• ½ pound sweet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick sticks
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (reduced fat)
• ½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss until the potatoes are well coated. Lay the potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes on one side, then flip the potatoes and continue baking for another 10 minutes.

My Review: Yum! Great seasoning for these fries! They taste more like a special treat than a health food.

Mock Mashed Potatoes

from www.aimeesadventures.com

3 Servings

• 1 lb. frozen cauliflower
• 2 T. light cream cheese
• 2 T. light mayonnaise
• 3 T. butter
• 4 T. skim milk
• 1/2 tsp. onion - I used onion powder
• 1 dash salt and pepper

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until very soft. Remove any excess water by placing it on 2 paper towels and covering with 2 more paper towels and pressing. Place cauliflower in food processor with cream cheese, mayo, margarine, and onions.

Process until smooth, adding 1 T. milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency of mashed potatoes. Add salt and pepper.

My Review: I've had the cauliflower/mashed potato fake-out twice before. One time it was nasty, one time it was delicious. The delicious time was when a professional chef cooked it. This was actually pretty good. I guess the addition of butter, mayo and cream cheese makes a difference! But, let's be honest...there was NEVER a point where I was eating these and was actually tricked into thinking these were mashed potatoes.