Weight Loss & Diet Plans

How Randy Jackson Lost 100 Pounds

Lighten Up With Randy Jackson's Low-Fat Sweet Potato Pie and Chicken Etouffee

In his new book, Body with Soul: Slash Sugar, Cut Cholesterol, and Get a Jump on your Best Health Ever, in bookstores Dec. 2, Jackson shares the healthy and delicious recipes that he developed with celebrity chef Jeff Parker.

This Thanksgiving, don't deny yourself sweet potato pie because that will set you up for a binge. Instead, try Jackson's recipes.

Low Fat Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crust

Ingredients:

FOR CRUST:

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup Grape-Nuts

3 tablespoons orange juice

FOR FILLING:

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 cup evaporated skim milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Finely chop the pecans in a food processor. Add graham crackers and Grape-Nuts. With the machine running, slowly add the orange juice until the mixture begins to come together (add 1 additional tablespoon orange juice if needed).

Press crumbs evenly into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 16 minutes, or until dry. Set aside to cool.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Stir together pie filling ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour into crust and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted 1-inch off-center comes away clean. Cool for 2 hours before slicing.

Serves 8

Per serving: 244 calories; 5 g fat (17% calories from fat); 5 g protein; 46 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber.

Chicken Etouffee

"I used to be a huge crawfish etouffee guy," Jackson says of this rich New Orleans classic, but years in Los Angeles as well as efforts to keep his weight down have limited his access to the crawfish version, but not his enthusiasm for its zesty flavor. Now the Dawg keeps it real, but also low cal and low fat. Here's how:

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun spice blend

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon canola oil

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

3/4 cup finely chopped celery

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Toast flour in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Watch flour carefully so that it doesn't burn. Frequently shake pan and stir until the flour turns a dark nut color; about 10 to 15 minutes. Sift flour into a bowl; set aside.

Combine Cajun and poultry seasoning and toss with chicken until evenly coated. Add oil and butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter has melted, add chicken and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.