FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Recipes:
KFC Twister and
Twister Sauce

Enjoy Guilt-Free Fast Food Indulgences with
Fast Food Fix
75+ Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your
Fast Food Restaurant Favorites
by Devin Alexander

(April 2006) It’s hard to escape the constant drumbeat in the news—Americans are getting fatter, and our love affair with fast food is helping to fuel a national obesity epidemic.  Fast food restaurants have responded to the news of rising rates of obesity by cutting back on “supersizing” and offering healthier options.  But how do those who are trying to make healthier decisions deal with cravings?  What’s the option if a McDonald’s salad just won’t satisfy a desperate hunger for the fabulous flavors of a Big Mac and fries (with a whopping 910 calories and 47 grams of fat)?  Los Angeles food writer, chef, caterer and reformed fast food junkie, Devin Alexander, has the answer.  In her new book, Fast Food Fix:  75 Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites (Rodale, $14.95, paperback, April 2006), Devin transforms a wealth of fast food classics, carefully reproducing each signature taste while dramatically slashing calories and fat content.

As a teenager Devin Alexander was a fast food junkie who indulged in fast food daily.  She decided to completely eliminate fast food from her diet and ultimately lost—and kept off—55 pounds.  Having learned to cook at a young age, Devin realized that she could recreate many of her favorite fast food indulgences with a fraction of the fat and calories, and Fast Food Fix grew out of Devin’s desire share with others her strategies for creating delicious, healthy alternatives.  As she writes in the Introduction, “Each of the 75 fast food favorites in this book is a solution to satisfy the most common fast food cravings.  I’m hoping that we as a nation will be able to turn our backs on supersizing, but will still get our Fast Food fix with ingredients we select ourselves in the portions that our bodies need.”      

Fast Food Fix offers the secrets to lower-calorie versions of a wealth of fast food temptations—everything from McDonald’s Big Mac (save 174 calories and 19 grams of fat!) and French Fries (mimic McDonald’s irresistible crispiness with 106 fewer calories and 16 grams less fat!); to KFC’s Original Recipe Chicken Breast (save 107 calories and 15 grams of fat!); to Pizza Hut’s Supreme Personal Pan Pizza (save 192 calories and 25 grams of fat!); to Dairy Queen’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard (save 209 calories and 30 grams of fat!).  Devin traversed the country and honed in on national as well as regional favorites—Chick-fil-A, Arby’s, Sonic, Popeye’s, Taco Bell, Steak ‘N Shake, Starbucks—you name it, Devin’s got it covered.

Devin has approached the challenge of deconstructing fast food recipes and re-creating healthy, tasty versions with the tenacity of a private investigator.  Fast Food Fix demystifies the special seasonings and secret sauces at the heart of signature fast food favorites—showing how to reproduce key flavors quickly and easily from common ingredients.  Readers will learn how to lighten many dishes with new cooking techniques, such as the oven-frying method that yields incredibly crunchy popcorn chicken with 35 fewer fat grams than the original version from KFC.  Devin’s cooking methods are simple and straightforward and help readers save time in the kitchen.  Throughout Fast Food Fix are time-saving “Drive-Thru” options for a number of the dishes and also notations on which recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Meticulous research went into the writing of Fast Food Fix.  The serving sizes of Devin’s recipes are at least as big as the original versions, and each recipe uses only common ingredients and requires basic cooking techniques.  Devin makes a convincing economic argument for her recipes as well—whereas many people see fast food as a great way to save money while feeding the family, Devin shows that it is often more cost effective to make food at home.  For example, a Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino costs an average of $3.55, whereas Devin’s version costs 82 cents.

Fast Food Fix offers solutions to parents trying to steer their children towards healthier choices (tasty alternatives to the fast food pizza, fries, chicken nuggets and burgers that all kids love); teens who are obsessed with body image but still want to eat fun food with their friends; or anyone who is watching what they eat and longing for lower fat, lower calorie options when fast food cravings hit. 

About the Author

Devin Alexander is the owner and executive chef of Café Renée Catering in Los Angeles.  Having lost 55 pounds herself (and kept it off), she specializes in delicious, flavorful, low-fat cuisine.  Devin has made numerous television appearances including “Good Morning America,” USA’s “Before and After’noon Movies” and HGTV’s “Smart Solutions.”  She has also been offered a pilot on the Food Network and has written more than 100 food-related articles for 16 national magazines.  Devin Alexander is also the author of the upcoming The Biggest Loser Cookbook to be published in September 2006 by Rodale.  She lives in Los Angeles.

Fast Food Fix:  75 Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites

By Devin Alexander

Paperback original, $14.95

April 2006

ISBN: 1-59486-310-5

About Rodale Inc.
Rodale Inc. is the authoritative source for expert content in health, fitness and wellness around the world, reaching nearly 40 million people each month.  The company publishes some of the best-known health and wellness lifestyle magazines, including Men's Health, Prevention, Women's Health, Runner's World, Best Life, Bicycling, Backpacker and Organic Gardening, and is also the largest independent book publisher in America with a stable of international titles, including The South Beach Diet and The Abs Diet franchises. Rodale's broad range of media platforms includes magazines, books, video and extensive Web sites. The company is also a leader in direct-response marketing and has more than 25 million active customers in its database. www.rodale.com.

RECIPES:

KFC Twister

Save: 245 calories, 28 g fat, 6 g sat. fat

You may recognize this recipe from the cover of this book. It’s interesting to remember that during the photo shoot, when we first saw this wrap through the lens of the camera, I was worried that it was going to look more like a salad with a little bit of chicken in a tortilla. I really wanted it to come across that the chicken pieces are big and juicy and that this dish is not just a lot of rabbit food. The food stylist explained that the tomato slices made the photo “pop,” and then he kindly remade it for me. Immediately, I could see that he was right. That gorgeous red tomato outlined the chicken perfectly.

I mentioned in the acknowledgments section of this book that without the help of so many people, I still would not be sleeping and you would not be holding this book in your hands. This is one of the prime examples of behind-the-scenes talent that contributed to this book. And boy am I
grateful to every person who contributed. 

• 1⁄2 tablespoon unbleached or all-purpose flour

• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper + additional for sprinkling

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt + additional for sprinkling

• 1⁄8 teaspoon onion powder

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders (1-1⁄4 ounces each)

• Olive oil spray

• 1 egg white

• 1 teaspoon fat-free milk

• 1⁄4 cup + 1 tablespoon panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

• 1 burrito-size (10") low-fat flour tortilla

• 1 tablespoon KFC Twister Sauce (below)

• 1⁄4 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

• 2 slices tomato (1⁄8" thick)

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and the onion powder. Shake to mix well. Add the chicken. Shake to completely coat the chicken with the flour mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Lightly mist a nonstick baking sheet with oil spray.

In a small bowl, combine the egg white and milk. Beat with a fork until smooth. Place the panko on a small sheet of waxed paper set next to the bowl.

Dip one of the chicken tenders into the egg-white mixture, being sure to coat completely. Allow any excess egg-white mixture to drip off. Dip into the panko to coat completely. Repeat dipping a second time into the egg-white mixture and the panko. Place on the reserved baking sheet. Continue with the second piece of chicken. Place, not touching, on the baking sheet. Lightly mist both sides with oil spray. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bake for 5 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the breading starts to crisp and the chicken is no longer pink inside. 

Meanwhile, preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place the tortilla in the skillet. Heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until warm.

Starting at the 9 o’clock position on the tortilla, spread the sauce in an even strip (about 3" wide) running across the tortilla, leaving about 1" bare at the end of the strip.

Top the sauce-covered area evenly with the lettuce, tomato, and chicken. Fold the bare end over the filling ingredients. Roll the tortilla tightly, finishing it seam-side down on the plate. One end of the wrap will remain open.

Makes 1 serving
425 calories, 29 g protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, <1 g sat. fat, 4 g fiber

Original KFC Twister: 670 calories, 27 g protein, 55 g carbohydrates, 38 g fat, 7 g sat. fat, 3 g fiber

Drive-Thru: Want a Twister on a whim? Bread a few batches of the chicken and freeze it before baking it. When you’re ready for your Twister, pop the frozen chicken into a preheated 475°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Keep the Twister Sauce stored in your refrigerator, and you’ll be able to assemble the wrap in minutes.

KFC Twister Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup + 1⁄4 teaspoon light mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sugar, and pepper. Stir to blend well. Cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Makes 1⁄4 cup, enough for 4 servings
Each serving: 51 calories, trace protein, 2 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, <1 g sat. fat, trace fiber

Recipes from Fast Food Fix:  75 Amazing Recipe Makeovers of Your Fast Food Restaurant Favorites by Devin Alexander
(Rodale, Inc.; April 2006) Used with permission.

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