“The Most Decadent Diet Ever”

Tempting and contradictory, “The Most Decadent Diet Ever!” is the title for Devin Alexander’s most recent cookbook. On Sunday, July 12 she presented “Healthy Decadence for Kids of All Ages” to Members of the American Culinary Federation at their 2009 annual conference in Orlando. A room full of chefs eagerly listened while Devin shared her ideas on feeding the masses…without making them massive.

From the moment she took the stage it was easy to see why she has her own cooking show, “Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander”. With a warm smile and cheerful disposition she introduced herself to our group and went on to share her personal story of successful weight loss. She has managed to lose 55 lbs. and maintain her slender figure for over sixteen years. Surprisingly, she accomplished this feat without sacrificing flavor while enjoying the foods she loves.

Devin is passionate about the importance of making good choices. Her “diet” is not about deprivation. Instead she emphasizes having the freedom to choose the foods you like and finding a way of eating them without suffering the usual “bad” consequences. Through creative combinations of more healthy ingredients she has re-created many of our favorite “comfort” foods with less fat, calories, and processed ingredients. For those of us that thing we’re too busy to cook that healthy, Devin says, “You can spend 20 minutes in the kitchen and save yourself 3 hours in the gym”.

Though she hasn’t quite yet come up with the perfect substitute for every indulgence, she’s still searching for a less sinful slice of apple pie with flaky crust. She does have some very amazing recipes that aren’t nearly as naughty as they would seem. One terrific example is her “Chocolate Chocolate Brownie Cups”. These rich, moist treasures will satisfy your cravings for chocolate. Thanks to her choice of ingredients like apple sauce and egg whites, the calories and fat count are both surprisingly low. Judge for yourself by making a batch with the recipe below.

Devin also contributes to Women’s Healthy Magazine and Good Morning America. You can find more information about her at her website: http://www.devinalexander.com/ .
Chocolate Chocolate Brownies
From “The Most Decadent Diet Ever” by Devin Alexander

• Butter flavor cooking spray
• ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups raw sugar
• ½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350º F.

Thoroughly mist two 12-cup, non-stick, mini muffin tins with spray.

Use a sturdy whisk or spatula to mix the apple sauce, vanilla, egg whites, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir until just combined and no lumps remain. Working in batches, fill each cup until just barely full. Sprinkle about ¼ of the chips evenly over the brownies in each of the tins. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay).

Transfer the tins to cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Use a butter knife to gently lift the brownies from the muffin tins (if they stick, carefully run the knife around the edge of each cup). Cool on the rack for another 10 minutes. Repeat with the second half of the batter and the remaining chips.

Makes 48 brownie cups; 24 servings
Each serving (2 brownies) has: 109 calories, 2 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, trace fiber, 139 mg sodium
You save: 151 calories, 11 grams of fat, 2 grams saturated fat
Traditional serving: 260 calories, 3 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 165 mg sodium
Recipe and photos courtesy of Devin Alexander

More Cookbooks by Devin Alexander: