America's Most Wanted Recipes Without the Guilt

April 21, 2014
The latest in Douglas’s bestselling series of reverse engineering popular dishes at chain restaurants (America’s Most Wanted Recipes, etc) is dedicated to grill-centered fare, enabling followers to whip up pitch-perfect versions of In-N-Out Burger’s iconic Double Double or A&W’s Deluxe Grilled Chicken Sandwich in their own backyards. Organized alphabetically by restaurant, fans can simply flip to their restaurant of choice to view Douglas’s take on a handful of the chains’ signature dishes. In some cases, such as Red Lobster’s grilled rack of shrimp, the instructions are painfully simple (skewer shrimp, brush with olive oil, grill), while in others, such as Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls and, somewhat surprisingly, Qdoba’s three-cheese burrito, they’ll need to source a seemingly endless number of ingredients and go through multiple steps in order to achieve that unique flavor. Once readers realize how much effort it does or doesn’t take to recreate their favorite item and ask themselves questions like, “Do you really need to make your own onion rings from scratch for an DIY Angry Whopper?” they may come to the conclusion that it’s simply easier to hop in the car and go to the source. Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. But for those who dare, this will likely strike a chord.

September 15, 2011

The cook who created the copycat version of KFC's chicken returns with more mouthwatering restaurant-style recipes without all the calories.

After a friend's unexpected death, Douglas (America's Most Wanted Recipes, 2009, etc.) decided to create a cookbook to help educate readers on healthier eating. With the assistance of registered dietician Mary Franz, the author's provides an easy-to-read cookbook and nutrition guide. Expert advice includes a chart to determine the best sources of fiber, a list of high-sodium foods and 10 "super food." Each taste-alike recipe is alphabetized according to restaurant name and contains nutritional information, as well as calories saved. Instead of 869 calories found in The Cheesecake Factory's Oreo cheesecake, Douglas' version of the recipe substitutes a little magic--e.g., diet margarine, fat-free cream cheese and sour cream--to save 427 calories per serving. Cracker Barrel's baked macaroni and cheese is reduced by 57 calories per serving in Douglas' makeover. There is meat aplenty in this edition, including a hearty substitute for Applebee's Baby Back Ribs, minus 126 calories per serving. And those secret herbs and spices in KFC's Original Recipe Chicken? This time, the chicken is coated with seasoned bread crumbs and baked.

Douglas' offerings aren't truly "without the guilt," but they sure beat the drive-thru, calorie-wise.

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