Making the Cut (21 page)

cooking spray (olive oil preferred)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Smart Start

2 cups thinly sliced onion

2 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 (6-inch) La Tortilla Factory low-carb tortillas

1. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with nutmeg and black pepper. Add chicken to the pan; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Remove the chicken from pan; keep warm.

2. Melt Smart Start in pan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add apple; cook 6 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.

3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Arrange ½ cup chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Salsa

1 cup chopped, seeded cucumber

1 cup coarsely chopped, seeded plum tomato

½ cup thinly sliced radishes

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fish

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon salt

4 (6-ounce) swordfish steaks or other firm white fish (about ¾ inch thick) cooking spray (olive oil preferred)

1. To prepare salsa, combine all salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill.

2. To prepare the fish, combine cumin seeds, peppercorns, and salt in a small zip-top plastic bag. Coarsely crush the cumin seed mixture using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle the cumin seed mixture on 1 side of each steak.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add steaks, crust side down; cook for 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with salsa.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

1 medium eggplant (equivalent to 1½ cups)

cooking spray (olive oil preferred)

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

curry powder, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 (5-ounce) swordfish fillets

1. Preheat broiler to 450°F.

2. To prepare eggplant, cut it into ¼-inch slices. Lightly spray a sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Lay eggplant pieces and halved cherry tomatoes on aluminum foil in preheated broiler. Sprinkle veggies with curry powder and black pepper to taste. Broil for 2–3 minutes, turn eggplant slices with tongs, spray with cooking spray, and continue to broil another 2–3 minutes. They should turn slightly brown and curl up a bit on the edges; the tomatoes will brown and be quite soft. The eggplant becomes soft and very creamy when done, in approximately 3–4 more minutes.

3. To prepare swordfish, coat a skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add swordfish and sauté 4 minutes per side. Place skillet in oven and bake for 4 minutes while the veggies are cooking. Serve swordfish on top of eggplant and tomatoes.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Haddock or cod would make good substitutes for the grouper. Adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the fish.

1½ pounds grouper or other white fish fillets

cooking spray

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

1½ tablespoons melted Smart Start

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Place fish in an 11 × 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, onion powder, and black pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; drizzle with Smart Start. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Crush the fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle, or use a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and a rolling pin.

cooking spray (olive or canola oil preferred)

1½ teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¾ teaspoon cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

4 (4-ounce) lamb loin chops, trimmed

Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Combine fennel seeds, coriander, black pepper, and garlic powder. Press mixture onto both sides of lamb. Add lamb to pan, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

1 bone-in leg of lamb (about 8 pounds)

4 cloves garlic, sliced into 5 pieces each

1½ cups Italian (flat leaf) parsley

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. With the tip of a sharp knife, make small slashes in the leg of lamb about 1½? deep. Into each hole, stuff one slice of garlic and one parsley leaf. Rub the leg of lamb all over with black pepper. (This step can be done up to a day in advance.)

3. Place lamb in a roasting pan; roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F, and baste the leg with any juices that have accumulated in the pan. Cook about 2 hours (total cooking time is about 20 minutes per pound), until an instant-read thermometer registers 130°F (medium) in the thickest part. Remove roast from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes.

4. Transfer roast to a cutting board. Carve in thin slices, parallel to the bone. To make a natural gravy, remove fat from pan drippings, add 1 cup of water to the pan, and simmer on the stovetop over a medium flame, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until reduced to ¾ cup.

NUTRITION PER SERVING