Making the Cut (23 page)

cooking spray (olive or canola oil preferred)

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 cup water

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

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

1 (12-ounce) bottle rice vinegar

7 ounces fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

8 garlic cloves, crushed

1 bay leaf

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork pieces; cook 4 minutes, browning all sides.

2. Add soy sauce, water, peppercorns, chicken, vinegar, broth, garlic, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

3. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high; simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is slightly syrupy. Discard bay leaf.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried rosemary

2 beef tenderloins (roughly 5 ounces each)

1 tablespoon Smart Start

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup dry red wine

1. Combine black pepper and rosemary in a large bowl. Coat both sides of the tenderloins with the rub.

2. Heat Smart Start and olive oil in a skillet until fully melted. Add the tenderloins, and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5–7 minutes.

3. Remove the tenderloins from the skillet, and place on a plate.

4. Add wine to skillet, and bring to a boil over high heat until sauce is reduced by half. Spoon sauce over steaks.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced

6 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced (about 1½ cups)

1½ cups finely chopped onion

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup diced green bell pepper

½ cup diced yellow bell pepper

1½ cups uncooked long-grain rice

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup water

2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

½ pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ teaspoon hot sauce

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken, kielbasa, onion, and bell peppers; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring frequently.

2. Add rice; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add thyme, black pepper, and red pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add water, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes.

3. Add shrimp and hot sauce; cover and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

1 teaspoon cardamom pods

¾ cup carrot juice

1½ teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon sugar

salt, to taste

1 pound boned, skinned swordfish or halibut

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Crush cardamom pods; remove seeds.

3. In a 1-to-1½-quart pan, mix cardamom, carrot juice, rice vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar until well blended. Stir over high heat until mixture boils; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ½ cup, 7 to 9 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and more vinegar if desired. Pour sauce through a fine strainer into a bowl.

4. Meanwhile rinse fish, pat dry, and cut into 4 equal portions. Rub fish with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set a 10-to-12-inch nonstick frying pan (with ovenproof handle) over high heat. When pan is hot, add fish and turn as needed to brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Sprinkle black pepper evenly over fish.

5. Put pan in oven; bake until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes.

6. Transfer fish to rimmed plates. Spoon sauce evenly around fish, and sprinkle with chives.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Beef

1½ pounds boneless sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons ground hot paprika

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Fiery rub

1 teaspoon ground hot paprika

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

cooking spray (olive or canola oil preferred)

1. To prepare the beef, combine all beef ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Cover and chill 3 hours.

2. To prepare fiery rub, combine paprika, pepper, turmeric, and parsley.

3. Preheat grill to 425°F.

4. Remove beef from bowl, discarding marinade. Thread beef onto 6 10-inch skewers. Press fiery rub onto beef. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once. Let cool and serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Salmon

2 cups dry white wine

2 cups water

½ teaspoon chicken-flavored bouillon granules

10 red peppercorns

4 teaspoons fresh dill

2 bay leaves

1 small lemon, sliced

6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick), skinned

Dill sauce

1/3 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped cucumber

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

1/3 cup fat-free plain yogurt

2 teaspoons dill seed

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1. Combine the wine, water, bouillon, peppercorns, dill, bay leaves, and lemon in a skillet. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add salmon to the skillet mixture, and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a plate, cover, and chill thoroughly.

3. Mix all dill sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Spoon the dill sauce evenly over the salmon fillets.

NUTRITION PER SERVING