The High-Protein Cookbook - Linda West Eckhardt [18]
Remove the chops to a warm, covered dish. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and cinnamon to the sauté pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue to cook about 15 minutes, uncovered, adding a little water as needed to maintain a thick, saucelike consistency. Divide the sauce between two warmed dinner plates, top with the chops, and serve.
Nutritional Analysis: 480 calories, FAT 32 g, PROTEIN 35 g, CARB. 13 g, FIBER 3 g, CHOL 128 mg, IRON 4 mg, SODIUM 934 mg, CALC 101 mg
Menu Suggestion
An enormous green salad on the side, a 4-ounce glass of red wine, and for dessert, a 1-ounce wedge of your favorite cheese with berries or a melon wedge will add about 6 grams of carbohydrate and 7 grams of protein to make this a well-rounded meal.
Saffron-Flavored Lamb Stuffed in a Red Pepper
Red peppers make the perfect container for this subtly flavored lamb dish.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
2 large red or yellow bell peppers
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dry vermouth
8 ounces ground lamb
2 tablespoons finely chopped lemon zest
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1 tablespoon warm water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg yolk
3 cups mesclun salad tossed in Mustard Vinaigrette
Heat the oven to 350°F. Slice off the top of each pepper, then core and clean it. Meanwhile, melt the butter with the vermouth in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Brush the insides of the peppers with some of the vermouth and butter mixture and set them aside. Add the ground lamb and lemon zest to the skillet and cook until the meat is well done, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cream, Parmesan, saffron with water, and parsley. When the mixture is cool enough to touch comfortably (so as not to cook the egg), add the egg yolk.
Stuff the mixture into the peppers, place them in a baking pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Serve the stuffed peppers nestled in a bed of baby mesclun greens tossed with a light vinaigrette.
Nutritional Analysis: 535 calories, FAT 42 g, PROTEIN 34 g, CARB 7 g, FIBER 2 g, CHOL 264 mg, IRON 3 mg, SODIUM 320 mg, CALC 154 mg
Honey-Mustard Lamb Chops on a Bed of Spaghetti Squash
Golden spaghetti squash is the perfect complement to this amber-colored sauce, and it is all complemented by the subtle taste of honey.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
4 lamb loin chops, about 10 ounces
1 garlic clove, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Freshly milled black pepper to taste
Cooking spray or vegetable oil
Rosemary sprigs for garnish
Roasted Spaghetti Squash (recipe follows)
Preheat the broiler. Stir the honey and mustard together in a small bowl and set aside. Rub the lamb chops with the garlic, olive oil, rosemary, and black pepper. Spray a skillet or indoor grill with cooking spray and cook the chops until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chops, baste with the honey mustard mixture, and finish cooking under the broiler for 3 more minutes, or until the chops have reached desired degree of doneness. Garnish them with rosemary sprigs and serve on a bed of Roasted Spaghetti Squash.
Nutritional Analysis, including the squash: 530 calories, FAT 36 g, PROTEIN 34 g, CARB 15 g, FIBER 3 g, CHOL 138 mg, IRON 3 mg, SODIUM 279 mg, CALC 76 mg
Roasted Spaghetti Squash
MAKES 4 TO 6 CUPS
1 spaghetti squash, about 2 pounds
2 teaspoons butter
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Slice the spaghetti squash in half and place the halves on a cookie sheet, cut side down. Cook for 30 minutes. Hold