"Lean and Green"

I love the term Lean and Green. Not only does it roll off the tongue pretty easily but, if you follow the premise, the fat is supposed to roll off too.

New diet. The old one wasn't working. This new one had the clinical trials at Johns Hopkins Hospital so I liked the sound of it. I also liked the sound of Lean and Green.

I'm not going to explain or espouse the whole diet. What you eat is completely up to you but, for my dinners, I'm going with the Lean and Green concept--for a LONG time. Many of you out there who read this column share with me that you are diabetic or looking for a healthy lifestyle, so I am focusing on that today: things you can eat that invest in your future; simple dinners that follow diet guidelines and still taste good.

Under the Lean and Green premise, you can eat 7 ounces of turkey, chicken or fish, or you can eat 5 ounces of beef, pork or other lean cuts of meat. Then you pair that with either 2 cups of salad greens and sugar free/low-fat dressing or one and a half cups of veggies. Skip the carrots, squash, corn or other high-carbohydrate vegetables but, believe me, there are quite a few left on the list that work just fine. Or you can have a combination of salad and veggies; just don't go over 2 cups total combined. Get it? Lean and Green. Or in the case of bell peppers, red, orange, yellow, purple and white are fine too. It's just a concept phrase that's easy to master.

When you cook the meat or fish, don't use anything except olive oil or butter SPRAY to coat your pan, and do it as lightly as you can muster and not have your food stick to the pan.

On first glance you think "baked or roasted" meat and steamed veggies and your stomach sort of knots up at the thought of boredom. "How long can I stand that?" you say to yourself.

Well, when I woke up I realized it meant a lot more. They put no restrictions on spices and herbs. On occasion you can have up to 2 tablespoons of sauce too--things like ketchup or barbecue sauce. But when I checked further, that also means Asian sauces, Cajun sauces, Mexican and more. You have a whole world of flexibility and still stay within the guidelines.

So this is what I made the first day. I'm sharing it with you so all of the eaters on a controlled diet can discuss this with your nutritionist if necessary or just consider adopting this guideline if you want to lose weight. I've even had no trouble at all going out for dinner on this concept. Just keep your hands out of the breadbasket, and ask your waitperson to put your sauce on the side and give you extra veggies instead of a starch. They are so used to people on Atkins that this doesn't even surprise them anymore. Many of them wink at me with some kind of congratulatory smile. I think they think we are keeping some kind of juicy secret together. It's funny, really.

You'll notice this regimen leaves out all sugar, white flour, or starch of any kind. It also leaves out dairy and fat. Whew. That's a lot to lose from your diet. Then again, for those with a lot to lose in weight, it's worth it.

A couple notes on the recipe: A news bulletin just came out to say that farm-raised salmon is not particularly good for you, especially for your cholesterol levels. All this time we thought it was the miracle fish. They are recommending wild sockeye salmon instead. The problem with that is availability and cost. Wild salmon will run you about $14 a pound depending on where you live so, for many, that's a major budget splurge. Keep an eye out for more research and, in the meantime, make up your own mind on that one.

I am also recommending you use a Cajun rub on this salmon. If you don't want to buy a pre-made rub or don't have access to one, you can make your own. Just combine one-eighth teaspoon of each of these: Hungarian paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and curry powder. (If you are on a salt-restricted diet, skip the salt and you'll probably not even miss it.) Shake all of these dry spices in a jar and you're set for a few recipes of Cajun salmon.

Cajun Salmon with Tomato-Zucchini Medley

Serves 2

Cajun Salmon
2 7-oz pieces of salmon filet (skin on one side)
Cajun Spices
Olive oil spray

Tomato-Zucchini Medley
5 medium tomatoes (ripe)
1 12-inch long zucchini or two shorter ones, cut into quarter-inch coins
1 tsp chopped garlic (jar garlic is fine)
Olive oil spray
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salmon:

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Get out an ovenproof pan. I use the old-fashioned cast iron one. Spray your pan bottom and heat it on Medium High. Dust the flesh side of your salmon with the Cajun rub. How much you put on is up to your taste. When the pan is heated, put your Cajun salmon in the pan flesh and spice side down. Cook the salmon for a minute or two just to brown the top of it. Turn over and cook one more minute. Then take the whole pan and put it in your oven. The salmon will now cook by roasting it. It will be moister this way. If you like your salmon Medium Rare, roasting will only take about 10 minutes. Cook longer if you want it all light pink in the middle instead of dark and light pink.

While the salmon is roasting...

Tomato-Zucchini Medley:

Dice 4 of the 5 tomatoes. Add to a saucepan after you have sprayed it with olive oil. Then add the garlic. Cook the tomatoes on Medium High until they cook down and some of the liquid starts to evaporate. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes.

While this is happening, you are going to grill, sauté or broil your zucchini. Spray the grill pan or cookie sheet or sauté pan with oil. Place the zucchini coins in your pan and cook on Medium High until slightly browned. Spray the tops of the zucchini and turn them over so they get slightly browned on the other side and cooked through. (If you only have one oven and want to broil the zucchini, turn the oven up to 500 degrees and leave your salmon on a lower shelf while the cookie sheet of zucchini is above it. The salmon won't be in direct heat so it will be okay. It will just roast a little faster.)

Take the zucchini out and, if the salmon is done, take it out too; otherwise put the oven back to 400 degrees.

When the tomatoes are cooked down, dice up the last of the tomatoes and add the slices to the saucepan. This gives more texture to the mixture. Add the zucchini just before you want to serve it and warm the tomatoes and zucchini just a tad.

When you serve this dish, place the salmon on the plate and then spread the tomatoes and zucchini around it for color. (It also pretty much covers the plate this way so you won't notice that there's no starch on the side.)

Eat slowly and deliberately, enjoying each bite and you'll be full before you know it.

Enjoy!