24 spears asparagus
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cooked cold long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
3 whole wheat tortillas, 10 inches in diameter
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped red onion

In a medium-sized saucepan over high heat, bring 2 inches water to a boil. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly.

In a small bowl, mash the avocado, lime juice, and garlic into a coase puree.

In another small bowl, stir together the rice and yogurt to mix well.

Heat a large dry frying pan (not one with a nonstick surface) over medium heat. One at a time, heat the tortillas in the hot pan until softened, approximately 20 seconds per side.

Lay the tortillas flat on a clean work surface. Spread the avocado mixture equally among the tortillas. Top each with an equal amount of the rice mixture, asparagus, cilantro, and onion.

Fold in both sides and the bottom of each tortilla up over the filling; then roll to close. If made in advance, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Return to room temperature before serving.

To serve, cut each wrap in half crosswise.

Makes 6 servings.

1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
4 pork loin or rib chops (1-inch thick)

Preheat barbecue grill. In a shallow pie plate, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese; coat pork chops with the crumb mixture.

Place pork chops onto hot grill. Cover barbecue with lid, open any vents, and cook 25 to 35 minutes or until whitish-pink in the center; turn after 15 minutes. Remove from grill and transfer onto a serving platter.

Makes 4 servings.

1/2 pound sea scallops
Freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice
Seasoning salt
1 cup shredded cabbage
3 to 4 green onions, thinly sliced (white part and some of the green)
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Splenda to taste*
Dash of Tabasco
Salt and pepper to taste
2 (6-inch) flour or wheat low-fat tortillas, warmed

* Splenda is the trade name for the new dietary sweetener sucralose. This non-calorie sweetener is derived from sugar.

Wash the scallops gently and pat dry with some paper towel. In a large resealable plastic bag or a bowl, add scallops; sprinkle lemon juice and seasoning salt over the scallops and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour.

In a medium-size bowl, combine cabbage, green onions, cilantro, mayonnaise, cider vinegar, Splenda, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to cook, remove scallops from refrigerator. Drain well, and pat dry (be sure that they are well dried before cooking, so the surface sears, rather than steams).

In a large non-stick frying pan that has been sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. When the pan is hot, Add the scallops and sear on each side for 2 to 3 minutes until rich golden brown on each side and moist, yet cooked through in the center. Remove scallops from pan to avoid over cooking while plating (scallops are muscles and will toughen with overcooking).

Wrap tortillas in paper toweling and warm in microwave. Spoon 1/2 cup of cabbage mixture onto each tortillas. Add 1/2 of the scallops. Fold in sides and roll up to serve.

Makes 2 servings.
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1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 cup finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20) or fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 12 muffin cups with non-fat cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, oregano, and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let onion mixture cool.

In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, ground beef, 1/2 cup ketchup, crushed crackers or bread crumbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, and eggs. NOTE: I like to use my hands for mixing meatloaf.

Spoon meat mixture into prepared muffin cups. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 160°F. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 muffins).
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