A Dietitian's View

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add chicken broth, sugar, 2 tablespoons juice, and mustard to pan; cook over medium heat, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly. Whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and butter, stirring until butter melts. Return chicken to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 260(26% from fat); FAT 7.5g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 40.7g; CHOLESTEROL 106mg; CALCIUM 32mg; SODIUM 382mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 5.4g

Spring Risotto
Fava beans must be shelled twice. First they're removed from their pods, then blanched, cooled slightly, and pinched to remove the outer skins. Fresh beans taste the best, but canned fava beans will also work when fresh are out of season. Look for sun-dried tomato paste with the other tomato products in the supermarket.

6 cups boiling water, divided
1 cup dried morels
2 pounds unshelled fava beans
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 large)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sliced green onions
3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated fresh Romano cheese

Combine 3 cups of boiling water and morels in a bowl; cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms; rinse with cold water. Drain and chop.

Remove beans from pods; discard pods. Place beans in a medium saucepan with remaining 3 cups boiling water; cook beans 1 minute. Rinse with cold water. Drain; remove outer skins from beans. Discard skins.

Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth warm over low heat.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until leek is tender. Add rice and tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, salt, and pepper; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook about 2 1/2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in morels and beans; cook for 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Stir in green onions. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 cup risotto and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 238(22% from fat); FAT 5.9g (sat 2.2g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 9.9g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 135mg; SODIUM 648mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 2.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.7g