10 low-carb dinners to get you in the mood for spring

Method - Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Heat olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer garlic and oil to a shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a separate shallow bowl. Dip chicken breasts in the olive oil-garlic mixture using tongs; transfer to bread crumb mixture and turn to evenly coat. Transfer coated chicken to a shallow baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink and juices run clear, 30 to 35 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Method - Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Arrange the salmon skin side down in the prepared pan, and lightly coat with the Dijon mustard. Place the garlic and onion slices on the salmon fillets. Season with tarragon, salt, and pepper. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

Method - In a bowl, beat the eggs, and stir in the baby spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with onion powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. In a small skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat, cook the egg mixture about 3 minutes, until partially set. Flip with a spatula, and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired doneness.

Method - Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a broiling pan with aluminum foil or spray with olive oil cooking spray. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix Parmesan cheese, garlic, buttery spread, almonds, mayonnaise, bread crumbs, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, basil, black pepper, onion powder, and celery salt together in a bowl. Arrange tilapia fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan; cover pan with aluminum foil. Broil in the preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip fillets, cover pan with aluminum foil, and broil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove aluminum foil and cover fillets with Parmesan cheese mixture. Broil in the oven until fish flakes easily with a fork and topping is browned, about 2 more minutes.

Method - In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Season with basil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to the bowl, and stir until evenly coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice. Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp on preheated grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Method - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Method - In a small bowl, mix the paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme. Stir in the olive oil, and allow the mixture to sit about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the roast on the prepared baking sheet, and cover on all sides with the spice mixture. Roast 1 hour in the preheated oven, or to a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Let sit 15 minutes before slicing.

Method - Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F/200C. Spray individual casserole dishes with non-stick spray or olive oil (use one large casserole dish if you don't have individual ones.) Remove the fish fillets from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature while the oven reheats. (Having the fish at room temperature is very important or it won't cook before the crust topping gets too brown.) Use a large chef's knife to finely chop the pine nuts and mince the garlic. Mix together chopped pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, basil pesto, and mayo. Use a rubber scraper to spread the crust mixture evenly over the surface of each fish fillet. Pile it on so all the crust mixture is used. Bake fish 10-15 minutes, until fish is firm to the touch and crust mixture is starting to lightly brown. (I baked the fish pieces in the photo for 13 minutes.) Serve hot.

Method - Thaw fish overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Mix the fish rub, ground cumin, and chile poweder in a small dish. When you're ready to cook, pat fish dry with paper towels, then rub both sides with 2 tsp. of the olive oil followed by the fish rub mixture. Let the fish come to room temperature while you prep the other ingredients. Cut away the core of the cabbage and discard, cut the cabbage into thin slices. (You can also use pre-sliced coleslaw mix if you don't want to bother cutting the cabbage.) Thinly slice the green onion. Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce, and Vege-Sal (or salt) to make the dressing. Brush a stove-top grill pan or heavy frying pan with the other 2 tsp. olive oil and heat the pan about a minute at medium-high heat. Then add the fish and cook about 4 minutes on the first side. Turn gently and cook about 4 minutes more on the other side. (Actual cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of fish are. Fish should feel barely firm to the touch when it's done.) While the fish cooks, mix about half the green onions into the cabbage mixture and stir in enough dressing to barely moisten the cabbage. When the fish is done, let it cool slightly on a cutting board, then use two forks to shred the fish apart. Fill bowl with 1/4 of the cabbage mixture and top with desired amount of fish. Drizzle a little more dressing over the top. Serve right away, with guacamole if desired.

Method - Heat butter into a 10-inch oven-proof frying pan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Beat the eggs and ricotta cheese together, stir in the chives and tarragon. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 4 to 5 minutes. While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler. Sprinkle Gruyere cheese over the eggs and put in oven to broil until cheese is melted and browned, and the center is set, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges. (Be very careful with the hot pan handle! I usually ice down the handle of any long handled pan I take out of the oven so that no one mistakenly tries to pick up the pan by the hot handle.)

Method - Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the meat. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably several hours or even overnight. (Heck, I've kept the meat marinating for a couple days, still great.) Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. This will help prevent them from completely burning up on the grill. Cut the vegetables into chunks roughly the width of the beef pieces. Taking care not to poke yourself, thread the meat and vegetables onto double bamboo skewers. One way to do this safely is to put the piece that you are trying to pierce on a cutting board, and then push the skewers through the piece to the board. Using double skewers will help you turn the kebabs on the grill. If you keep a little space between the pieces, they will grill more evenly. Paint the kebabs with some of the remaining marinade. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is, and how done you would like your meat, turning occasionally. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.