An Adult Birthday Party

march 2003

Grilled Seafood and Vegetable Tacos with Mango and Avocado

(makes 6 servings)

Marinade:
1	tablespoon fresh lime juice
2	tablespoons vegetable oil, not canola
1	teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2	pounds mixed seafood, consisting of dry packed scallops and shelled, deveined shrimp
3	whole poblano chili peppers
6	plum tomatoes
12	whole scallions, trimmed, leaving two inches of green
2	mangos, peeled and seeded
2	small Haas avocados, pitted and peeled
12	7-inch tortillas, flour or corn, grilled or warmed
1	bunch cilantro sprigs, washed and dried, for garnish
	coarse salt (optional)
	lime wedges (optional)

Heat the grill or use a large nonstick grill pan.
Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the seafood. Marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. If using the grill pan, preheat the pan. Quickly grill the seafood until cooked through, the peppers until their skins are charred and blistered, the tomatoes until charred and blistered, and the scallions until charred.
As each item is cooked, remove and keep warm until everything is done.
Just before serving, slice the seafood and all of the vegetables, but leave the scallions whole. Divide all into 12 piles placed at the edge of the tortillas, then roll them up. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and salt (if using).
Serve with lime (if using) to squeeze on the taco.

Per 2-taco serving:	443 calories (24% calories from fat), 27 g protein, 12 g total fat (2.7 g saturated fat), 59 g carbohydrate, 9 g dietary fiber, 103 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 946 mg potassium
Diabetic exchanges:	3 lean protein, 4 carbohydrate (2 1/2 bread/starch), 1 fruit, 1 vegetable)

Strawberries and Cream Birthday Cake

(makes 16 servings)

	no-stick baking spray with flour
2	cups sifted cake flour
1/2	cup Splenda or other one-to-one sugar substitute that can be used for baking
1	tablespoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt (optional)
1/3	cup canola oil
2	large eggs, separated
1/2	cup liquid egg substitute
1/2	cup water
1 1/2	teaspoons vanilla extract
	grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 orange, or a combination of both
1	cup egg whites (the whites from the 2 eggs plus 6 to 7 more), at room temperature
1/2	teaspoon cream of tartar
1	pound ripe strawberries, stemmed and washed
2	cups "lite" whipped topping or 1 1/2 cups topping plus "lite" whipped cream for rosettes

Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly coat 2 9-inch cake pans with no-stick baking spray with flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, Splenda, baking powder, and salt.
Beat together the canola oil, egg yolks, egg substitute, water, vanilla, and fruit zest. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat to form stiff peaks. Stir about 1/2 cup of egg white into the cake batter to lighten it. Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg whites.
Divide the cake batter between the two prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake layers are golden and start to come away from the sides of the pan. Do not open the oven while baking as the cake may fall.
Run a spatula or small knife around the edges and turn out at once to a rack and cool completely.
To serve, slice 3/4 of the strawberries into thin slices. Place 1 cup of the whipped topping on one of the cake layers. Top with the sliced strawberries. Place the second layer on top. Top with the remaining whipped topping in a decorative manner or use the "lite" whipped cream to make rosettes for each of the 16 slices. Top each rosette with half a berry and decorate the center of the cake with a rosette of strawberry slices. Serve immediately.

Editors' Note: You can use all whipped topping if you want to make the cake a few hours before the party, or prepare the cake with whipped topping and then add the "lite" whipped cream rosettes just before serving, as "lite" whipped cream starts to break down after an hour or so.

Per serving:	139 calories (43% calories from fat), 4 g protein, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 27 mg cholesterol, 141 mg sodium, 116 mg potassium
Diabetic exchanges:	1 carbohydrate (bread/starch), 1 fat

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