Pistachio-Crusted Beef makes dinner spicy

Pistachios and hot pepper jelly coat juicy beef cubes for this spicy, crunchy barbecue dinner. To make this a quick and easy dinner, ask the butcher to cut the beef into cubes for kabobs. Mushrooms, red bell pepper and corn on the cob complete the meal.

Helpful hints:

■ Green or yellow bell pepper can be used instead of red bell pepper.

■ Any type of mushroom can be used.

■ To help the cubes of meat cook evenly on a skewer, leave about a quarter inch of space between them when you thread them on the skewers. The heat can reach the sides of the food as well as the top and bottom.

■ Chop the pistachios in a food processor.

■ A stove-top grill or broiler can be used for this dinner.

Countdown:

■ Prepare the ingredients.

■ Heat the grill.

■ Make the kabobs and corn.

Shopping list:

To buy: 1/2 pound beef tenderloin steak, 1 jar hot pepper jam or jelly, 1 container unsalted pistachio nuts, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 container baby bello mushrooms, 2 medium ears corn on the cob.

Staples: olive oil spray, 4 skewers.

PISTACHIO-CRUSTED BEEF WITH MIXED VEGETABLE KABOBS

2 tablespoons finely chopped, unsalted pistachio nuts 2 tablespoons hot pepper

jam or jelly, divided use 1/2 pound beef tenderloin steak, fat removed and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes

2 cups red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups baby portobello mushrooms, cut into 1-inch pieces

Olive oil spray

2 medium ears corn-onthe-cob, husked

4 skewers

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Place 1 tablespoon jam in a bowl and add the pistachios. Stir. Roll meat in jam and peanuts. Thread, meat, red bell pepper and mushrooms onto the skewers. Spray with olive oil spray. Place corn on a large piece of foil and spread remaining 1 tablespoon jam on corn. Close foil to seal the corn. Grill skewers 5 minutes, turn and grill another 3 minutes for medium rare. A meat thermometer should read 145 degrees. Grill 2 more minutes for more well-done. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. At the same time, place corn on the grill and grill 5 minutes, turn and grill 5 minutes. Yield 2 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 467 calories, 134 calories from fat, 14.9 g total fat, 3.9 g saturated fat, 6.3 g monounsaturated fat, 72 mg cholesterol, 101 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 7.6 g dietary fiber, 16.1 g sugars, 35.4 g protein Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 carbohydrate, 4 lean meat, 1 fat From “Mix ‘n’ Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes” by Linda Gassenheimer, published by the American Diabetes Association. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association.