A tasty lunch dish for one

Dear Heloise: I’d like to have a recipe for lunch— something very tasty, but something that won’t make me feel stuffed. I work from home and live alone, so I just need a recipe for one, and these are hard to find.— Melody F., Vista, Calif.

Melody, here is one of my all-time favorite light lunches. It’s filling without making you feel heavy or sleepy. It’s also in my book “In the Kitchen With Heloise”:

HELOISE’S STUFFED AVOCADO WITH CRABMEAT

1/2 avocado

3 1/2 ounces crabmeat 1 tablespoon Romano cheese

1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, plus extra for topping

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 pat of butter Chopped green onion (tops included)

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Remove the pit from the avocado. Cut a thin slice from the bottom of the avocado so that it will sit firmly on a plate. Mix the crabmeat, cheese, breadcrumbs and parsley. Fill the hollow of the avocado with the mixture, piling it into a rounded peak but keeping it within the outside shell. Sprinkle with some of the extra breadcrumbs, and top with the butter. Place on a sheet of foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped onions before serving.—Heloise

SEND A GREAT HINT TO: Heloise P.O. Box 795000 San Antonio, TX 782795000 Fax: 210-HELOISE / Email: Heloise@Heloise.com

BETTER PEANUT BUTTER

Dear Heloise: If you purchase the fancier or organic peanut butters, you’ve probably noticed that the oil often is separated at the top of the jar. One way to solve this problem is to put the OPEN jar of peanut butter into the microwave for a minute. This will soften the peanut butter and allow you to stir the oil into it.—Robert B., via email

BACK TO THE BASICS

Dear Heloise: My high school home economics teacher taught us to take everything we’ll need to prepare a meal or snack out of the refrigerator at once. This minimizes the amount of cold air going out and warm air going in.—Mary H., Arlington, Va.