Texas tuna burger with jalapeño mayonnaise

Getting fine flavor into a low-fat dish with a few common ingredients is a neat trick. It helps to get a hefty nudge from a recipe that's not so pared down, that's topped up with extras, i.e., helpful hints.

A new cookbook, "Prevention's Fit and Fast Meals in Minutes" by Linda Gassenheimer (Rodale, 2006, $19.95 paperback), seems to have that approach as its pattern and deserves review from cooks looking for smart ideas in pursuit of good (healthy) food. The book features some 175 recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less.

This recipe for burgers for two would be a tasty way to start checking out what the book offers. They are tuna burgers with a Texas taste, the book tells us. That means the juicy burgers, flavored with scallions and onion, get a kick from jalapeño peppers mixed into mayonnaise.

The book puts this recipe in the lunch section, which runs after the breakfast section, and is followed by chapters for dinner (including meatless), desserts and entertaining.

Lunch and dinner recipes include an appropriate dessert; the entertaining section features complete menus for six diners; all recipes have countdowns and shopping lists - so there are no excuses left not to be organized.

The lunch and dinner recipes each make two servings, but Gassenheimer promises the recipes double easily if you're cooking for more people.

To show how this system works out for the Texas tuna burgers, the recipe follows, plus the simple dessert suggestion of bananas and strawberries - and then the helpful hints that are part of the plan.

Texas Tuna Burger With Jalapeno Mayonnaise

• 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded (about 1 tablespoon)

• 2 T. reduced-fat mayonnaise

• 6 ounces fresh tuna, coarsely chopped

• 2 scallions, sliced (about 3Ú4 cup)

• 1Ú4 cup frozen chopped onion

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Olive-oil spray

• 2 whole-wheat hamburger rolls (about 3 ounces)

• 1 small tomato, sliced

• 2 romaine lettuce leaves

Chop jalapeno peppers in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Remove and mix with the mayonnaise. Set aside.

Without washing the food-processor bowl, add the tuna, scallions and onion and pulse several times until ingredients are finely chopped. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Form into 2 patties, about 4 inches in diameter and 1Ú2 inch thick. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with olive-oil spray. Add the burgers and cook 2 minutes. Turn and cook 2 minutes longer.

Place each burger on the bottom half of a hamburger roll. Place several slices of tomato on each burger and lettuce leaves over the tomato. Spread the mayonnaise on the top half of the roll and close.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 298 cal., 9.3 g total fat (1.6 g saturated), 44 mg chol., 26.1 g pro., 29.1 g carbo., 5.6 g fiber, 384 mg sodium.Banana and Strawberry

• 1 medium banana, peeled and sliced (about 11Ú4 cups)

• 1 cup sliced strawberries

• Divide banana and strawberries between 2 dessert dishes.

• Makes 2 servings.

• Nutrition information per serving: 110 cal., 0.7 g fat, 0 mg chol., 1.4 g pro., 27.7 carbo., 4 g fiber, 2 mg sodium.

• (This meal contains a total of 408 calories with 22 percent of calories from fat per serving.)

Helpful hints

• Canned jalapeno peppers can be used instead of fresh.

• Whole-grain hamburger rolls can be substituted for whole wheat.

Countdown

• Assemble dessert.

• Prepare ingredients.

• Make burgers.

Shopping list

Seafood:

• Fresh tuna (6 ounces needed)

Grocery:

• 1 small package whole-wheat hamburger rolls

• 1 package frozen chopped or diced onion

Produce:

• 1 jalapeno pepper

• 1 small bunch scallions

• 1 small tomato

• 1 small head romaine lettuce

• 1 medium banana

• 1 small container strawberries

Staples:

• Reduced-fat mayonnaise

• Olive oil spray

• Salt

• Black peppercorns