Lean meats are great for your diet and your budget, but not always so great when it comes to taste. If you're like most people, you don't want to sacrifice taste for anything, especially when it comes to the main part of your meal, the meat. The key to making lean meat tasty lies in how you prepare and cook it.

* Preparing Lean Meat *

The easiest way to tenderize lean meat is to actually tenderize it. Use a meat mallet and whack that piece of meat into a soft texture. You can also you meat tenderizing powders or marinades to help soften the texture and add to the flavor.

* Cooking Lean Meat *

Never overcook lean meat, that's what makes it tough and sucks out the flavor. You don't want to undercook it either, or you may become very sick. The best flavor and texture in lean meats usually comes from serving the meat medium to well cooked.

There is no exact method or timing that works best, since lean meat is very versatile and can be prepared in many different ways. However, you want to use moist heat as opposed to dry heat to cook lean meats whenever possible. This means using fat, oil, water or marinades to add moisture while cooking, as opposed to cooking the meat alone.

* Teriyaki Onion Beef Tenderloin *

1/3 cup - Teriyaki Sauce

1/3 cup - Diced Green Onion

2 Tbsp - Rice Vinegar

2 Tbsp - Water

1 tsp - Minced Garlic

1/4 tsp - Ground Black Pepper

1 lb - Beef Tenderloin (Thinly Sliced)

Mix together teriyaki sauce, onions, rice vinegar, water, garlic, and pepper into a sealable plastic bag. Add beef tenderloins and seal bag. Place bag in fridge and let beef marinate for at least 4 hours. Remove beef from fridge and place in a skillet over medium heat. Pour remaining marinade into skillet. Simmer beef, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes, or until well done. Remove skillet from heat and serve over pasta or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

* Lean Meat Taco Recipe *

1 lb - 90% Lean Ground Beef

1 Tbsp - Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup - Water

1/4 cup - Ketchup

8 - Tomato Slices

1/4 cup - Diced Red Onion

1 cup - Shredded Lettuce

8 - Taco Shells

Brown meat in a skillet until almost done. Carefully add taco seasoning, water and ketchup to beef. Mix well. Finish browning beef and let sauce thicken. Remove beef from oven. Serve with sliced tomatoes, diced onions, and shredded lettuce to create tacos.

Makes 4 servings.

* Italian Chicken Recipe *

4 - Large, Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breasts

1 cup - Low-fat Italian Salad Dressing

4 tsp - Grated Parmesan Cheese (Divided)

Pour salad dressing into a sealable plastic bag and add chicken. Seal bag and place it in the fridge. Let chicken marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and place in a shallow baking dish. Pour dressing over chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken no longer pink in the middle. Remove chicken from oven and sprinkle with 1 tsp grated parmesan cheese each.

Makes 4 servings.

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