I’ve encountered many people who are shocked that I eat real pork bacon, being that I’ve kept off fifty-five pounds for close to twenty years. Others are shocked that I include it in my cookbooks. The interesting thing to realize is that center-cut bacon—real pork bacon that’s 35 to 40 percent leaner than other pork bacon—is often as lean as most turkey bacon, yet it tastes like real bacon because it is. The flavor is much stronger than turkey bacon and doesn’t have that turkey aftertaste many brands of turkey bacon do. When buying fish, I often opt for frozen individually wrapped fillets. They’re usually fresher than those I find at the fish counter, and I buy them when they go on sale so I can always have some handy in my freezer.

　　

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

　　Olive oil spray

　　2 (about 4 ounces each) or 4 (about 2 ounces each) tilapia fillets

　　Sea salt and pepper, to taste

　　Garlic powder, to taste

　　4 slices center-cut bacon

　　

Step 1

Preheat the broiler. Line a small baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil. Lightly mist the foil with spray.

　　

Step 2

If using 2-ounce fillets, stack them in pairs, smooth sides together, creating 2 4-ounce “fillets.” Season both sides of each fillet with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Starting at the narrower end of one of the fillets (or fillet couplings), wrap 2 of the bacon strips around the tilapia so they cover as much surface area of the fish as possible. Repeat with the remaining fillet (or fillet coupling) and bacon.

　　

Step 3

Broil until the bacon is cooked and the fish flakes easily, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

　　

nutrition information

Step 4

Each serving has:

　　

Step 5

Calories: 133

　　

Step 6

Protein: 25g

　　

Step 7

Carbohydrates: 0g

　　

Step 8

Fat: 6g

　　

Step 9

Saturated Fat: 3g

　　

Step 10

Cholesterol: 70mg

　　

Step 11

Fiber: 0g

　　

Step 12

Sodium: 306mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.