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NADINE FOWNES Patricia Haakonson's Pecan Chicken and Dijon Sauce is delicious, low-carb and special enough to serve to guests with its crunchy breading of crushed pecans and drizzle of creamy sauce. On the side are Green Beans and Tomatoes: tender-crisp green beans cooked in a flavourful mixture of garlic, tomatoes and herbs. TED PRITCHARD / Staff Patricia Haakonson and her husband Harv will be at Chapters bookstore in Dartmouth tonight at 7 p.m. Their new books are All New Easy Low Carb Cooking and Slow Carb for Life. NADINE FOWNES Treat yourself to a bit of chocolate after dinner, even if you are trying to lose weight. These Warm Chocolate Cakes whip up quickly and bake in the oven in about the same time it takes to make after-dinner coffee or tea. WIN THE BOOK We have several copies of Patricia and Harv Haakonson's new books, All New Easy Low Carb Cooking and Slow Carb for Life, to give away. For a chance to win one of the books, call the Herald-Line at 425-2255, code 5165. Long-distance charges may apply. Only one entry per household. Deadline is noon Thursday, Oct. 21. Winners will be chosen at random. They will be contacted by telephone and their names will be published in Wednesday's Living section, Oct. 27. CUTTING THE CARBS - Skip the bread and rolls with dinner. If eating out, tell the waiter not to bring the bread basket. - Avoid high-carb packaged or processed foods: No potato chips, corn tortillas, french fries, popcorn, crackers, baked goods, candy. - Avoid high-carb fruits and vegetables: Instead of potatoes, eat veggies like broccoli, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower. Replace apples and bananas with lower-carb grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi. - Read labels: Low-fat salad dressing may sound like a good idea, but often the fat is replaced with carbs such as sugar and starch for taste and texture. Make your own with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs. - Plan meals and keep a stash of low-carb snacks handy: celery and cucumber sticks, nuts, cheese, yogurt. - Exercise daily and drink lots of water. - Get support by talking to others who are trying to get healthy or check out the Internet - www.slowcarbforlife.com has a number of reliable links to health and diet sites.

By NADINE FOWNES Comfort Food

PATRICIA Haakonson is in her 50s and feels fabulous. She says she feels better now than she did when she was in her 20s.

"People tell me I glow with health," says the Glace Bay native who now makes her home in Victoria, B.C.

Patricia attributes it all to the low-carb diet she and her husband Harv developed, which they call slow-carb. "For my 50th birthday, I wanted to give myself the gift of health - and take off some of the weight I'd put on over the years," she says.

Patricia had tried all sorts of weight-loss plans over the years, but couldn't stick to any of them for very long, so her weight always crept back up again.

Like millions of others around the world, she decided to give the low-carb trend a whirl. Out went the bread, cookies, potatoes, rice and pasta from her cupboards.

Instead, she filled her plate with chicken, fish, lean meat and lots of low-carbohydrate vegetables such as spinach, cauliflower and cabbage. She hasn't cut out carbs altogether, but has switched to "better" carbs.

Patricia still bakes cookies, cakes and muffins, but she has replaced the white flour with flax seed meal, ground almonds, soy flour and protein powders, and instead of sugar, she sweetens her goodies with a sugar substitute called Splenda.

Now 42 pounds lighter and several years later, she has not only lost and kept off the weight, but has gained a new career, too, as a cookbook author.

Patricia's first and second books, Easy Low-Carb Cooking and Easy Low-Carb Living, have sold 20,000 copies (5,000 is considered a Canadian bestseller.) Her latest book, All New Easy Low-Carb Cooking, is in bookstores now along with its companion volume, Slow Carb for Life, which she co-authored with her husband Harv, a medical doctor.

"I love to cook and my family had all these wonderful recipes, so I decided I wanted to convert all of our favourite recipes to low-carb, reducing the carbs and replacing the sugars and flour with healthier alternatives," Patricia says as she and Harv take a break from their countrywide book tour, which stops in Halifax's Chapters Bookstore tonight.

Harv has lost 38 pounds and has significantly lowered his blood pressure and cholesterol level since adopting his wife's new eating habits several years ago.

He says all low-carb diets such as Atkins, The Zone, and the South Beach plan are based on the same science of reducing carbohydrate intake. Still, he is wary of diets that suggest loading up on protein and cutting out all carbs.

"That's why we say slow-carb, not just low-carb. Yes, you are reducing your carbs, but replacing them with better carbs that convert more slowly to blood sugar," he says.

"And we don't propose that you load up on protein either. Just eat normal portions of chicken, meat and fish, keep the amount of saturated fat such as that in red meat to a minimum and eat more good fats and fibre," he says.

Harv explains that eating carbs sends a message to the pancreas to release insulin to deal with the spike in blood sugar.

If carb intake is too high, then too much insulin is released and blood sugar is processed so quickly that you soon feel hungry again. "The instinct is to eat more carbs to deal with the hunger," says Harv. "But all those extra carbs are turned into stored fat." That's why low-fat diets don't work, he says.

North Americans have gotten into the habit of replacing fat with carbs, putting them at even greater risk of weight gain, he says.

Harv says that if we eat fewer but healthier carbohydrates that convert more slowly into blood sugar, insulin levels remain more constant and the body will seek its energy from stored fat instead.

So what's a typical dinner at the Haakonsons? Patricia says they always start with a salad and then enjoy a main course of chicken, meat or fish served with plenty of vegetables.

"I used to have potato or rice and a vegetable, but now I fill that spot on the plate with extra vegetables."

And because both still have quite a sweet tooth, there's always dessert such as a mousse, flourless chocolate cake or almond carrot cake.

Patricia does not divert from her slow-carb path, even when they have guests for dinner. She says no one knows they're even eating low-carb food when she serves roast chicken with creamy garlic cauliflower and, for dessert, spectacular raspberry cheesecake, which friends have said is the best they've ever eaten.

"This is not a diet; it's a lifestyle," says Harv.

Pecan Chicken With Dijon Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

175 ml ( 3/4 cup) finely chopped pecans

15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh thyme

15 ml (2 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley

5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) salt

2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) cayenne

2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) dry mustard

1 egg

Dijon Sauce

125 ml ( 1/2 cup) sour cream

30 ml (2 tbsp) grainy Dijon mustard

pinch of salt

In small bowl, mix sour cream, mustard and salt to make Dijon sauce. Set aside.

In shallow bowl, whisk together pecans, parsley, thyme, salt, cayenne and dry mustard. Set aside.

In separate bowl, beat egg. Between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, pound chicken breasts flat with a rolling pin until they are about half their normal thickness. Dip each chicken breast into beaten egg and then into pecan mixture, pressing it into the chicken and coating both sides well.

Heat oil in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning once, for approximately 10-12 minutes, until no longer pink inside. (If nuts get too brown, reduce heat and cook for a few minutes longer.)

Makes four servings.

Per serving: Calories 435.03, protein 32.08 g, carbs 5.26 g, fat 31.45 g, fibre 2.28 g, net carbs 2.98 g

Poached Salmon with Citrus Sauce

500-750 g (1-1 1/2 pounds) fresh salmon fillet

125 ml ( 1/2 cup) fresh orange juice

2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) freshly ground pepper

1 ml ( 1/2 tsp) salt

Citrus Sauce

45 ml (3 tbsp) mayonnaise

30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh orange juice

20 ml (2 tsp) fresh lime juice

10 ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice

15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh dill

7 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) grated orange zest

Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F). Cut salmon into four equal portions. Place skin side down on large piece of buttered foil or parchment paper in a baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour orange juice over salmon. (Warm juice in microwave for a minute first.) Fold up foil or parchment to make a tent; bake 8-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

While salmon is baking, make sauce by blending all ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. Remove salmon from oven; carefully remove from its tent. (Steam will be very hot.) Let salmon sit 2-3 minutes. Place on plates; dress with sauce. Serves 4.

Per serving: Calories 408.47, protein 34.12 g, carbs 4.22 g, fat 27.54 g, fibre .02 g, net carbs 4.20 g

Green Beans with Tomato

500 g (1 pound) green beans

15 ml (1 tbsp) butter

1 clove garlic, minced

3 small, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

30 ml (2 tbsp) chicken broth

15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley

2 ml ( 1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

1 ml ( 1/4 tsp) salt

Melt butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add garlic, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook for one minute, just until fragrant. Add green beans, tomato and chicken stock and stir well. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: Calories 74.69 g, protein 2.8 g, carbs 11.13 g, fat 3.17 g, fibre 4.52 g, net carbs 6.61 g

Creamy Garlic Cauliflower

1 medium cauliflower ( 4 cups/1 litre florets)

1 medium onion, minced

500 ml (2 cups) chicken bouillon

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 ml (2 tsp) butter

50 ml ( 1/4 cup) sour cream

50 ml ( 1/4 cup) heavy cream

15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped fresh chives or parsley

Rinse cauliflower and cut into florets. Bring bouillon to a boil in a large saucepan; add cauliflower. Simmer until soft, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in half the butter over medium heat. Cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Drain cauliflower when tender. Put cauliflower, onion, garlic, sour cream, heavy cream and remaining butter in food processor and process in batches until smooth.

Cauliflower may be refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. If serving immediately, reheat gently in original saucepan. Serve sprinkled with chopped chives or parsley. Serves 6.

Per serving: Calories 82.05, protein 1.22 g, carbs 3.51 g, fat 7.12 g, fibre 0.47 g, net carbs 3.04 g

Warm Chocolate Cakes With Raspberry Puree

4 oz bittersweet chocolate

125 ml ( 1/2 cup) butter, cubed

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

4 packets Splenda sweetener

30 ml (2 tbsp) flour

125 ml ( 1/2 cup) whipping cream, whipped with two packets of Splenda

Raspberry Puree

125 ml ( 1/2 cup) fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries

2 packets Splenda

Make puree: Thaw berries if frozen. If using fresh berries, wash and pat dry. Blend berries with Splenda in a food processor until smooth. Sieve the puree to remove seeds, if you prefer.

Make cakes: Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F) Butter 6 small custard cups. Melt chocolate and butter pieces in the top of a double boiler. Stir until well blended, Remove from heat and allow to cool.

With an electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks and Splenda until thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Fold cooled chocolate into egg mixture. Sift flour and fold in just until blended. Divide mixture evenly among the prepared dishes and place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake until edges are set, but cakes are still soft in the middle, approximately 15-18 minutes. Serve warm with a drizzle or raspberry puree and a small dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 6 small cakes.

Per serving: Calories 341.53, protein 5.29 g, carbs 10.81 g, 34.46 g, fibre 0.7 g, net carbs 10.11 g

Nadine Fownes is an editor with The Chronicle Herald.