Confession right up front here, I adore peaches.  When I started the Atkins diet again four years ago, I was dismayed to see that peach was only an acceptable food in phase 4, the maintenance phase of the program.  I eased them back into my program about a year ago as I do consider myself basically on maintenance at this point.

So image my surprise when I got a regular update from Atkins touting this wonderful recipe that included a peach salsa and it said it was ok for phases 2 to 4.  That would be any time after the two-week induction phase.  Good news for all of us, but with all things that are too good to be true, it doesn’t mean you can go crazy with it!  You still need to watch the carbs because a medium peach is 9.1 g of sugar and that registers as 9.9 net carbs of the 10.1 carbs in it.  That can be a bump in your daily allotment.   So use in moderation.

So, peachy keen.  I was anxious to try this recipe from Atkins, but I did make a couple of modifications to my version.  It is absolutely wonderful, moving into the “make often” list.  And when I served the peach salsa up, I found it was more than enough for the chicken and actually got three large servings from it.  I put the last serving away and used it for two smaller servings as a side dish with Chicken Alfredo the next night.  The salsa would also be wonderful with grilled, broiled or braised white fish and I just bet it would be great with pork chops.

Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa

My version of the Atkins recipe is almost identical to theirs except I substitute bell pepper for the jalapeno pepper. Love jalapenos, but my stomach isn’t so crazy about them as I age. Besides, I had a Mexi-red pepper from m garden to add in.

2 chicken breasts halves (about 4 to 5 oz each)
1/2 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoons Red Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
3 Teaspoons Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Peach, firm, but ripe, about medium-sized, diced
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 medium Tomato, diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chopped Cilantro
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 Tablespoons fresh Lime Juice

In a small bowl, combined the chile powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons olive oil to make a paste. Rub 1/2 the paste into the top of the chicken breasts, turn them over and rub the rest onto the back. Let the chicken marinate while you prepare the salsa.

If you are using a grill that take 10 to 20 minutes to warm up, now is the time to start pre-heating.  I use a Foreman Grill for two, which is large enough for two small chicken breasts and takes about 5 minutes to do the job. It only takes a short time to warm up, so I go ahead with the salsa before warming the grill.

Chop the peaches, bell pepper, onion and tomato into bite-sized pieces. Be sure to remove the membranes on the pepper as well as any excess seeds or juices. Place in a small bowl. Add the cilantro, lime juice and sugar substitute with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix the oil and fruit, adding salt and pepper to season. Cover and refrigerate until the chicken is grilled. This can be prepared ahead of time and it will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Grill the chicken until it is done and juices run clear. Place the chicken on serving plates and top with the peach salsa.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving
Calories:272.5  Fat:13.4 g  Net Carbs: 6.5 g  Protein: 29.8 g

Peach Salsa only
Nutrition Info per serving – 4 servings per recipe
Calories:44.9  Fat: 3.6 g  Net Carbs: 3.0 g  Protein: 0.4 g