LEANER CUISINE

from Seattle Weekly

There's nothing like a personal interest to stimulate invention. Peter Glick of Cascioppo Brothers Meat Market went on the high-protein, low-carb Atkins Diet and learned what many other would-be slimmies have learned to their sorrow: There are very few Atkins-style prepared foods out there, particularly in the freezer case. Thus were born Cascioppo's LC frozen dinners, which have been walking out of the company's Roxy's Deli on N.W. 80th in North Ballard ever since their introduction, without press fanfare, in February. Sticking to basic meats and greens (so that dieters can make individual carb-loading adjustments), the main-dish meals include pot roast with onions, carrots, and greens; lamb stew (with lamb sausage); and a mushroom-loaded coq au vin. Among the single-entrée items: mushroom-walnut-stuffed pork chops in pancetta and basil- parmesan-coated chicken breasts. All the recipes have had plenty of fine-tuning: "Nearly everybody here has been on Atkins one time or another," says deli manager Lisa Raimundo. The frozen main dishes serve two and run a reasonable $8 to $10; fresh daily Atkins-style specials are also available in the $4 to $6 range.