Sunset's kitchen cabinet

1/2 cup sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into pieces 1/2 cup raisins or currants 1 large egg white 2 tablespoons milk Butter and jam

Set aside 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix together remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add butter; rub with your fingers until fine crumbs form. Add raisins, egg, and milk; stir just until dough holds together.

Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. With a 3-inch-wide cooky cutter, cut dough into rounds. Reroll dough scraps and cut rounds.

In a nonstick 12-inch frying pan or griddle on medium-low heat, place cakes slightly apart. Cook until bottoms are medium brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn cakes with a wide spatula and cook until bottoms are medium brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle warm cakes with remaining sugar and serve with butter and jam. Makes about 10 cakes, 4 to 5 servings.

Per cake: 170 cal.; 2.0 g protein; 7.1 g fat (4.4 g sat.); 25.5 g carbo.; 121 mg sodium; 19 mg chol.

Chicken Breasts Calvados

1 large (about 1/2 lb.) Golden Delicious or Newtown Pippin apple 1/4 cup apple brandy, brandy, or apple juice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 boned and skinned chicken breast halves (about 3/4 lb. total) 2 slices (about 1 oz. each) havarti cheese Minced parsley

Peel, core, and thinly slice apple. Divide between 2 shallow ovenproof ramekins (1 1/2- to 2-cup size) the apple slices, brandy, and half the nutmeg. Cover ramekins tightly with foil.

Bake apples in a 400 [degrees] oven until tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put 1 breast half in each dish, basting surface of chicken with juices, then sprinkle with remaining nutmeg. Bake, uncovered, uniil chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 12 minutes.

Top chicken with cheese. Broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling, about 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 2.

Per serving: 376 cal.; 46 protein; 9.9 g fat (5.4 g sat.); 24 g carbo.; 324 mg sodium; 127 mg chol.

Indian-spiced Cauliflower

1 tablespoon salad oil 1 medium-size head (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 lb.) cauliflower, cut into bite-size flowerets, rinsed 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 4 green onions, ends trimmed 3/4 pound (about 4 large) Roma-type tomatoes, cored and chopped 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric or paprika Salt

Combine oil, cauliflower, ginger, and garlic in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir often until cauliflower is lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Chop 3 of the onions; add half of them to cauliflower along with tomatoes, wine, turmeric, and 1/3 cup water; stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer, stirring often, until cauliflower is tender when pierced and liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Pour the vegetables into a bowl and sprinkle with remaining chopped onions. Garnish with whole green onion. Add salt to taste. Serves 4 to 6.

Per serving: 47 cal.; 1.6 g protein; 2.5 g fat (0.3 g sat.); 5.9 carbo.; 12 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Cajun Scallops and Pasta

1 1/2 pounds bay scallops, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon Cajun spice mix, or combine 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 2 teaspoons salad oil 1 cup regular-strength chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch blended with 1/3 cup water 1/2 cup light sour cream or low-fat unflavored yogurt 6 cups hot, cooked spinach-flavor spiral pasta (1 lb. dry)

Mix scallops with spices to coat. Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch pan over medium-high heat; when hot, add scallops and stir-fry until they are opaque but still moist-looking in the center (cut to test), 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer scallops to a bowl.

On high heat, boil pan juices, uncovered, until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth and continue to stir until liquid boils. Stir in sour cream and scallops. Ladle mixture over hot pasta on a platter or on plates. Serves 4 to 6.

Per serving: 440 cal.; 31 g protein; 6.1 g fat (1.8 g sat.); 63 g carbo.; 224 mg sodium; 44 mg chol.

Asian-style Green Beans

1 large (about 10 oz.) onion, chopped 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced 1 large (about 1/2 lb.) red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 clove garlic 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons honey 1 pound tender, slender green beans, ends trimmed 1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

In an 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, combine onion, mushrooms, pepper, garlic, and 1/3 cup water. Boil over high heat until liquid evaporates; stir often. When browned bits form in pan, add 1/4 cup water and stir to free them. Boil until liquid evaporates and brown bits form. Add 1/4 cup water and repeat this step once or twice until mixture is a rich brown. Add soy sauce and honey; keep warm.

Meanwhile, on a rack in a covered pan over 1 inch of boiling water, steam beans just until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Arrange beans on a platter; spoon sauce on beans and sprinkle with peanuts.