Asparagus Topped with Creamy Tarragon Sauce

This sauce is like a luscious, creamy bearnaise sauce without all the calories and fat.

Baked Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

This baked apple-cinnamon French toast can be prepared in advance and then simply popped in the oven for a leisurely and luxurious weekend morning. By using nonfat instead of whole milk and eliminating the egg yolks, the calories are cut by half and the fat is reduced by nearly 80 percent in our griddle-free version.

Black Bean Soup

This is a zippy Southwestern-flavored black bean soup. We make it with canned beans so it comes together in minutes. If you have leftovers, pack them up in individual serving containers for lunch the next day.

Breakfast Parfait

A little low fat dairy and some vitamin-rich fruit and you’ve just started your day right, nutritionally speaking.

Cherries with Ricotta & Toasted Almonds

Warm cherries topped with luscious ricotta cheese and toasted almonds makes for a rich-tasting—yet calorie-conscious—treat.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

We can't resist big, soft, fudgy cookies, like those found in glass jars on bake-shop counters. These freeze exceptionally well-layer them in a freezer-safe container between sheets of wax paper; thaw 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Stew

Here's a dinnertime warmer with a hint of spring's sweetness, designed for that day when you'd rather be outside raking the leaves from the garden, getting it ready for what's ahead, than slaving over the stove.

Corn & Tomato Sauté

This simple sauté combines two summer stars—corn and tomatoes. If you don’t have fresh basil or tarragon, use whatever is best out of your herb garden.

Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard

Tossing chicken tenders with cornmeal gives these chicken nuggets great crunch without deep-frying. Blackberries (or raspberries, if you prefer) combined with whole-grain mustard make for a sweet-and-savory dipping sauce. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and carrots.

Country Potato Salad

This updated picnic potato salad gets subtle flavor from smoked ham. If you can find them, small, thin-skinned early potatoes are best in this salad.

Cranberry Pancakes

Start your day off right with these easy pancakes, packed with cranberry’s sour spike. One of you can make the coffee and heat the maple syrup while the other makes the pancakes. It’s instant relationship bliss.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This zesty Cajun-style pasta is full of lean chicken, peppers and onions. Serve with sautéed green beans.

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

Toss a garlicky, Middle Eastern-inspired yogurt sauce with pasta, shrimp, asparagus, peas and red bell pepper for a fresh, satisfying summer meal. Serve with: Slices of cucumber and tomato tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Creamy Pasta with Chicken

This cheesy pasta dish is filling and healthy.

Crispy Turkey Tostadas

Shredded leftover turkey tops homemade tostadas in this Tex-Mex favorite. Making your own tostada shells from fresh corn tortillas is easier than you might think—crisp them up in the oven while you prepare the toppings. Choose either regular petite diced tomatoes or those with added jalapeños, depending on your inclination for spicy food. Serve with black beans, rice and extra salsa or hot sauce on the side.

Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta

Diced eggplant turns tender and tasty sautéed with garlic and olive oil. Toss with fresh plum tomatoes, green olives and capers and you have a simple light summer sauce. We like it over angel hair pasta, but any type of pasta will work. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a mixed green salad.

Fish Fillets with Tartar Sauce

This fast tartar sauce comes together in just 10 minutes and makes a great topping for simple sautéed fish fillets. Serve with toasted potato wedges and coleslaw.

Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie

While pumpkin pie deserves respect as a Thanksgiving icon, it’s fun to shake up tradition. Surprise your family and friends with a frozen pie this year—it just might become one of their holiday favorites. No need to let them know how easy it is.

Grilled Steak with Pepper Relish

Here, we toss colorful bell peppers in a balsamic-herb vinaigrette and grill them in a foil packet at the same time as the steak. Serve with corn on the cob.

Herb & Onion Frittata

This Italian-style omelet is delicious with just about any herb combination; try parsley, dill, chervil or marjoram.

Herb-Roasted Turkey

This method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in a Thanksgiving turkey. Make sure you show this beauty off at the table before you carve it. Garnish your serving platter with fresh herb sprigs and citrus wedges.

Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

A sweet, tangy and salty mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey does double-duty as marinade and sauce. Toasted sesame seeds provide a nutty and attractive accent. Make it a meal: Serve with brown rice and sautéed red peppers and zucchini slices.

Hungarian Beef Goulash

This streamlined goulash skips the step of browning the beef, and instead coats it in a spice crust to give it a rich mahogany hue. This saucy dish is a natural served over whole-wheat egg noodles. Or, for something different, try prepared potato gnocchi or spaetzle.

Inside-Out Lasagna

Here we take basic lasagna ingredients—ricotta cheese, pasta and tomatoes—and skip the layering and long baking time to make a super-quick and satisfying meal for the whole family. To cut down on prep time, look for presliced mushrooms. For meat lovers, brown some crumbled turkey sausage along with the onions and garlic. Serve with: Steamed broccoli and whole-grain baguette.

Irish Lamb Stew

Lamb stew is Irish penicillin: a rich stew full of potatoes, leeks and carrots that’ll cure whatever ails you. In traditional fashion, nothing here is browned first, just all stewed together. To keep it healthy make sure to trim the lamb of any visible fat before you cook it.

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

Spiked with lots of zesty lemon, this delectable chicken stir-fry has a colorful mix of snow peas, carrots and scallions. But feel free to substitute other thinly sliced vegetables, such as bell peppers or zucchini. Serve with: Rice noodles or brown rice.

Maple-Chili Glazed Pork Medallions

Pork medallions are quick and easy to prepare, and are particularly tasty with a maple-chili glaze.

Maple-Nut Granola

We love the maple-nut flavor combination of this heart-healthy granola, but feel free to substitute your favorite nuts or dried fruit for your own custom blend.

Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasting sweet potatoes is even easier than boiling and mashing them. Maple syrup glaze transforms this ultra-simple dish into something sublime.

Mediterranean Tuna Antipasto Salad

Packed with protein and fiber, this tuna and bean salad is ready in a flash. For an extra kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper or cayenne.

Mexi-Melt

Spread leftover refried beans on whole-wheat toast and top with salsa and cheese for an easy breakfast that has plenty of staying power.

Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles

Everyone gets an individual portion with this vegetarian, Tex-Mex mini casserole. A normal-size casserole like this would take close to an hour to bake—these are ready in half the time. Heatproof ramekins are a cook’s best friend—we use them all the time to hold ingredients while cooking. You can buy them at most grocery stores.

Moo Shu Vegetables

This vegetarian version of the classic Chinese stir-fry, Moo Shu, uses already-shredded vegetables to cut down on the prep time. Serve with warm whole-wheat tortillas, Asian hot sauce and extra hoisin if desired.

Multi-Grain Waffles

Traditional waffles are a butter-laden, high-carb indulgence, but they make the transition to good fats and smart carbs beautifully, yielding crisp, nutty-tasting waffles with all the sweet pleasure of the original. The batter can also be used for pancakes.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

This easy-to-make chocolate cake is dark, moist, rich—and only dirties one bowl! Not quite as easy as boxed cake mixes, but those often contain trans fats. Our simple "from scratch" recipe gives you a home-baked cake with healthful canola oil and whole-wheat flour.

Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops

Need a little summertime flavor? Try this swift recipe and enjoy a "barbecue" indoors. Make it a meal: Serve with coleslaw and cornbread.

Oven-Fried Chicken

Great news—crunchy, flavorful fried chicken can be healthy. We marinate skinless chicken in buttermilk to keep it juicy. A light coating of flour, sesame seeds and spices, misted with olive oil, forms an appealing crust during baking. And with only 7 grams of fat per serving rather than the 20 in typical fried chicken—that is good news.

Poached Salmon with Creamy Piccata Sauce

Easy poached salmon is sophisticated with a creamy caper-and-lemon sauce. Make it a meal: Serve with snow peas or roasted asparagus and a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice.

Provencal Chicken and Tomato Roast with Wild Rice

Roasted chicken and tomatos over wild rice!

Quick Breakfast Taco

A smaller cousin of the breakfast burrito, the breakfast taco made with reduced-fat Cheddar and egg substitute is a satisfying and healthy breakfast option.

Quick Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

Here we stir a little melted chocolate into ricotta cheese for a cheesecake-like topping for chocolate wafer cookies.

Roasted New Potatoes & Green Beans

Whoever said potato salad needs to be cold? For this warm version, new potatoes are roasted right alongside green beans, then tossed in a tangy champagne vinegar and Gorgonzola dressing. If you like, you can toss in some baby arugula.

Sausage, Pepper & Mushroom Pizza

This sausage, pepper and mushroom pizza is just a little more work than calling for delivery (but not by much), but there’s no tipping required when you make it yourself. Plus you get it fresh from your oven, and with whole-wheat dough and a generous amount of vegetables on top it’s far better for you.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Onions

Fresh herbs, onion and bacon pair beautifully with Brussels sprouts. This vegetable loves the cool weather of fall and early winter. If you can find them still attached to the stalk, don’t be intimidated—buy them, as they’re likely more fresh. All you need to do is slice off each sprout with a paring knife. However you find them at the market, this is a delicious way to prepare them. (Recipe adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.)

Sesame Encrusted Snapper with Soba Noodles in a Ginger Infused Tea

Asian inspired, full-flavored fish and noodles.

Seven-Layer Salad

This makeover of a Midwestern classic tops layers of lettuce, peas, bell pepper and tomatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing. The salad stays fresh underneath until it’s served and gets even better when held overnight.

Shrimp & Pesto Pasta

The spring flavors of asparagus and pesto combine beautifully with fettuccine and shrimp in a light and simple pasta dish that works for family or casual entertaining. Make it a meal: Serve with a tomato-and-arugula salad tossed with mustard-balsamic vinaigrette and fruit sorbet for dessert.

Shrimp Po' Boy

This twist on the Louisiana favorite piles grilled shrimp and creamy-dressed cabbage onto a crusty bun. Bread that’s soft on the inside and crusty on the outside is perfect for a Po’ Boy sandwich. We grill both sides of a whole-wheat bun for that added crunch. You may need a few extra napkins to enjoy it, but this quick and easy sandwich is well worth it. Serve with: Sauteed corn and bell peppers.

Simple Sautéed Spinach

Sautéed spinach (or any greens) with garlic and a squeeze of lemon (or vinegar) is a simple formula that lets spinach shine and will never go out of favor.

Skillet Chicken with Cranberries & Apples

Celebrate the flavors of fall with chicken cooked in a fast apple-cranberry sauce. If you prefer a less tart flavor, try dried cranberries instead of fresh. Serve with quick-cooking wild rice and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Spaghetti with Quick Meat Sauce

Instead of opening a jar of sauce, try this easy spaghetti with meat sauce on a weeknight. Serve with steamed broccoli and garlic bread. The recipe makes enough for 8 servings. If you’re serving only four for dinner, cook 8 ounces of spaghetti and freeze the leftover sauce.

Strawberry Sherbet

Buttermilk gives this sherbet tanginess and complements the fresh sweet strawberries. If you prefer a sweeter result, add a touch more sugar.

Taco Salad

A simple, spicy salad of Mexican influence.

Tortilla Soup

Here’s a version of chicken tortilla soup that’s both super-easy and delicious. To make it even quicker, use crumbled baked tortilla chips in place of the homemade tortilla strips and skip Steps 1-2. Serve with vinegary coleslaw, lime wedges and hot sauce.

Turkey breast with Apple Chutney and Green Beans

Doesn't have to be Thanksgiving to enjoy this satisfying meal.

Tuscan Pork Loin

Roasted pork loin is a staple of Italian cooking. In this recipe we coat the lean meat with garlic, rosemary and aromatic lemon zest before it goes in the oven, and then deglaze the pan with vermouth to make a savory gravy. The roast is perfect for entertaining but equally at home for a Sunday family supper.

Warm Chocolate Pudding

This warm pudding has a marvelous deep chocolaty flavor, but it’s low in fat and super-quick to make. Don’t skimp on the quality of cocoa with this one—treat yourself to the good stuff.