Recipes to Celebrate Your Health

Surprise holiday guests this year with this sweet yet sensible treat. Made without butter or oil, biscotti are a nice alternative to traditional fat-laden confections. These Italian cookies, named for their “twice-baked” method of preparation, are a perfect companion to hot coffee, tea or a mug of steaming cocoa. The whole-wheat flour adds fiber, the cranberries provide a burst of vitamin C, and the nutmeg and cardamom offer a hint of spice.

Make the Most of Holiday Leftovers
In addition to being hearty and delicious, this week’s recipe for turkey soup is loaded with the cancer-fighting phytochemicals found in tomatoes, celery, carrots and onions. It also provides the perfect opportunity to use any turkey you may have left over in the freezer from the holiday season. Easy to make and packed with both flavor and nutrition, it’s a recipe that is sure to become a family favorite.

Dip into a Healthful Appetizer
Forgo the usual cheese and crackers and surprise guests with this zesty dip at your next gathering. Leagues above a store-bought snack, this homemade treat brings fresh taste and sensible nutrition to any table. Unlike traditional cheese-based spreads, which pack in the saturated fat and calories, this week’s dip relies on reduced-fat cream cheese and an assortment of spices. It delivers taste that you – and your waistline – can appreciate.

Comfort Food for a Blustery Night - If you have comfort food on the brain, why not try this delicious, quick recipe to warm your tummy.

This vegetable-filled soup tastes best when simmered for an afternoon, so set aside a few hours before your meal to make it perfect. THis soup features turnips, which are a good source of vitamin C and also provide cancer-fighting phytochemicals known as glucosinolates. The carrots, which will sweeten significantly as they cook, are rich in vitamin A and carotenoids. The vegetables combine with low fat chicken breast and a mix of savory spices for an aromatic and tasty meal.

A mixture of white and whole wheat flour adds fiber to this tasty quick bread. This recipe freezes well.

What a find: oats, wheat germ, milk, and fruit - so many healthful ingredients in such tasty muffins!

The challenges in making good-tasting and nutritionally sensible hash requires the right combination of chopped meat and other ingredients, usually including potatoes and a creamy binder, and frying it to create a crisp outer crust using a modest amount of a healthful fat.

Today, along with lean ground turkey, onions and green pepper, you can add a jalapeño pepper and ground cumin to make a Sloppy José, or mushrooms, oregano and grated Parmesan for a Sloppy Giuseppi. Any version makes a perfect one-dish meal, one that includes at least three kinds of vegetables, plus plenty of fiber when you use a whole-grain bun.

Salmon is loaded with healthful omega-3 fatty acids. These are also found in tuna, herring, mackerel and sardines.

Onions add a subtle taste to this poached fish dish which also contains delicate hints of citrus and herbs. Cooked in a microwave, this entrée requires very little preparation time.

This spiced, though not necessarily spicy, blend includes mustard seed, clove, allspice and bay leaf. It compliments the sweet flavor of shrimp and crabs. Adding rice makes it more of a pilaf-style stew.

A blend of meaty portobello mushrooms and tomatoes perfumed with cinnamon, cumin and a zing of cayenne pepper, this dish takes barely 30 minutes to make. Serve it as a side dish, or over aromatic basmati rice for a complete meal. It would also make a great main course at a buffet.

Featured in the revised edition of The New American Plate

Banana Oatmeal Cookies are the kind cookies that makes digging through old cookbooks rewarding.

Worthy of a special occasion, this dish can feature any pasta variety-from angel hair to shells to penne.

Like other stews, Beef Bourguignon tastes best when made ahead so the flavors have time to mingle. Serve it on brown rice or whole-wheat noodles.

Sour cream sauce is a must in this classic, named for a 19th-century Russian count and diplomat. Stroganoff is usually served with a rice pilaf or noodles.

You'll love the robust leek sauce that tops this succulent sirloin.

Different and easy, this dish is great for company. Serve it over rice or pasta so you can enjoy all the sauce.

Crushed red pepper flakes provide a bit of heat and teriyaki sauce adds a little sweetness to this easy stir-fry. Serve it with sliced cucumbers marinated in a little rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar.

HEARTY, HEALTHY PANCAKES: A GOOD WAY TO START YOUR DAY. From the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Let’s face it, most of us don’t immediately think healthy when we hear the word pancake. That said, a pancake made from whole-wheat flour, oats and egg whites has a place on any well-balanced breakfast plate. Eating a hearty, filling morning meal like the one featured this week, can help curb hunger later in the day and may help with weight maintenance. Pancakes made from most mixes aren’t what you’d call nutritional all-stars. Most feature enriched flour and partially hydrogenated oil. They are usually low in fiber and quite high in sodium. Topped with additional butter and maple syrup, the fat and calories climb even higher. This pancake makeover employs quick-cooking oats to increase the nutritional value without compromising on convenience. The oats provide soluble fiber that may help lower blood cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease. Cranberries are a welcome addition to this recipe, providing a hint of tartness and significant antioxidant power. They also contain phytochemicals that may help prevent urinary tract infections. While this recipe calls for dried cranberries, avoid the sweetened varieties as they contain lots of added sugar. When serving, forego the traditional toppings and add a touch of powdered sugar and some fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

Tangy pomegranate juice is full of phytochemicals and makes a perfect base for a dazzling holiday punch.

This refreshing punch looks pretty on the table and is loaded with Vitamin C.

This punch provides the phytochemical resveratrol from grapes as an alternative to red wine

A "cinnamint" twist on a classic and healthy drink.

Chinese hot and sour soup can be made more sour with additional vinegar, or less with a reduced amount. It's delicious on a chilly day and soothes a cold.

The following chowder is a creamy fish soup – a comfort food without the usual fat – that achieves its rich body by puréeing both potatoes and (surprise!) squash.

This delicious side dish has only 116 calories per serving.

This substantial summer salad offers a healthful balance between vegetables and protein. It provides a wide range of textures, colors and seasonings.

This salad will transport you to a tropical island. When choosing a papaya,make sure it yields to light pressure and has a pleasant, fruity aroma. Ifpapaya is not available, substitute mango.

Try this recipe for an amazing addition to any meal.

Garnish with parsley and serve hot as side dish.