Stone Fruit

Mariah Carey's personal chef, Zipora Einav, doesn't simply feed her songbird client, she nourishes her: The mango wontons offer a hearty dose of vitamin A (a half cup meets 25 percent of your RDA). Don't let the exotic ingredients throw you. This recipe is so easy, you'll get it right in only one take.

Alicia Silverstone, who follows an organic vegan diet, sips this nutritious elixir, which personal chef and friend Lesa Carlson mixes for many of the star's private affairs. It's a tasty health potion: The mint, fresh peach juice, and honey deliver cancer-fighting antioxidants.

Personal chef Bernie Guzman — he's cooked for Jada Pinkett-Smith and her husband, Will Smith, for almost five years — doesn't limit his low-fat culinary talents to the grill. His fruit tartlets have a cheesecake-like richness despite few calories. Topped with cancer-fighting antioxidant players such as berries and cherries, this pastry is one you can feel good about polishing off.

Sunday snack. From Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona. A (barely detectable!) hit of flaxseed oil transforms this smoothie into a treat for your digestive system. (Flaxseed aids regularity.) The oil is rich in healthful omega-3 fatty acids.

Another option: Make your melba with plums.

Another breakfast option: Whip up a smoothie with other fruits.

Toss the takeout! This slimmed-down dish is delish. Traditional Chinese cuisine is among the healthiest, but the American version of sweet-and-sour pork is sugary and fatty. Ying Chang Compestine, author of Secrets From a Healthy Asian Kitchen (Penguin Putnam), gave the recipe a healthy revamp — hers uses the leanest part of the pig and gets its sweetness from fruit. So break out the chopsticks and savor these Far East flavors straight from your stove top.

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

Eastern expert: Ming Tsai, chef-owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachusetts, star and creator of the show East Meets West With Ming Tsai on the Food Network. What you'll love: The fresh and healthy idea of combining raw greens with pasta. Said one taster, "I'd never thought to do that before, but I'd do it again."

The French prince: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, executive chef and co-owner of Jean-Georges, Jo Jo, Lipstick Cafe, Mercer Kitchen, and Vong in New York City. What you'll love: No-mess cooking — just wrap the chicken and vegetables in foil, then bake and serve. Our taster says it all: "Super easy and very delicious."

The sweet and tangy apricot sauce that anchors this dessert is a nod to the spoon sweets — fruit preserves that are eaten from small spoons — traditionally served in Greece to arriving guests.

Although this dessert is not traditional (Nonya sweets typically call for unusual ingredients that are not readily available in the U.S.), you'd likely find a version of it at a contemporary Malaysian restaurant. It's extremely important to use very ripe mangoes — it's their fresh flavor that makes these puddings so delicious.

The buttery, cookielike topping in most crisp recipes is usually a calorie bomb. But chef Dean Rucker uses a whole-grain crumble of whole-wheat flour and rolled oats that's gently sweetened with honey, so you save calories and get almost 5 grams of fiber per serving. Feel free to swap in other fruit options to take advantage of the season's freshest picks.

Improv: Skip the maple syrup and chopped ginger and add a couple of teaspoons of fresh lime juice.

Australian crystallized ginger is especially moist; it's sold at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

More elegant than jam but just as handy, this compote goes with almost everything.

Editor's note: This recipe was included with two others from our roundup of great cookbooks for Dad. There are more than 80 varieties of the avocado fruit, with the Hass variety responsible for 85 percent of production. The Hass avocado was discovered by a California postman named Rudolf Hass. Avocados are rich in unsaturated fats, contain no cholesterol, and are packed with dietary fiber and vitamins such as folic acid, A, B6, C, thiamin, and riboflavin. And for good measure, this salsa adds honey, mango, strawberries, and citrus juices to complete the healthy affair.