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This rich pumpkin-seed sauce, based on traditional Mexican moles, is made with green herbs, and is just as satisfying as cheese- or cream-based sauces but contains far less saturated fat and fewer calories. Serve the dish with rice for an authentic accompaniment.

After the chicken is browned and the vegetables are sautéed, the meat is braised until fork-tender. Orange juice adds vitamin C and brightens the dish, but you can omit it and increase the chicken stock by half a cup.

A steamed salmon fillet makes for a healthful—and unexpectedly delicious—morning meal, especially when served with avocado. Both foods are excellent sources of unsaturated fats, which benefit the heart.

These open-faced sandwiches are a delicious way to showcase the season’s best tomatoes. Try the tofu spread as a low-fat and nutritious alternative to cream cheese; the recipe makes about three-quarters of a cup, enough for four additional sandwiches.

This salad features Madras curry powder—a blend of spices that includes turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon, all of which are antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and detoxifiers. Watercress is also a potent detoxifier.

Don’t let the cauliflower’s pale hue fool you into thinking it’s less nutritious than more colorful vegetables; a member of the Brassica family, it contains powerful compounds that help detoxify the liver and fight cancer.

Stuffed with quinoa, black beans, mushrooms, and corn, these peppers make a satisfying vegetarian main course. Poblanos are among the mildest chiles, although they still offer a nice zing. Chipotle chiles are smoked, roasted jalapeños, usually sold in cans with a spicy adobo sauce.

A relative of spinach and beets, Swiss chard offers fantastic antioxidant protection in the form of carotenoids, which help maintain eye health, boost immunity, and may even fight cancer. Here, chard leaves are rolled around a protein-rich quinoa-mushroom filling for an elegant entrée.

Made with both carrots and carrot juice, this brightly colored soup is loaded with betacarotene. If you don’t have a vegetable juicer, look for bottled carrot juice at your grocery store or health-food market, or better yet, buy it fresh from a juice bar.

This refined mushroom soup, made with dried and fresh varieties and topped with a poached egg, is beautiful and nutritious. Look for porcini mushrooms near the produce section of your grocery store.

Any combination of mushrooms works well in this dish; choose among shiitake, cremini, oyster, or maitake.

Be sure to purchase firm or extra-firm tofu for this soup, as it will hold up better in hot liquid than softer varieties. Miso should be added only at the end of cooking because its flavor and healthful qualities are affected when it’s boiled or exposed to prolonged high temperatures. Whisk it with a bit of liquid first so that it is quickly and evenly distributed.

Miso, a combination of fermented soybeans and rice or barley, is a great source of zinc, a natural immunity booster. White miso has less sodium than other types; here, it’s combined with rice vinegar, brown sugar, and water to make a marinade for salmon. Cilantro, ginger, and chile (along with a few other ingredients) are quickly pureed into a sauce for the broiled fish. Serve with brown rice or soba (buckwheat) noodles.

This vegetarian version of the classic dish omits the anchovies and replaces the tuna with cannellini beans; navy beans or chickpeas are other options.

High-protein lentils are enlivened here by coriander, ginger, mint, and cilantro. For the best flavor, toast whole coriander seeds, then grind them to a fine powder. In a pinch, you can substitute a teaspoon of ground coriander instead of grinding your own. Beets add heart-healthy iron, potassium, and folate.

Rather than relying on store-bought curry paste, this dish uses a quick homemade version that’s incomparably fresh and vibrantly flavored. For a thicker curry, mash some of the squash with the back of a wooden spoon.

The fiber in lentils helps to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. French green lentils cook more quickly and retain a firmer texture than the more common brown ones.

Lentils are a particularly robust source of protein, folate, and iron. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers provide more vitamin C and carotenoids than green ones; these powerful antioxidants support eye health, boost immunity, and fight heart disease. This nutritious make-ahead salad is perfect for a packable lunch, picnic, or barbecue.

This main-course salad combines chard, mushrooms, and quinoa to form a satisfying vegetarian meal abundant with vitamins, minerals, and complete protein.

Brown rice is the foundation of a simple, protein-filled vegetarian dish when it’s paired with tofu. Spinach is “steamed” in the same pan for the ultimate in ease—and nutritional value.