Nut Free

A light cream sauce enhanced with Parmesan cheese coats fresh spinach in this side dish. Try it with pork chops, fish fillets, or turkey cutlets.

Fresh dillweed and parsley perk up this low-salt version of a classic.

Creamy and just a wee bit spicy, this classic dressing is the finishing touch that will make your salad creations irresistible.

With this recipe, you don’t need to buy many ingredients or spend much time in the kitchen to get a colorful and tasty side dish.

Roasting veggies over high heat retains those delightful concentrated flavors.

Cooking the squash in a nonstick skillet gives it a caramelized crust that heightens its sweetness, which in turn is complemented by a light glaze of orange.

Green tea on your salad? Yes, it makes a great base for this Asian-style dressing, which lets you duplicate the flavor of restaurant salads at home without all the extra salt. Toss the dressing with a variety of salad greens and raw vegetables for a side salad or add grilled chicken, shrimp, or lean beef strips for an entrée.

Simple main dishes, such as broiled or grilled steak, pork chops, chicken breasts, or leftover Meat Loaf (page 184), get all dressed up with the addition of this sauce.

Whenever you need a basic white sauce, this recipe does the trick. It’s also a useful substitute when a casserole recipe calls for a can of condensed creamy soup, which is usually high in sodium.

Fresh lemon juice and garlic intensify the flavor of this dressing. You’ll be able to complement many different types of salad with it and its variations.

Dinner is on the table in minutes when Pacific Rim Flank Steak (page 180) or other cooked steak becomes part of this entrée salad.

Serve this easy sauce over fish, use it as a dip for raw vegetables, or spoon it over sliced cucumbers.

This salad gets its flavor from cumin, jalapeño, lime juice—and, surprisingly, a touch of honey.

After trying our healthful version of barbecue sauce, you’ll wonder why you ever bought the bottled kind.

Make a batch of this wonderful sauce ahead of time for the best blending of flavors. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or pour it into a freezer container and freeze it for up to six months.

Celery and green onions give this versatile salad a crunch and a fresh taste that will make you want to use it as often as you can—to stuff a tomato, fill half a pita, or provide protein on a salad plate.

The combination of fresh basil and lime in the dressing makes this dish distinctive and delightful. It’s a nice and easy way to work some fish into your week.

The right amount of mustard is a key ingredient for great potato salad. Since yellow mustard is usually high in sodium, this recipe calls for dry mustard instead.

Spice up lean grilled hamburgers, chicken breasts, or pork tenderloin with this wonderful salsa, which gets its smoky flavor from the chipotle chile. Regulate the heat from mild to spicy by the amount of chipotle you add.

Sweet and spicy, this fruit salsa is a refreshing accompaniment to grilled chicken, pork, fish, or shrimp. It is also great as a quick, healthy snack when served on apple or pear slices or warm whole-wheat pita triangles.