Vegan

Have you ever tried using fancy sea salts in your cooking? This recipe is a great place to try a special salt. Because the flavors are so simple, a nice salt really stands out and pairs perfectly with the beans and lime juice. If you happen to have little girls, it’s always fun to use pink sea salt that you shave yourself—they’re likely to think it looks like a jewel. That said, traditional sea salt tastes great, too. If you’re entertaining with this dish, be sure to toss the beans in the lime juice and salt just before serving your guests. The acid in the lime juice may cause the beans to eventually turn brown (though even if this happens, they’ll still taste great).

As with other nuts, you may find a variety of pine nuts available in your local grocery store. Toasted, salted, dry-roasted, raw, and even seasoned varieties are available in markets today. Be sure to look for pine nuts that are raw or dry-roasted, which means they’ve been roasted without any added oils or fats. Though I normally prefer dry-roasted, here they’ll toast in the pan, which will give the dish great flavor. To trim peas, just break off the stem end and strip the string away from the edge. It’s a great project for the kids.

Please note the thickness of asparagus spears varies widely. Thinner spears take only a few minutes to cook, while thicker spears easily take 6 minutes or even longer with this preparation. So plan based on the thickness of the spears you have, and make sure to stop cooking them as soon as they reach desired doneness.

Snow peas with tomatoes—it may seem an odd combination at first, but everyone in my office was really excited about this dish. Between the crisp peas and juicy tomatoes, it has a great texture and flavor, and it’s definitely different from the traditional veggie sides we’re used to.

For this recipe, it’s best to cut the basil into fine slivers. Though it seems like that might take some time, it doesn’t have to. Just stack a few basil leaves, then roll the stack from the stem end to the tip. Then make fine cuts across the miniature “log” of leaves. You’ll have a pile of long slivers that create the perfect flavor burst in this recipe and are excellent for garnishing other dishes in seconds.

The exotic flavor of this dish was really surprising to me, considering it uses only a few very basic ingredients. Just note that the rice noodles do stick together slightly (rice noodles are very starchy so they can be a bit sticky). Adding a touch of olive oil keeps them manageable. Sticky or not, I love them, especially used here in this delicious Asian-inspired dish, reminiscent of those super popular boxed noodles. It’s sophisticated enough for guests, yet your kids will love it, too! Note that though these noodles might seem scary to the novice, they’re incredibly easy to work with. Try to keep them as intact as possible when pulling them apart. Pull them the long way, so the noodles stay longer, instead of being broken in half. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, just estimate and use about 1/4 of a 16-ounce package.

Potatoes have gotten a bad rap in recent years, but the hype is just that—hype. A 5-ounce potato with skin has only 110 calories and more potassium than a medium banana. It also contains 45 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C and is a significant source of dietary fiber. It’s the toppings that are the problem, not the potatoes themselves. If you don’t love steak fries as much as I do, feel free to make your fries any size—just be sure to watch them carefully, as the cooking time will vary.

I was at a restaurant while on the road for an appearance when I glanced at a menu and saw “Old Bay Potato Wedges.” Though the idea seemed perfect, I knew they’d be fried. So instead of ordering them, I immediately texted Stephanie, my Test Kitchen Goddess, and told her we needed to make them. Within days, we created our version, which makes me way happier and more satisfied than any fried version ever could.

Lots of folks are tricked by markets that boast to be health food stores or natural food stores or even have the word fresh in their name. Though there is definitely something to be said for eating foods that are minimally processed, just because you do doesn’t mean you’ll be healthy in terms of weight, cholesterol, etc. I was recently at a natural food market where I saw a breaded portobello mushroom in the deli case. I thought it was a great idea until I looked at the nutritional information. It had a ridiculous amount of total fat, saturated fat, and calories. Believe it or not, the turkey meatballs were almost as bad. So I trudged home and made my own version in minutes. The team in my kitchen was particularly excited about this recipe, especially since each breaded mushroom has only 64 calories!

These potato chips are shockingly fresh and tasty right from the microwave, and they’re healthier than almost any chips on the market. Plus, they’re likely to save you a lot of cash since baked chips tend to be quite expensive, yet large bags of fresh potatoes are not.

Kids will definitely go for these logs. Make them for breakfast or even as an after-school snack. They’re so delicious, the kids won’t balk at eating fruit. If you have them, feel free to use corn-on-the-cob holders to assist in coating the bananas. You don’t absolutely need them, but they’ll help keep the peanut butter where it belongs—on the bananas.

Toast the mini pita in a toaster or toaster oven. Just be careful, if using a toaster, when removing them. I keep a set of wooden chopsticks on hand for safely “fishing” smaller items from the toaster. I love this dish following a quick breakfast omelet or scramble. It has only about 100 calories, so it provides a guilt-free sweet treat after lean protein to fill me (or you!) up. If you’re making this for small children, they’re likely to love it even more if you mix the bruschetta topping with the yogurt and then stuff it in the pitas—they’re apt to find it easier to eat.

We all need energy to start our days off right, and a healthy and hearty breakfast is the perfect way to do just that. When it comes to getting nutrition and satisfying early morning hunger, it doesn’t get much better than this creamy cereal. You’ll be shocked by how refreshing and rich this dish tastes. But in addition to being decadent, this breakfast is also packed with great nutrients like calcium, vitamin C, and iron.

In recent years, pomegranates have emerged as one of the healthiest fruits due to their powerful antioxidants. Here’s a quick spin on plain oatmeal you can enjoy for its delicious flavor while reaping the great benefits of this superfood.

What kid (big or small) doesn’t love peanut butter and jelly? Well, here’s an adult twist on the combination that incorporates all the health benefits of oatmeal and still allows you to enjoy this classic comfort combo. And the kids will love it, too!

This sandwich was actually the brainchild of my trainer, Brian, who eats it all the time. Make it for your kids before school, or for yourself when you want to add a little decadence to your morning. Heck, it’s not only super tasty, it’s trainer-approved.