Herbs & Spices

Sweet meets spicy when parboiled baby carrots are sautéed with honey, ginger, and sliced hot red chile. Not to be confused with the type sold in bags at the supermarket, the baby in this recipe are young carrots with the tops still attached. If you can’t find them, buy regular carrots; cut off the thick sections, then halve or quarter them.

This aromatic stew can be made with other types of fish, including haddock or regular cod, but sablefish delivers higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. A whole-wheat baguette is good for sopping up the broth.

This native American fish—a relative of Pacific salmon and Arctic char—is prized for its delicate flavor. While fishing is the only way to obtain wild rainbow trout in this country, supermarkets carry stock from U.S. farms. Fortunately, rainbow trout farms are generally well managed and sustainable, with a low risk of pollution.

Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar combine to make a tart, sweet dressing for all kinds of berries—a high variety ensures you’ll get a range of antioxidants. Serve the salad as is or topped with chopped toasted nuts.

This basic poaching recipe yields salmon that can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. Here, salmon and a few hard-cooked eggs provide protein to a colorful salad composed of fresh vegetables and mixed herbs from the farmers’ market.

In addition to vitamins A, C, and K, parsley contains the phytochemical polyacetylene, which helps reduce cancer risk.

Heating tomatoes helps make the cancer-fighting carotenoid lycopene more available to the body. Because lycopene is fat soluble, cooking tomatoes in a little oil helps the body absorb even more of this potent antioxidant.

Papaya supplies hefty doses of vitamin A and enzymes to aid morning digestion.

Steamed artichokes are often served with melted butter and other sauces that are high in fat and have little nutritional value. The dips here use healthier ingredients and integrate spices and herbs for bold flavor.

Chopped almonds contribute substantial fiber, calcium, potassium, and zinc to simply prepared trout fillets. For a light supper, serve the fish with baby lettuce leaves and lemon wedges for squeezing over the dish.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Vegetables, of course, make healthy snacks, and are especially appetizing when served with flavorful dips. Yellow split peas are the protein-rich basis of one spread; tarama—cured carp or cod roe, used in Greek and Turkish cooking—flavors the other. The roe is soaked in water to remove much of its saltiness, then squeezed of excess moisture. Look for tarama at specialty food stores. Serve dips with crudités and toasted baguette or whole-grain bread slices.

Apples are very versatile—they work well with a variety of nuts, spices, and natural sweeteners. Rome Beauty apples hold up especially well during baking. Here, pecans, vanilla, and dark brown sugar create a winning combination of flavors in skillet-baked apples, irresistible served warm from the oven.

Think of this recipe as a basic formula for making rice bowls, and then vary the beans (use canned ones to save time), squash, and greens, as desired.

The peaches and cherries in this quickly prepared dessert are a great source of vitamins A and C. Vanilla beans are available in many large supermarkets and most specialty food shops; you can substitute one teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the one-half bean used below (don’t use imitation vanilla, which contains artificial ingredients).