Oven Bake

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS ARE EASY TO PREPARE but have a wow factor that will impress your guests (or your family). Earthy kale and savory olive tapenade come together to dress up ordinary chicken.

THIS MEATLOAF IS DRESSED-UP COMFORT FOOD. Made with ground turkey, chicken sausage, and cheese curds, it’s a healthy dish that might just replace your mom’s recipe as the best meatloaf around. You can use any cheese, but we like using curds because they don’t melt completely, adding texture in every bite, while the cheese curds on the outside of the meatloaf get deliciously caramelized. The leftovers make terrific meatloaf sandwiches.

IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, halibut season begins in March and lasts until late summer, but halibut cheeks are a delicacy with which few people are familiar. Halibut cheeks have a distinctive texture, almost like a scallop, and they’re more forgiving than the fillets or steaks in terms of cooking time. While other cuts are easily overcooked, halibut cheeks still taste delicious with a few extra minutes of cooking time. Although halibut cheeks can be found in most fish shops and in the frozen food sections of many grocery stores nationwide, if you can’t find them, substitute halibut fillets cut into 3-ounce pieces. Halibut cheeks vary greatly in size; the smaller ones have more flavor. Serve three small cheeks per person. Adjust accordingly if you’re using larger cheeks.

ALL SUMMER LONG we find thousands of uses for crab. Crab soup, crab salad, crab sandwiches—there’s no dish that doesn’t taste better with crab. We created this recipe with leftover Easiest Crab Salad (page 46), but if you can’t get Dungeness crab, substitute blue crab, chopped prawns or bay shrimp, or even lobster in this recipe.

THIS IS A TRULY DECADENT DISH, but you won’t want to save it for special occasions. Adding another Pacific Northwest flavor to our classic mac and cheese was easy; the base is a cheese sauce made from flavorful crab stock, and cauliflower balances the sweet crab flavor.

THIS IS THE SAME GREAT BEECHER’S MAC AND CHEESE recipe taken to a new level, with the spice of chiles and the addition of vegetables. Feel free to experiment with leftover cheeses for new flavor combinations.

GOOD TO KNOW Cooking in parchment packets is a low-fat, no-mess technique for preparing eggs. Here, mushrooms and spinach—and a mere drizzle of olive oil—are baked along with the eggs for a delicious meal any time of day.

GOOD TO KNOW Cooking vegetables in parchment is a great way to highlight their flavor while preserving their nutrients (and low-calorie profiles). Group vegetables with similar cooking times so they’ll be ready at once.

GOOD TO KNOW Cooking vegetables in parchment is a great way to highlight their flavor while preserving their nutrients (and low-calorie profiles). Group vegetables with similar cooking times so they’ll be ready at once.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Using part-skim cheeses—such as the ricotta and mozzarella in this recipe—in place of full-fat versions is one easy way to make a favorite pasta dish healthier. And before they are filled and rolled, the eggplant slices are baked, without any oil, instead of being breaded and fried.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Whole-wheat tortillas contain fewer calories than traditional pizza crusts, and they crisp quickly in the oven. Topping each round with just a sprinkle of part-skim mozzarella and a few shavings of pecorino cheese also results in a lighter pizza. Complete the low-calorie meal with an arugula salad.

GOOD TO KNOW Cod and other lean, firm-fleshed fish are good choices for steaming, since they stay moist after cooking. To steam in the oven, combine fillets in a baking dish with rice vinegar (or another flavorful liquid, such as lemon juice or wine), oil, and aromatics, then cover the dish tightly to trap in moisture as the fish cooks.

GOOD TO KNOW The full-flavored traditional Mexican sauce called mole is made from dried chile, garlic, tomatoes, chocolate, and spices. Serve the leftover sauce with pork or use it to make enchiladas. Here, a salad of romaine and radish plus rice flecked with scallion completes the meal.

SECRET INGREDIENT Each of these little pies has a “crust” made from polenta, a whole-grain, low-fat alternative to buttery doughs. This recipe calls for prepared polenta in a vacuum-wrapped tube, sold at most supermarkets; if you can’t find it, follow the recipe on page 134 to make your own, and cut into small rounds (instead of wedges) with a cookie cutter the same size as the baking dishes.

WHY IT’S LIGHT To produce onion rings that are wonderfully crisp and not at all greasy, bake them instead of deep-frying. Preheating the oiled baking sheet before adding the onion slices helps ensure a crunchy outer coat, as do crushed cornflakes in the batter.

GOOD TO KNOW Quinoa—a nutritional powerhouse that’s also an excellent source of protein—stars in this vegetarian main; chopped walnuts complement quinoa’s nutty taste. Choose short, squat bell peppers that will stand upright easily.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Because they are baked, these “breaded” fish fillets are lower in fat—and much easier to prepare—than fried versions. Coating only the top of the fish with an herbed breadcrumb mixture also helps. Roasted broccoli makes the perfect seasonal side dish.

SMART SUBSTITUTIONS Small swap-ins can make a big difference. Whole-wheat noodles, low-fat cottage cheese, and lean ground sirloin lighten up this lasagna. Sautéed eggplant rounds out the ground-beef sauce; melted part-skim mozzarella on top (but not inside) keeps the dish feeling indulgent, but more moderately so.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Baking the lightly breaded pieces on a wire rack results in “fried” chicken that is lower in fat and calories; removing the skin before cooking also helps. For spicier chicken, add a few drops of hot sauce to the buttermilk marinade.