I love pumpkin pie, especially covered with a dollop or two of real whipped cream. Trouble is, one slice packs tons of extra fat and calories that you don't need on top of everything else you've already enjoyed. A typical slice can have nearly 400 calories and more than 23 grams of fat.

You say tomato, they say pomodoro. And when they say it, they mean it. That's because the Italians are champions of simple, classically delicious ways of using fresh tomatoes.

Maybe you need another idea for packing fiber and vitamins into your child's lunch. Or maybe you're looking for a way to convince yourself to eat more fruit. Either way, making a dip (or three) to dunk your fruit in can make it a little more enticing, and a lot more fun.

I love summertime. Even more than that, I love summer food.

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (20 minutes active)

Sometimes the blues can be just what the doctor ordered, especially if they're the kind that grow on bushes.

Skinless chicken breasts have become the new cottage cheese — the ubiquitous base upon which so many weight-loss diets are built.

Moderation is a wonderful thing.

I love anything that tastes like celery, including celery root. The vegetable sounds like it's the root of those green stalks familiar to most people. Except it isn't. Celery root is from the celeriac plant, a relative of celery that is grown exclusively for its root. They taste similar, though celery root is a little nuttier. Both plants evolved from a wild celery native to Mediterranean marshlands.

For all sorts of reasons, soup tops my list of quick and convenient meals.

I just can't help but look at ingredients and try to find new and unexpected ways to use them.

A love of cheesecake is easily soured when you look at what goes into it.

Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (30 minutes active)

The holidays are here, and my bathroom scale is getting nervous.

To say that I love Thanksgiving dinner is similar to saying that expensive Champagne is something to satisfy your thirst.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

When in doubt, add whole grains. Or even better, start with them.

The crust in this fresh honeydew-blackberry tart is crispy and rich but made from healthful ingredients, such as white whole-wheat flour, ground almonds and some reduced-fat cream cheese. There's also just enough butter to add that familiar flavor you'd expect in a crust.

Coleslaw clearly trumps potato salad in the nutritional department, but cabbage slaws made with traditional, mayonnaise-based dressings still can bump up the calorie count of a cruciferous vegetable that starts out at a humble 16 calories per cup.

Jambalaya is a rich, tomato-based dish from Louisiana that is jammed with meat and bold flavorings. And it is not generally considered a healthy dish.

Start to finish: 25 minutes

The term "low-fat ice cream" is somewhat of an oxymoron. After all, it's in large part the butterfat in cream and whole milk that gives the frozen treat its luxurious texture and taste.

Start to finish: 35 minutes

Start to finish: 25 minutes

Looking to score a nutritional home run this spring? Consider cioppino, the tomato-based fish stew created by Italian immigrants in San Francisco.

The flesh of a ripe Hass avocado is so luxuriously buttery and creamy that you know from the first bite it's loaded with fat. The great news is that it nevertheless is good for you. The fat in an avocado is mostly the more healthful, monounsaturated kind, similar to olive and nut oils. Avocados also contain loads of nutrients and antioxidants.

1 onion, minced

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and dried on a towel

3/4 cup white quinoa, rinsed and drained

If you're hunting for a healthful grilling option, consider boneless, skinless turkey breasts.

Start to finish: 50 minutes

Start to finish: 35 minutes

Any meal that is golden and crunchy on the outside and oozes rich melted cheese from inside is bound to be a diet buster, right?

If by now you haven't hit turkey fatigue, consider going back to this all-American bird for easy, speedy and healthy weeknight meals.

Fill up to lose fat. If you're trying to lose weight, filling up on fiber and low-calorie liquids are key. Low-fat soups for example, especially varieties that are loaded with nutrient-rich vegetables, are an excellent way to go. They are both filling and low in calories.

When you're lining up the shots at your holiday party, don't hesitate to go a little nuts. Really.

The holidays are a tempting time to give up on healthful eating, but holiday cookies don't have to be the enemy.

Mini cocktail popovers are an elegant and satisfying choice for a healthy party food.

Creamed vegetable dishes are delicious, comforting classics. But it can be a bit troubling to take nature's most healthful foods and essentially nestle them in a pool of fat.

If you have Thanksgiving guests who turn their noses up at the sometimes sulfurous smell of broccoli, but you don't want to slather it with a fatty cheese sauce, try dressing it up with this savory, salty sauce made from olives, capers and lemon juice.

The term chowder usually brings to mind a steaming bowl of thick and chunky soup, often enriched with a generous amount of whole milk, or even cream.

A good scare on Halloween is fine, unless it's from reading the nutrition label on one of your kid's treats (or one of your own, for that matter).

Buffalo sliders — higher in iron and lower in fat and cholesterol than their beef counterparts — are a slick way to enjoy a burger without the two-fisted guilt.

Makes 6 servings

You've probably looked right at them dozens of times, those greenish, papery, lantern-like things in the bin next to the tomatoes at the market. And then you probably moved on.

Looking to liven up your salads?

A smoky grill is a great way to add loads of flavor to food without added fat. But it comes with some risk.

Conventional wisdom says that cooking vegetables tends to diminish their nutritional prowess. And while there is some truth to this, it isn't always the case.