Cookbooks

This salad’s simple appearance belies its delicious combination of Mexicaninspired flavors. Studded with corn, pumpkin seeds, and red peppers, it makes a substantial lunch on its own, or a side dish for dinner.

In these vegetarian rolls, shredded cabbage adds cancer-fighting betacarotene; nori—sheets of dried seaweed—supplies calcium, magnesium, and iron; and shiitakes boost the immune system, thanks to the active compound lentinan. Look for soba noodles and nori in the Asian foods section of your grocery store.

Surprisingly enough, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) isn’t a true grain but the seeds of a plant related to chard and spinach. Protein rich and loaded with vitamins and minerals, the sweet, nutty seeds boost energy and can help fight migraines and osteoporosis, as well as improve vision.

The eye-popping combination of hues in this salad is sure to perk up the appetite, which in turn stimulates digestive enzymes. Pairing grapefruit and avocado also delivers nutritionally: Red grapefruit contains lycopene—which may help lower risk of heart disease and pancreatic, lung, and prostate cancers—and the antioxidant is best absorbed when eaten with healthy fat, such as that contained in avocado.

This sauce tastes great over pasta, fish, or grilled chicken—and is packed with beneficial lycopene from the cooked tomatoes.

Long known as a foe of the cholesterol-conscious, eggs have garnered a bad rap. However, there is much to redeem this powerful protein source; in moderation, eggs—which were first recorded as food in China around 1400 b.c.—supply a wealth of nutrients in one delicate, affordable package.

Lightly sautéed greens transform a standard egg-and-toast breakfast into a special morning meal that could also serve as a light supper. The kale adds a healthy boost of calcium, folic acid, and carotenoids, as well as vitamin K.

Egg salad sandwiches are often loaded with mayonnaise, but this version relies instead on ricotta and yogurt for creaminess. Watercress and whole-grain bread are other healthful updates. Eggs, of course, provide high-quality protein in addition to a variety of other nutrients, such as choline.

More than just a thrifty snack scooped from a jack-o’-lantern, pumpkin seeds are a true nutritional treasure, rich in protein and minerals. Pumpkins yield large, flat seeds with a slightly chewy texture and a mellow, nutty flavor. Depending on the variety of the pumpkin, some of the olive-green seeds come encased in an edible white shell.

Although more commonly cooked, brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, and kale also make delicious raw salads, as long as they’re thinly sliced. This salad—which combines two of the vegetables—serves as a particularly nice fall or winter first course, when it’s hard to find flavorful leaf lettuces.

Firm, buttery-tasting edamame stand in for lima beans in this all-American side dish. If you can’t find fresh edamame, frozen work just as well.

Kiwifruit, lime juice, chiles, and cilantro make a tropical—and antioxidant-rich—accompaniment to simple seared shrimp; you can also use the relish to top grilled fish, or as a healthy dip with tortilla chips. Serve the shrimp and relish with black lentils and whole-wheat naan (Indian flatbread), as shown, or with brown rice and tortillas.

Pomegranate juice offers powerful antioxidants that strengthen the vascular system. Flaxseed adds a boost of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.

Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, beans are the cornerstone of a healthy diet and a nutritional fountain of youth. Researchers have found that eating these earthy-tasting legumes is one of the most important dietary factors in longevity.

Roasting beets takes a bit longer than boiling them, but the time spent is well worth it for the resulting rich flavor. Using both the greens and the roots makes beets a great bargain.

This Mediterranean-inspired dessert is a good source of two types of fiber—soluble, from the oranges, and insoluble, thanks to the hazelnuts. Look for orange-flower water at specialty grocers.

In this simple dish that originated in the northeast of Italy, olive oil serves as both a key ingredient and a garnish.

Dark chocolate, walnuts, and crystallized ginger combine in these incomparably good biscotti. Chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa helps keep them rich but not too sweet.

Traditional Japanese soba noodles can be made of wheat or buckwheat, a fruit seed related to rhubarb that’s loaded with manganese and the antioxidants quercetin and kaempferol. Because the seed is also gluten free, buckwheat noodles are a good choice for those with gluten sensitivities.