Healthy Mealtime Recipes

These super-crispy and browned air-fryer Brussels sprouts with sweet onions and salty bacon--all amped up with bright lemon juice--are sure to be a hit, whether you serve them for a weeknight side dish or as part of your holiday spread for Thanksgiving. This recipe makes enough to serve eight but is easily halved, though once you taste it you may well want a double serving. And if you prefer a vegetarian side, simply omit the bacon.

Making turkey breast in the slow cooker guarantees moist, juicy meat every time. And it creates intensely flavorful drippings for homemade gravy. This slow-cooker turkey breast is perfect for Thanksgiving but it's easy enough that you can pull it together anytime you're in the mood for a turkey dinner (or a sandwich stuffed with leftover turkey).

Making this your best Hanukkah dish starts with choosing the right ingredients, such as the potatoes (russets are tops for their high starch and low moisture content). We've also found that a small amount of baking powder makes them lighter and airier than using eggs alone. Finishing these baked latkes in the oven ensures they come out hot and crispy.

During the holidays, we need workhorse recipes. This savory tart recipe--which works for breakfast, lunch or a casual dinner--is just that.

Kumquats deliver a piquant burst of citrus, especially when eaten skins, seeds and all. Here we toss them with a trio of greens for their vivid orange color as much as their zestiness. Pomegranate seeds and pistachios bring a jewel­like finish.

Flecks of chard bring an earthy sweetness and festive look to these twisted breadsticks. Spinach would also work.

You can go without using oil if you are cooking broccoli rabe in the dry heat of a skillet. It adds a nice sear to the oranges as well. Seasoned with toasty sesame, this healthy vegetable side dish is an easy flavor upgrade.

This homemade stuffing recipe is special because it comes complete with a sausage-making lesson from the Sausage King himself, author and famed business owner Bruce Aidells.

Pork shoulder makes a wonderful roast because it has enough fat to keep it moist and tender during low and slow cooking. The citrus sauce has a smoky, agave sweetness from the tequila and produces a bright counterpoint to the unctuous meat. Serve any extra sauce for dipping.

Carrot juice adds a sweet and earthy counterpoint to the smoky mezcal.

The edible wild mushrooms you can find depend on where you live. They add woodsy and earthy flavors, but cultivated cremini and white buttons are delicious here too. Well-stocked supermarkets often have cultivated "wild" varieties like hen of the woods, matsutake, yellowfoot and hedgehog--all great in this recipe.

This recipe features a brisket rub to rule all other brisket rubs. Covering the brisket with parchment paper before putting the lid on the pot is a classic French technique that creates a more richly flavored sauce.

These mini frittatas make a great breakfast or brunch for a crowd, and help keep portion size in check. Grate whole nutmeg on a microplane or box grater for the most fragrant results.

While this type of cured salmon, called gravlax, is usually made with skin-on salmon, this recipe removes the skin and rubs the curing mixture on both sides for better flavor penetration. Ask your fishmonger for a center-cut piece of salmon that's consistently 1 1/2 inches thick for the best results. Green peppercorns are often sold in a brine, but you'll want to seek out dried ones for this recipe.

Russets are the creamiest, best potatoes for mashed potatoes. A drizzle of browned butter on top adds a nutty flavor that mingles nicely with tangy yogurt and fragrant sage.

This gratin dish has all of the craveable flavors of artichoke dip in a more sophisticated form. It makes a terrific side with any roasted meats or poultry.

These roasted smashed potatoes show off all the goodness of russets: fluffy insides surrounded by shatteringly crisp skin. The easy horseradish sauce topping adds a delicious flavor boost.

A tangy Indian-spiced cranberry chutney is a flavorful way to perk up simple roasted winter squash.

This ruby-red cranberry relish recipe gets refreshing crunch from apple and celery. It's also delightful alongside a roast chicken or pork loin.

Teach your kids about the power of aromatic compounds with this recipe: Adding coconut milk to the broth not only adds subtle coconut flavor, but the fat in the liquid also helps the ginger, lemongrass and basil "bloom," releasing even more tastiness.