Healthy New Year's Dinner Party Recipes

Fragrant fennel does quadruple duty in this recipe--fennel seed flavors the brine, there's fennel pollen in the glaze, the pork roasts on a bed of fresh fennel and the fronds garnish the dish. Serve with roasted new potatoes, a green salad and a glass of pinot noir.

Cauliflower stands in for potato in this taterless cauliflower tot recipe. Cauliflower is mashed, then mixed with cheese and given a crispy breadcrumb coating before being baked. These healthy cauliflower tater tots make a delicious side dish, appetizer or movie-night snack. Dip them in regular ketchup or make a spicy dipping sauce: Combine 1/3 cup ketchup with 2 tablespoons sriracha chile sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

In this roasted Brussels sprouts recipe, pancetta--cured Italian-style bacon--seasons sweet Brussels sprouts with a hint of salt and a touch of smoke that goes nicely with the fresh sage. These Brussels sprouts are the perfect vegetable side dish to any turkey, pork or chicken dinner.

Our chicken piccata, served over whole-wheat pasta, has a rich lemon-caper sauce that's made with extra-virgin olive oil and just a touch of butter for flavor. If you like, you can use a mild fish like tilapia or even shrimp instead of chicken breast.

Our stuffed shells are filled with spinach, sautéed onions and part-skim ricotta and topped with prepared marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. The shells hold and reheat well, which makes them great for entertaining.

Slowly adding hot broth to arborio rice helps release the starch from the rice, giving risotto its characteristic silky, creamy texture. We add a splash of wine along with each addition of broth to give the dish a more pronounced wine flavor. If you'd prefer the wine to be more subtle, add the entire cup at the end of Step 2 and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, then begin adding the broth. If you prefer to omit wine, use more broth in its place.

Any variety of mushroom will work in this creamy vegetarian pasta sauce, but we particularly like a combination of shiitake, oyster and cremini. Adding a few wild varieties, such as chanterelle or lobster mushrooms, will make the sauce extra-special.

In a hurry? These satisfying quesadillas take just 15 minutes to make. We like them with black beans, but pinto beans work well too. If you like a little heat, be sure to use pepper Jack cheese in the filling. Serve with: A little sour cream and a mixed green salad.

Our savory cauliflower puree makes a perfect low-carb stand-in for mashed potatoes. It gets its fabulous flavor from garlic, buttermilk and a touch of butter and, best of all, it has about one-quarter of the calories of typical mashed potatoes. If you like, vary it by adding shredded low-fat cheese or chopped fresh herbs.

Our healthier version of the cocktail party favorite loads up on artichokes and plenty of Parmesan cheese, garlic and lemon zest for flavor. Who says healthier can't taste better?

Roasting garlic and thyme in olive oil infuses them with a heady flavor that makes a luxurious addition to these mashed potatoes. Purple potatoes make a delightful lavender mash, but you can use white potatoes if you prefer.

This healthy gingerbread cookie recipe incorporates white whole-wheat flour and uses less butter than traditional gingerbread cookies. These thin, sugar-kissed cookies are then topped with white icing and natural red decorating sugar to make a beautiful treat.

This healthy thumbprint cookie recipe has all the flavors of a traditional gingerbread cookie: cinnamon, ginger, cloves and molasses. These soft and chewy gingerbread cookies have an extra kick of spice with a crystallized ginger coating and are filled with raspberry jam--but feel free to fill them with whatever type of jam or preserves you have on hand.

An updated and untraditional rémoulade makes a tangy sauce for these spice-rubbed shrimp. While this is a warm-weather favorite on the grill, you can also cook the shrimp under a preheated broiler. Cook shrimp on a lightly sprayed broiler rack, about 4 inches from the heat, for a winter warmer any night of the week.

You might be tempted to save beef filet for special occasions, but this low-fat cut is actually perfect weekday fare: it cooks up fast, stays juicy and carries other flavors perfectly. The kebabs are a wonderful mix of lemon, herbs and fresh vegetables.

Spicy peanut sauce is the perfect match for these Thai-marinated grilled chicken strips.

Saffron, tomato and a touch of cream yields a flavorful sauce for these simple steamed mussels. Soak up the sauce with plenty of crusty whole-grain baguette.

You'll feel like you're dining in a French bistro when you sit down to a bowl of these mussels, flavored with fennel, garlic, tomatoes and white wine. Save some of the fennel fronds to sprinkle on top to intensify the fennel flavor or add a touch of fresh basil if you prefer. Serve with whole-grain baguette to soak up the sauce.

Hunter's Chicken is found across Northern Italy, with many variations. This version uses meaty bone-in chicken thighs and is full of onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. It's also delicious served over egg noodles.

Rich, red-wine-infused risotto is served as a first course or side dish all over Northern Italy. The type of wine used varies according to region. In Piedmont, a local Barbera or Barbaresco is the wine of choice. Any dry red wine that's good enough to drink can be used in its place.