22 Brain-Healthy Dinners You'll Want to Make in 2022

The vibrant combo of cheese, cilantro, chili, and lime--inspired by Mexican street corn--makes this salmon sheet-pan dinner burst with flavor.

This simplified take on cheesy chicken enchiladas only requires one pan for cooking and eliminates the need to stuff and roll corn tortillas. Charring the veggies in a cast-iron skillet adds depth of flavor. Don't worry if you don't have one, because you can use any oven-safe skillet instead.

Chef Jose "JoJo" Ruiz serves up sustainable seafood in "coastal cuisine"—featuring Mediterranean flavors like the combo of citrus, feta and parsley here—at his San Diego restaurants Lionfish and Serēa. Multicolored beets make this farro salad a pretty addition to any table, but if you're short on time, store-bought cooked beets (found in the refrigerated produce section) are just as delicious here.

These quick sweet potato and bean enchiladas are diabetes-friendly thanks to egg wraps that are lower in carbs than traditional tortillas. The vegetarian filling is both sweet and savory, while the topping adds texture and freshness.

In this creamy salmon pasta recipe, sun-dried tomatoes are used in two ways. The flavorful oil is used to sauté shallots, while the tomatoes get added to the cream sauce.

Cilantro adds color and flavor when blended to make a creamy dressing. Serve this healthy salad for lunch or dinner.

This healthy salmon dish is as balanced as it is delicious. You add broccoli right into the pot along with the pasta during its last minute of cooking to save time here. One less thing to wash too!

In this curried butternut squash soup, we leave the tender chunks of squash intact to give the soup texture. If you are starting with a whole squash, you can toast its seeds in place of the pepitas.

Taking inspiration from egg drop, this chicken-and-egg soup is enriched by drizzling in eggs whisked with fragrant sesame oil at the end of the cooking time. If in-season sweet corn is available, by all means use it—you'll need kernels from 3 to 4 ears. Add it in Step 3 when you return the shredded chicken to the soup to heat through just before serving.

We used quinoa to bump up the fiber and protein in this stir-fry-inspired dish. Rather than making an omelet or stirring in the eggs as you would for fried rice, we cook them in divots right in the veggie-filled quinoa for a fun presentation. Opt for a flat skillet over a wok so you have plenty of room to nestle in the eggs.

This comforting vegan lentil stew is incredibly satisfying thanks to hearty lentils and sweet potato. The leeks provide a savory allium note while the tomato paste, miso and cumin add bold flavor.

Making your own tostadas is easy. Use store-bought corn tortillas, brush them with olive oil and bake to crunchy perfection! Here we topped the tostada with refried beans and fresh pico de gallo for an easy 3-ingredient meal.

While the cauliflower gnocchi crisp up in a sauté pan, steam fresh asparagus in the microwave to keep it bright green and crisp-tender. Substitute frozen asparagus (or green beans or peas) in a pinch. Toss them together with prepared basil pesto for a satisfying supper.

You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping.

Lean ground turkey and cauliflower soak up the bold flavors in this easy chili. Using cauliflower stems along with the florets adds a meatier texture—just be sure to leave off the tough bottom inch or so of the stem. Make a double batch and eat it for lunch the next day, or freeze the extras for another night. We love the smoky heat from the chipotle peppers, but use less if you prefer a milder chili.

Bake eggs directly in a pepper for a gorgeous breakfast dish that all will enjoy. Use any colored bell pepper, just be sure to remove the seeds.

Chef Millie Peartree has been feeding the community in the Bronx, where she grew up, as a private chef, caterer and restaurant owner of Millie Peartree's Fish Fry & Soul Food for more than a decade. Her healthy-eating philosophy is all about making simple but flavorful protein-packed meals. Mango juice in the vinaigrette balances the spiced salmon and roasted vegetables on these grain bowls.

At Trio Plant-Based in Minneapolis, the first Black-owned plant-based restaurant in Minnesota, chef-owner Louis Hunter uses walnuts as a protein-rich substitute for ground beef to make these tacos. The ground nuts mimic the texture of meat quite nicely.

This vegan dish is a favorite of Chef Troy Levy, founder of Taste of Ital Jamaican in Brooklyn. The use of fresh fruits and vegetables roots it firmly in Ital cuisine—Ital, derived from the word "vital," is a lifestyle based on the Rastafarian faith—while the layered presentation shows off the skills he picked up working in high-end restaurants in New York City.

Give your morning eggs a tasty spin by building an easy individual pizza on a prepared naan.

This simple tuna salad with egg has a clean and balanced flavor. The capers and lemon bring acidity to help everything come together and chopped arugula adds a peppery kick. Enjoy it with greens or on a slice of your favorite whole-grain bread.

Amp up the protein and flavor of a box of risotto by adding some roasted white beans and prepared pesto. You'll be amazed how delicious it is when you combine these three easy ingredients!