Healthy Easter Recipes

Pure maple syrup adds body and rich flavor to the dressing, providing a perfect counterpoint to the smoked cheese.

Popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa, shakshuka is a healthy skillet recipe featuring eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. To make this variation, we roast the tomatoes and onion with garlic and herbs to intensify their flavors. Serve with warm crusty bread and hot sauce.

The secret to the sparkling flavor of these delicately crumbed muffins is the strips of lemon zest finely ground into the sugar. Enjoy the muffins warm right from the oven.

These easy and classic cookies incorporate mild-tasting white whole-wheat flour for extra fiber and nutrients.

Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect--people think it's health food, but it's usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don't worry, it's still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple.

We take all the ingredients of a classic caprese salad and layer them onto skewers for a quick appetizer. These tomato-mozzarella-basil skewers are easy to assemble and perfect for a party.

When Paul Newman and Michel Nischan opened their Westport, Connecticut, restaurant Dressing Room, Paul's request was that the menu always include a chopped salad that you could eat with a spoon. This chopped salad recipe is full of great flavors, colors and textures, featuring celery, carrots, red pepper, apple, cucumber, greens, cabbage, goat cheese and almonds. This is great for any holiday meal: you can let it stand and it stays crisp.

A double dose of lemon juice and zest brings fresh and tangy flavor to these easy brownies. They're the perfect dessert for any holiday or special occasion—or when you just need a little something to brighten your day.

These gluten-free muffins use finely ground rolled oats in place of flour. That gives the fruit- and nut-studded muffins a tender texture and fluffy crumb. To make the muffins even easier, everything is combined in the blender so you can blend, pour, bake and enjoy.

This lightened-up cake has the flavor of real vanilla beans, but it's still sweet, delicious, and ready to eat as is or topped with your favorite frosting.

This quick crumble topping is convenient to have on hand.

We love the taste of dill relish in the filling of this deviled egg recipe, but if you like a sweeter deviled egg‚ opt for sweet relish instead. Our secret to healthy, creamy deviled eggs with fewer calories is to swap out half the full-fat mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt.

This easy and healthy zucchini bread recipe is elevated to company-worthy brunch fare with the addition of fresh blueberries to the batter and a simple lemon glaze and toasted almonds on top. A combination of whole-wheat flour and oats in the batter make it more nutritious--and more interesting--than standard zucchini bread, too!

Perfect meringues depend on totally yolk-free whites. The seemingly fussy step of separating each egg into a small bowl before combining them guarantees yolk-free whites for bakeshop-quality meringues every time. These crispy little morsels travel well and make great gifts too.

These easy apple-cinnamon fruit bars make a big batch--perfect for fall potlucks and parties.

This pretty pink cocktail would be perfect for a bridal shower luncheon. Any leftover pureed juice is refreshing on its own.

This creamy spinach casserole recipe is a more sophisticated cousin to creamed spinach. It's perfect for weekend entertaining or as a holiday side dish.

Honey and almonds flavor this simple (and gluten-free) cake. It's lovely for afternoon tea or a spring holiday dessert. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites--they should be white and very foamy, but not at all stiff or able to hold peaks. If you beat them too much, the cake may sink in the middle as it cools.

Serve these caramelized pear slices over ice cream, stir into plain yogurt or enjoy as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Brown-skinned Bosc pears hold their shape during cooking, but any variety of pears tastes delicious.

This quick and easy lemony and herb pasta dish makes a delicious side. Try adding chicken or shrimp for a more complete meal.

Try this cherry sorbet recipe with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream or some more chopped cherries on top.

Make this creamy carrot-and-parsnip casserole for your next holiday meal--everyone will beg you for the recipe! Our healthier version skips the heavy cream and butter found in most recipes--saving about 160 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat compared to a traditional version.

Homemade poppy seed dressing pairs beautifully with tender spinach, crunchy almonds and juicy berries for a fantastically refreshing and easy spring salad. To make ahead, whisk dressing, combine salad ingredients and store separately. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving. To make it a complete meal, top with grilled chicken or shrimp.

Pancakes are a weekend brunch necessity (mimosas, too), but making them for a crowd is time-consuming. Instead, bake four kinds of pancakes—peanut butter, chocolate chip, raspberry and blueberry—at once with this easy sheet-pan pancake recipe. Making several different pancakes in one batch means you can easily please your whole brunch party, including yourself!