Healthy New Year's Dinner Party Recipes

With fresh mussels increasingly available at supermarket fish counters, you can easily make this bistro favorite at home.

Seared steak topped with a dollop of garlicky aioli makes a simple and satisfying supper. Experiment with different herbs in this easy, super-flavorful aioli. We love it on steaks, but it would make a perfect sauce for grilled or broiled salmon or a delicious sandwich spread.

Sweet Hungarian paprika gives this creamy braised chicken the best flavor. This is a good “pantry dish” since you should have the basics on hand and only need to purchase the chicken. You may vary the recipe by using cubed veal shoulder instead of chicken and mushrooms instead of peppers. Serve with whole-wheat orzo flavored with minced parsley or dill.

This rich pasta dish is full of sweet seared scallops and plump peas. Low-fat milk and flour thicken the sauce, giving it creamy texture without the extra calories and fat found in traditional cream sauces. Serve with a small Caesar salad on the side.

This Japanese-inspired dish uses one sauce--a sweet/salt combination of mirin and miso--to make both the marinade for the scallops and the caramelized pan sauce for the noodles. A good pairing would be a simple green salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette.

Traditional braises usually call for the meat to be browned first to seal in the juices, but here that step is skipped so it can absorb the wonderful taste of mushrooms, which completely permeate the sauce. If you find them, chanterelle mushrooms can be used in place of the shiitakes. Serve with whole-wheat egg noodles or spaetzle and a mixed green salad.

A natural, cloudy apple cider is delicious for this exotically spicy and aromatic winter warmer, but if you desire a sparkling-clear drink, apple juice can be substituted. Calvados, which is a French apple brandy, adds richness. If you wish to omit it, just add more cider or juice.

This delicate oyster soup recipe sets the tone for celebration at any meal. We made this stew healthier by primarily using low-fat milk and increasing the amount of vegetables. Don't worry about shucking the oysters--most supermarket seafood departments carry shucked oysters. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the delicious bits at the bottom of the bowl.

This festive holiday salad recipe features plenty of oven-roasted broccoli and cauliflower combined with massaged kale. Why massage the kale? It helps tenderize the leaves and infuses the sweet-tangy flavor of the dressing directly into the heart of this healthy winter salad.

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.

This take on the classic bacon-wrapped appetizer uses prosciutto instead to wrap meaty scallops. High-quality Italian prosciutto, found at well-stocked supermarkets or Italian specialty stores, has an incomparable melt-in-your-mouth texture. It's more expensive, but you only need a little for this recipe. Make it a meal: Serve with an unoaked chardonnay and our recipe for Wild Rice Salad or whole-wheat orzo tossed with Parmesan cheese.

Here, we roast grapes to bring out their succulent sweetness, then combine them with thyme, mustard and Madeira in an easy, savory sauce for pork tenderloin. Serve with barley and steamed green beans.

This cheesy lasagna is full of spicy Italian turkey sausage, whole-wheat noodles, mushrooms and spinach. A serving of this version has about one-third the fat and saturated fat, and only half the calories of the original. Use soy-based sausage for a hearty vegetarian variation.

Don't let the fancy French name for these cheese puffs mislead you—this is an easy appetizer recipe. They're traditionally made with Gruyère or Comté; we couldn't resist turning to our Vermont roots and using good old Cheddar instead.

These festive wheels of steak, Boursin cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes look fancy, but they're quite easy to make. For a party, arrange them on a platter atop a bed of spinach.

Traditional homemade gnocchi (little Italian dumplings) are made with just potato, flour, egg and salt. Be sure not to work the dough too much or the gnocchi will be tough. Toss them with your favorite sauce and dinner is served!

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?

This cranberry-rosemary stuffed pork tenderloin recipe looks gorgeous with the cranberry- and rosemary-flecked stuffing bursting from the juicy browned pork loin. Don't be scared by the task of double butterflying a pork loin--the process is fairly simple.

Popular throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia, satay is strips of skewered, grilled meat eaten with a fragrant dipping sauce. Here we serve seasoned marinated steak with a spicy peanut sauce for dipping. A simple cucumber salad is a cooling counterpoint to the beef satay.

This meltingly tender pork shoulder ragout has a savory broth that's full of fennel. White wine gives the stew a bright edge of acidity.

Zucchini, onion, tomatoes and bell peppers stud this paella-inspired rice dish. You may add other vegetables, such as mushrooms and peas, or if you like something heartier, some slightly spicy Italian sausage is a good choice.

The Mediterranean flavors of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sauteed spinach will round out this meal.

Collard greens are meltingly tender when cooked for a long period of time. Smoked turkey in place of bacon adds the traditional smoky taste.

This mouthwatering pork tenderloin is stuffed with chorizo, cheese and spinach. Once you master stuffing a pork tenderloin--you just cut the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise, pound it, fill it and tie it closed with kitchen string--you won't want it any other way. Serve with sautéed red peppers tossed with capers, parsley and sherry vinegar and roasted potatoes. To double this recipe, use 2 skillets or brown the tenderloins one at a time.