Almond

These easy, no-bake candies are good for you if you eat only two or three, which is dangerously difficult to do. You’ll find a balance between the natural sweetness of dates and honey and the bitterness of rich cocoa.

Chocolate crust cradles a bevy of “superfoods,” including almonds, cherries, and eggs. Inspired by the French classic clafoutis, this tart is “choc full” of cherries. They float jewel-like inside a sweet, vanilla-scented custard. By the way, here are three good ways to pit a cherry: (1) Use an old-fashioned vegetable peeler that has a curved edge on top to scratch around the top of the cherry pit, then dig around the stone, scoop under it, and it will pop right out; (2) use a paring knife as above (but watch out—it’s easy to slice your fingertips); (3) use a cherry-pitter carried by some gourmet kitchen stores—a special tool invented just for this job! This recipe requires only half a batch of the Chocolate Sugar Dough—make a full batch and freeze half for future crust or cookie needs.

Using a small amount of crushed dry-roasted almonds lets you distribute their nutty flavor throughout this dish without adding much fat.

The layers of coffee, dark cherry, and chocolate flavor make this dessert interesting, and the addition of the quick raspberry sauce at the end makes it pop!

This trail mix, updated with crystallized ginger, is ready in a flash. It’s great to have on hand when you need a grab-and-go snack.

Gina: Red grapes, chunks of provolone cheese, and crunchy almonds give this smoked turkey salad more personality than the old school mayo based options. For added color and crunch, toss the salad with a few handfuls of field greens, so they get coated in the creamy dressing. Serve this salad on soft whole grain sandwich bread or ciabatta rolls.

If you don’t have a baking sheet large enough to hold the two loaves of dough side by side with a little room between them, use two sheets. Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven before preheating it, and rotate the pans from shelf to shelf and front to back about halfway through baking.

These crunchy, chewy treats are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth! Try adding dried cherries or chopped bittersweet chocolate (depending on how many carbs you’ve had for dinner).

I like to use frozen berries for this crumble. Not only can I have it any time of year, but the juices left in the bag after thawing provide sweetness (without adding a lot of sugar) and sauce for the crumble.

As satisfying to me as a big, chewy, still-hot everything bagel schmeared with lots of cream cheese, but these have better crunch and way less carbs!

This dish is what I call a “Retro Metro.” Back in the day, Chicken Divan—poultry, poulet sauce, broccoli, and mushrooms—was a continental cuisine staple. As a special treat, my mom would take me to NYC to the Magic Pan for Chicken Divan Crepes. This is an easy cosmopolitan update on the classic. The broccoli is swapped out for asparagus and the preparation time is reduced. Enjoy!