Mango

East meets West in this dessert version of the spring roll.

This refreshing treat, from Mridula Baljekar, author of Indian Cooking Without Fat (Metro Books), is a cool finish to spicy dishes.

Maneet Chauhan, chef at Vermilion in Chicago, uses nonfat yogurt to reduce calories but not taste.

What to drink: Serve a splurge-worthy aged rum in a snifter, to sip like brandy.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Make the fruit kabobs a day in advance and keep them in the fridge. The sauces can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.

**Editor's note:**This recipe is reprinted from Rose Hammick's and Charlotte Packer's book Great Parties for Kids. For Hammick's and Packer's tips on throwing a kids' summer party, click here. Kids love Popsicles, and when made from fruit and yogurt, they are healthy as well as delicious. Popsicle molds are available from kitchen or department stores. If you're short of time, you can also make popsicles from ready-made smoothies.

Don't worry about the fat; it's mostly the healthy kind in the avocado. Mixing in fruits boosts this appetizer's fiber count.

Made in Mexico: This dish, created by food editor Shelley Wiseman's friend Aurelia, will start your day with a cayenne kick. It also doubles as a sweet and spicy dessert.

This noodle salad, studded with slices of sweet mango and crisp cucumber, is a cooling oasis in the midst of a meal packed with rich, spicy dishes. The glazed roast pork gives the salad added dimension, but could also be served on its own.

Khao Neeo Mamuang — Thailand Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid and are part of our story on Lunar New Year. You need sticky rice (also called sweet rice or glutinous rice) for this classic Thai-Lao sweet. The recipe for making it at home is very simple. As with most of the sweets in Southeast Asia, you can eat Coconut Milk Sticky Rice as a snack or serve it as dessert.

This bubbly dessert gratin is a variation of the one I learned to make at Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island. We baked it to order in the infernally hot pizza oven (700-plus degrees) until the berries popped open in the cream and the top glazed to a golden brown crust. But you don't need a pizza oven yourself. Your home oven set to 450°F is just fine. It just takes a few minutes longer.

Editor's Note: This recipe was originally part of a menu by Bobby Flay for a backyard barbecue. For the complete menu and Flay's tips on throwing a party, click here. I was taught to grill oysters on one of my trips to the Pacific Northwest. This is one of those dishes where organization is imperative. Because the oysters cook for only a few minutes, you've got to have the garnishes ready before you put the shells on the grill. The mango pico de gallo and the red chile horseradish are hot and sweet on your tongue. If you think that the red chile horseradish looks too spicy, don't worry, for the sweet mango provides just the right cooling sensation. The oysters actually "pop" when they are cooked and make for a great presentation.

One fall afternoon, my sons and I decided to tailgate out at Randall's Island. This is a unique tailgating experience. Randall's is one of two islands off Manhattan (Ward's Island is the other) devoted to ball fields of all kinds. I cooked this lamb at one of the grills the city provides there, and we ate on an adjacent picnic table overlooking the East River. We then wandered around the more than two dozen fields, watching intensely played games of soccer, baseball, cricket, flag football, and the tail end of a rugby match. Only in New York.

Mango Chutney is the one we think of as the "original" and most traditional of all chutneys. It goes well with curries, chicken, pork, lamb, and game.

Mariah Carey's personal chef, Zipora Einav, doesn't simply feed her songbird client, she nourishes her: The mango wontons offer a hearty dose of vitamin A (a half cup meets 25 percent of your RDA). Don't let the exotic ingredients throw you. This recipe is so easy, you'll get it right in only one take.

Toss the takeout! This slimmed-down dish is delish. Traditional Chinese cuisine is among the healthiest, but the American version of sweet-and-sour pork is sugary and fatty. Ying Chang Compestine, author of Secrets From a Healthy Asian Kitchen (Penguin Putnam), gave the recipe a healthy revamp — hers uses the leanest part of the pig and gets its sweetness from fruit. So break out the chopsticks and savor these Far East flavors straight from your stove top.