Saute

Los Angeles: land of sun, fun, and burritos. Southern California's Mexican-influenced cuisine has the potential to be an all-out fat fest (cheese, sour cream) or a healthy mix of carbs (tortillas, beans) and protein (chicken, beans). A chicken burrito with the full-fat works can tip the scales at nearly 600 calories and 31 fat grams. To slim it down, we stuffed it with all-white-meat chicken, less cheese and nonfat sour cream. We also rolled it in a whole-wheat tortilla for extra fiber.

Welcome to Baltimore, where crab cakes rule. This seafood fave has nutritional potential: Crab provides calcium, B vitamins, and iron. But the traditional version, made with mayo and fried in lots of oil, is too fatty to qualify as healthy fare. We cut the fat by more than half and lost 130 calories per serving with simple changes: using egg whites instead of whole eggs; subbing light mayo for the full-fat version; and going easy on oil.

To round out the meal: a whole-wheat roll with 1 tsp butter or trans-fat-free soft-tub margarine; 4 oz white wine or juice spritzer; 2 gingersnaps

A healthy holiday mini-meal (in minutes!) If your Thanksgiving is going to be a couple of people and not a crowd this year, don't bother looking for the littlest bird to roast — try this quick and delicious turkey dish instead. Food writer Sally Schneider has created hundreds of simple yet tasty recipes for A New Way to Cook (Artisan). Her turkey scallopini is lower in cholesterol than the classic veal version and stars vitamin A-packed greens.

Actress Lauren Graham has fun grating the "prehistoric-looking" horseradish root for this recipe from Scott Uehlein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona. And she wonders: Am I the only person who thought you battered fish by dipping it in egg first? For any of you similarly misdirected, the order is seasoned flour, then egg.

This hearty — and heart-healthy — pasta comes together in a flash. Mangia! Puttanesca may sound like an Italian specialty to slave over, but don't be intimidated — you can make this sauce in minutes. Michael Collins, chef and co-owner of the Green Emporium in Colrain, Massachusetts, designed this dish, which marries old-world flavor with modern-day convenience. Its healthy ingredients — lycopene-loaded tomatoes, heart-smart olive oil, exotic olives, and capers — are as easy to keep on hand as that emergency jar of sauce.

Scott Uehlein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, provides an easy technique for a dish that is good enough to eat every day — you can't even tell it's good for you!

Eat healthfully (and still have steak) A lowfat diet can include beef. In fact, because red meat is loaded with iron and folate, it's especially good for women, and the sirloin used here is one of the leanest cuts. Chef Tom Colicchio pan-roasts it with almost no added oil at Craft, his new restaurant in New York City. And instead of teaming it with a fat bomb like butter-laden mashed potatoes, he has a better option: zingy corn relish. It has vitamin A and several Bs, plus a crunch so mouth pleasing, you'll never miss the fat.

Plain old pasta goes low-fat gourmet. Creamy pasta, good-for-you greens... What's wrong with this picture? Nothing! It's a weeknight-easy, flavor-packed treat from Alfred Portale, chef at New York City's famed Gotham Bar and Grill and author of the new Alfred Portale's 12 Seasons Cookbook (Broadway Books). Make this low-fat dish even healthier by using reduced-fat goat cheese, which we think is one of the best-tasting slimmed-down cheeses around.

Pasta's reputation — restored! With the bad press that pasta's been getting in these carb-phobic times, you may have given it up entirely. The truth is, pasta is only a problem when the noodles make the meal. The trick is rounding it out with healthy add-ins. Here, Whole Foods Markets' executive chef Steven Petsevsky has tossed in a day's supply of vegetables; they supply lots of vitamin C and good-for-you phytochemicals — plus fiber. Shrimp adds a kick of protein, and a handful of fresh herbs makes all the flavors sparkle. Self's testers' verdict: yum.

The spice girls: Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs and co-owners of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Ciudad in Los Angeles (who gained fame as the stars of the Food Network show Too Hot Tamales). What you'll love: The sweet and spicy flavor combination. "The taste of the mango and the serrano pepper had my mouth watering for more," one taster said.

This traditional southern Italian pasta recipe, with its base of aglio e olio, garlic and oil, is one of those rustic foods that presents like a gourmet dish. It’s made entirely with pantry items, so it’s a perfect last-minute supper.

Using multicolored carrots makes this beautiful side dish even more vibrant.

This fragrant dish would be great served over couscous.