Salad

GOOD TO KNOW Because they contain more fat than leaner breast meat, chicken thighs are good candidates for grilling: They stay tender and juicy after cooking.

FLAVOR BOOSTER A fragrant sauce made from a handful of pantry standbys—including soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, and red-pepper flakes—serves as a marinade for the chicken and a dressing for the finished salad. Feel free to substitute pork or beef for the chicken.

FLAVOR BOOSTER Toasted sesame oil, used in many Asian dishes, has a robust and nutty taste. Combined with rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and red-pepper flakes, it multitasks in this recipe as both marinade and salad dressing.

GOOD TO KNOW Rotisserie chicken is a good shortcut (use only the breast meat) if you don’t have time to poach your own. Corn tortillas—crisped in the oven instead of fried—rovide a crunchy base for a filling salad packed with Mexican flavors. We’ve started with tomato, avocado, red onion, and cilantro, but you can add other favorite ingredients such as sliced radishes or corn—and perhaps a little reduced-fat sour cream in place of Mexican crema.

WHY THEY’RE LIGHT Waxy new potatoes, tossed in a flavorful mustard vinaigrette, easily outdo heavy, mayonnaise-based potato salads, while low-fat yogurt and dill dress up sliced cucumbers. Pack either low-calorie side for a picnic.

WHY THEY’RE LIGHT Waxy new potatoes, tossed in a flavorful mustard vinaigrette, easily outdo heavy, mayonnaise-based potato salads, while low-fat yogurt and dill dress up sliced cucumbers. Pack either low-calorie side for a picnic.

SMART SUBSTITUTIONS The dressing in this healthier chef’s salad omits the mayonnaise and includes a combination of low-fat buttermilk and reduced-fat sour cream in its place. A mere tablespoon of honey helps to thicken it. Plus we’ve left out the eggs, ham, and croutons from the salad in favor of turkey, avocado, and sprouts.

GOOD TO KNOW Poached salmon fillets are ultramoist. But there’s just one hard-and-fast rule to follow when preparing them: Do not overcook. Poach the fish ever so gently just until the center remains slightly translucent.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Mayonnaise—and the fat and calories that it imparts to chicken salads—is replaced by a vinaigrette in this slimmed-down version; using only poached breast meat also helps.

FLAVOR BOOSTER Boiling the dressing—made with soy sauce, lemon juice, and toasted sesame oil—gives it depth and balance. Because the chicken and vegetables are all either shredded or thinly sliced, they mingle with the cooled dressing and readily soak up its flavors.

GOOD TO KNOW For a more satisfying meal, try incorporating just a small amount of a flavorful high-fat ingredient such as bacon or nuts into the low-calorie mix. Here pancetta is crisped in the oven for handsoff, splatter-free cooking, a method that works well for bacon, too.

SMART SUBSTITUTION Unlike white rice, brown rice retains the nutritious bran and germ covering the grain; it has three times the amount of fiber and a host of essential nutrients. Adding brown rice and other whole grains to salads makes them more filling without significantly increasing fat and calories.

SMART SUBSTITUTION This lighter interpretation of a traditional Waldorf salad replaces the sweet mayonnaise dressing with one made from reduced-fat sour cream, white-wine vinegar, and just a hint of sugar.

FLAVOR BOOSTER With its tangy flavor and crumbly texture, a little feta cheese goes a long way. Use it to add oomph to salads such as this one, which is bulked up with cucumber, cabbage, shallot, and fresh parsley.

GOOD TO KNOW Sweet-tasting butternut squash is easier to prepare than some other hard-skinned winter squashes, and is even sweeter when roasted until it caramelizes. It’s also extremely versatile: Toss it into a salad, slice it into “fries” and dust with spices, or drizzle roasted haves with maple butter.

FLAVOR BOOSTER Roasted vegetables are delicious—and healthful—on their own, but for variety, try tossing them with herbs or spices before cooking. Here, carrots and cauliflower are seasoned with cumin; feel free to experiment with similar ground spices. For the best flavor, lightly toast and grind the cumin seeds (or other spices) yourself.

WHY IT’S LIGHT Low-fat yogurt, garlic, and vinegar are combined in a creamy, tangy dressing—without a drop of oil. Walnuts roasted with the vegetables add satisfying crunch and not much fat.