7,151 light recipes

Cola cake: a Southern chocolate sheet cake made with real cola, melted marshmallows, cocoa, and tangy buttermilk. Fudgy, fizzy, and a one-bowl Saturday afternoon project.

Carmelita bars layer a buttery oatmeal-brown sugar crust with melted caramel, chocolate chips, and pecans, then top with more oat crumble. Classic bake-sale and potluck cookie bar.

Oven barbecued salmon stuffs sockeye fillets with lemon, onion, and bacon, then bakes them in foil under a sweet ketchup-corn-syrup glaze. Smoky-sweet salmon supper, no grill required.

Pepper biscotti with black pepper, toasted walnuts, orange zest, and almond extract. An Italian twice-baked cookie with grown-up complexity and a subtle peppery kick. Perfect with coffee or red wine.

Whole wheat sesame seed cookies bake up nutty and chewy with toasted sesame, coconut, honey, and a splash of soy milk. A dairy-free, refined-sugar-free drop cookie loaded with seeds and fiber. Makes 48 small treats.

Classic chicken Kiev: pounded chicken breast wrapped around a finger of chive-butter, breaded twice, chilled, and deep-fried until golden. The butter bursts at first cut, just like it should.

Pressure cooker ricotta cheesecake: a creamy Italian-style cheesecake with golden raisins and lemon zest, steamed to perfection in just 20 minutes under pressure. No cracks, no water bath fuss.

Gingerbread cookies in a gingerbread bowl: edible holiday centerpiece of spiced gingerbread shaped into a fluted bowl and filled with matching cut-out cookies. A holiday gift-giving showstopper.

Christmas crackers are sweet honey-wheat holiday cookies stamped with cookie cutters and sprinkled with sugar. Makes 45 crispy-edged rectangles for gifting or dipping.

Thai stuffed zucchini soup, tender zucchini cups filled with seasoned pork and cilantro, steamed, then swimming in hot fish-sauce-spiked broth. Gentle, clear, and deeply aromatic.

Best lemon meringue pie cooks a clear cornstarch curd with fresh lemon juice and zest, then crowns with vanilla-scented French meringue spread peak-style across the warm filling. The reliable home version.

Oats cranberry muffins use prune puree instead of oil or butter, keeping them low in fat but moist and tender. Hearty oats, tart cranberries, and just egg whites make a wholesome muffin that doesn't taste like a compromise.

Indian-spiced glazed cauliflower with fresh ginger, turmeric, coriander, and green chilies. Vegetarian side dish that's stir-fried until golden and finished with lemon juice.

Scallop and green bean terrine is a French mousse of pureed scallops and creme fraiche folded with blanched green beans, baked in a water bath and served with tomato coulis.

Pfeffernuesse German pepper cookies with molasses, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper, rolled in powdered sugar. Small, spicy, and deeply aromatic holiday cookies from the old country.

Turn leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey into a mouthwatering Shepherd's Pie Pizza: crispy bread dough crust topped with savory veggies, turkey, and cheesy mashed potatoes. Easy, comforting fusion recipe ready in under 2 hours!