918 light recipes

Pasta and white bean salad with roasted red peppers, pesto, and light mayonnaise dressing. A quick, protein-packed cold salad that comes together in under 30 minutes.

Pureed pinto bean soup with New Mexican red chile, cream, fresh herbs, and toasted pine nuts. Velvety, rustic Southwestern soup with deep slow-cooked bean flavor.

Custard-based port wine ice cream with grenadine, served under a rich hot chocolate sauce made from cocoa, brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream.

Homemade chili sauce for canning made from 25 fresh tomatoes, red peppers, onions, and apple cider vinegar with allspice and brown sugar. A tangy-sweet condiment for preserving summer's harvest.

Orange-butterscotch cheesecake on an oat-and-brown-sugar crust, scented with orange zest and crowned with homemade butterscotch sauce. Bright citrus and deep caramel in one dramatic dessert.

From-scratch devil's food cake with boiling water for intense chocolate depth, topped with a fudge frosting made from melted semi-sweet chocolate and butter.

Chocolate cherry cookies with a whole maraschino cherry hidden inside each cocoa cookie, drizzled with melted chocolate icing. A cherry cordial in cookie form.

Brandy-spiked pumpkin cheesecake on a buttery pecan crust with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and mace. A rich, spiced holiday dessert worth the overnight chill.

Traditional English plum pudding, a steamed Christmas classic packed with raisins, currants, apples, walnuts, and beef suet. Spiced, dense, and deeply boozy-optional.

A light and tasty potato salad. The cucumber and bell peppers add the crunchiness and refreshing taste, a great side dish at a hot summer day.

Have some fun when it comes to baking with these scrumptious cookies your kids will love!

Here's a recipe for pumpkin soup. It comes from Jon Gatewood, the executive chef of Emma's restaurant in the Silas Griffith Inn in Danby, Vermont.

Moist avocado loaf studded with dates, raisins, and walnuts, enriched with cocoa and warm spices, then topped with broiled pecans. A unique quick bread that'll have everyone guessing the secret ingredient.

Oatmeal cookies loaded with golden raisins and chocolate chips. Chewy, hearty, and ready in 30 minutes from start to finish.

Airy chocolate cake made with 7 beaten egg whites and rich cocoa, topped with glossy chocolate chip glaze. Classic chiffon texture bakes in a tube pan for 65 minutes.

From-scratch pumpkin pie with fresh or canned pumpkin, dark brown sugar, molasses, raisins, and toasted pecans. Richer and more complex than the back-of-the-can version.