115 standing recipes

Low-fat s'mores cake bakes all the campfire flavor into a light graham-cracker crumb cake. Applesauce stands in for the butter, with broiled marshmallows and chocolate chips melting over the top.

Moist Zucchini Parmesan Bread: a savory quick bread with shredded zucchini, sharp Parmesan, grated onion, and buttermilk for tang. Hearty enough to stand in for dinner rolls.

Roasted spaghetti squash tosses forked-out strands with toasted pine nuts, fresh sage, grated Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. A low-carb side that stands in for pasta in a weeknight pinch.

Fat-free oatmeal drop cookies with applesauce standing in for butter or oil, rolled oats, and raisins. No eggs, naturally vegan, and done in just 10 minutes.

Bread machine bagels: six simple ingredients, machine-kneaded dough, boiled then baked golden. Real chewy-crusted New York-style bagels without stand-mixer gymnastics.

Polenta crostini topped with a savory porcini and cremini mushroom sauce. Crisp broiled polenta rounds stand in for bread, making this Italian appetizer naturally gluten-free.

A great stand alone vegetarian meal or top it with a fillet of grilled chicken or a white fleshed fish fillet.

Smoked sausage and lentil gumbo with a dark roux, celery, onion, carrots, and cayenne. A hearty, protein-packed Cajun-style soup where lentils stand in for okra with rich, smoky depth.

Mini pumpkin pies that bake crustless in a muffin tin with Bisquick standing in for pastry. Cream cheese gives the pumpkin filling a cheesecake-like richness. Twelve individual pies in 30 minutes.

Iowa pork chops are thick-cut bone-in chops marinated in soy, garlic, onion, and ketchup, then grilled standing on the chine bone for even cooking. Heartland steakhouse standard.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

No-cholesterol chocolate cake gets its tender crumb from a surprising swap: cholesterol-free mayonnaise stands in for eggs and butter. One bowl, no creaming, deep cocoa flavor with a moist tight crumb.

Crock pot fried chicken browns seasoned, flour-dredged chicken in butter, then slow-cooks it with no added liquid until fall-off-the-bone tender. The hands-off way to get fried-chicken flavor without standing over a hot skillet.

Mock fish Buddhist: Chinese vegetarian stir-fry with crispy fried potato slices standing in for fish, paired with snow peas and crunchy wood ear mushrooms. Traditional Buddhist temple cuisine with clever meat-free texture play.

Frank-ly paella with hot dogs, cocktail franks, and salami standing in for traditional seafood, cooked with saffron rice, peppers, and tomatoes. A playful, kid-friendly spin on Spanish paella.

Pumpkin and avocado oil soup blends pumpkin, fennel and potato into a silky pureed soup, with buttery avocado oil standing in for butter. A light, velvety vegan starter finished with a drizzle of oil.