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Healthy Dairy Recipes

March 27, 2017
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Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
Dairy is an essential food group that adds a creamy depth to many dishes. Whether it's milk, cheese, Greek yogurt, or sour cream, a little dash of dairy creates rich flavor and mouth-feel in dishes, without adding too many calories. 
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Dijon-Herb Crusted Salmon With Creamy Dill Sauce

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Dijon-Herb Crusted Salmon With Creamy Dill Sauce

This elegant meal comes together in just 30 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to eat, clean, and settle in for catching up with the family. Salmon is a rich, dense fish, so it takes longer to cook through than white flaked fish like trout or tilapia. Rather than bread the fillets first, add the panko topping to the salmon when it's almost done and broil just until toasted so that the crust doesn't burn before the fish is done. Panko has an incredibly light, crisp texture that's ideal for breading. You could also use regular coarse-ground breadcrumbs or finely-chopped nuts. Dill adds a fresh, vibrant note to the yogurt mixture. Serve with our Warm Buttered Radish and Edamame Salad for a quick side.

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Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas and Breadcrumbs

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas and Breadcrumbs

We love the old-school feel of this skillet supper. If you can't find whole-wheat panko, sauté fresh whole-wheat crumbs until crisp.

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BBQ-Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: BBQ-Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

To turn this popular side into a meal, we stuff the potatoes with saucy barbeque pork tenderloin, a “hacked” version of an hours-long barbeque pork shoulder.

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Pasta with Shrimp in Tomato Cream

Credit: Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Pasta with Shrimp in Tomato Cream

Feel free to add your own touches—such as swapping in whole-grain pasta for a nutrition boost or trying goat cheese in place of feta—to make this dish personal for your preferences. If you don't have dry vermouth on hand, you can substitute dry sherry or a dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay). Or you could skip the alcohol altogether and use more chicken stock instead; stir in a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar to balance the flavors with a little acidity.

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Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon Bread Puddings

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon Bread Puddings

You just can’t go wrong with a savory bread pudding—think of it as a cross between holiday stuffing and a cheesy breakfast casserole. If you don’t have individual ramekins, place the bread mixture in an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. For a vegetarian spin, skip the bacon, sub vegetable stock for chicken stock, and add shiitake or cremini mushrooms to the onion mixture.

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The Big Omega Sandwich

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: The Big Omega Sandwich

Our supercharged salmon sandwich gives delicious incentive to ditch its fast-food counterparts. Wild-caught salmon is infused with a wealth of smoky, spicy, and deliciously tangy ingredients before being pan-seared to crisp, golden perfection. We found that broiling the salmon results in the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth, buttery tenderness. In place of standard tartar sauce, we top each patty with a generous dollop of spicy, yogurt-blended aioli. 

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Spinach, Hummus, and Bell Pepper Wraps

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio
View Recipe: Spinach, Hummus, and Bell Pepper Wraps

Make this super-simple wrap the night before, wrap in parchment paper or plastic wrap, and store in the fridge—just grab it in the morning on your way out the door. Use Flatout Light whole-grain flatbreads to keep calories in check; you can find them at most supermarkets, usually in the bakery section.

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Sweet Potato-and-Mushroom Risotto

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Sweet Potato-and-Mushroom Risotto

When two starchy, creamy elements combine, the result is pure comfort. Pureed sweet potatoes give this risotto a golden hue and a subtle sweetness.

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Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole

Credit: Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole

Wild rice is wonderfully fragrant; it’s the perfect counter to the creamy, earthy mushroom mixture and has enough texture that the grains won’t bloat or fall apart in the casserole.

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Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce

You’ll be surprised at the sophistication of this 5-ingredient dish, which is easy, elegant, and beautiful. You can't go wrong when you start with salmon and a sour cream sauce, especially if the sauce is flavored with dill and horseradish. Fill out the plate with a side of steamed asparagus or haricots verts (slender French green beans), or barely wilted spinach or Swiss chard. If you have a mandoline in your kitchen, use it—carefully—on the potatoes to make the job of slicing go faster.

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Farro Breakfast Bowl

Credit: Photo: Alison Miksch
View Recipe: Farro Breakfast Bowl

This meal in a bowl takes its morning cue from soft-boiled eggs and a dollop of yogurt, and then goes savory with toasty cumin-scented farro and a creamy avocado. It’s also perfectly portioned for two. Boil the farro like pasta—in plenty of water that you’ll drain off—to cut the cook time in half. Toasting the farro in a little oil is a great way to revive any leftover cooked whole grains. Whole-milk Greek yogurt has a cool, luxurious mouthfeel that brings all the elements together. It also has more protein than reduced- or nonfat yogurt. Add Blistered Tomatoes with Kale on top for a final touch of veg.

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Upside-Down Shepherd's Pie

Credit: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Upside-Down Shepherd's Pie

To keep things lightning-fast, we forgo the layered-in-a-skillet approach to shepherd's pie and instead serve the veggie-flecked beef mixture on top of a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.

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Zucchini and Spinach Chilaquiles

Credit: Photo: Alison Miksch
View Recipe: Zucchini and Spinach Chilaquiles

This verde version of a Mexican brunch classic is the perfect introduction to summer. Queso fresco has the texture of strained ricotta—it won’t quite melt under the broiler, but its mild flavor will be a welcome contrast to the heat in the tomatillo mixture. Add scrambled eggs to each serving for a little extra protein.

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Chicken Stroganoff

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Chicken Stroganoff

Stroganoff is the definition of absolute comfort: If it could restore its Russian creators 200 years ago, it will restore you on any winter weeknight. We’ve swapped traditional beef for chicken and added earthy cremini mushrooms to our one-pan version. Cooking the egg noodles in the same pan allows the pasta to absorb that rich liquid and release starch to thicken the sauce. Substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast for the tenders if you like. Serve with simply wilted kale dressed with a little lemon juice, or a beet salad dressed with a little horseradish cream (another favorite Russian combo).

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Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Pears

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Pears

Match the robust flavors of this dish with a hearty endive or radicchio salad to make the meal feel decidedly Italian.

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Greek Chicken Nachos

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Greek Chicken Nachos

Dinner doesn’t get much easier, or more fun, than sheet pan nachos. The pan does double duty: Toast the chips first, then pile high with toppings and return to the oven to melt the cheese and heat everything through. Here the Mexican classic takes a detour to Greece with pita chips, a shredded Greek salad, and crumbled feta. Rotisserie chicken breast makes this meal even easier, though this dish is a great use for any leftover cooked chicken. Bring the whole pan to the table and cut into servings, like you would a square pizza.

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    1 of 16 Dijon-Herb Crusted Salmon With Creamy Dill Sauce
    2 of 16 Creamy Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas and Breadcrumbs
    3 of 16 BBQ-Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes
    4 of 16 Pasta with Shrimp in Tomato Cream
    5 of 16 Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon Bread Puddings
    6 of 16 The Big Omega Sandwich
    7 of 16 Spinach, Hummus, and Bell Pepper Wraps
    8 of 16 Sweet Potato-and-Mushroom Risotto
    9 of 16 Creamy Chicken-and-Wild Rice Casserole
    10 of 16 Salmon with Potatoes and Horseradish Sauce
    11 of 16 Farro Breakfast Bowl
    12 of 16 Upside-Down Shepherd's Pie
    13 of 16 Zucchini and Spinach Chilaquiles
    14 of 16 Chicken Stroganoff
    15 of 16 Pork Tenderloin with Blue Cheese and Pears
    16 of 16 Greek Chicken Nachos

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