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Using an egg white adds crunch without calories.

Use mature flat-leaf spinach— the baby leaves lack flavor and texture.

"I love to give tangy, sweet pineapple the Mexican-corn treatment by sprinkling it with salty Cotija cheese and dusting it with cayenne pepper." —Chris Morocco, associate food editor

If you're trying to incorporate more dark leafy greens into your meals, Swiss chard is a great starter vegetable. It cooks quickly compared to kale and collards, and the stems are as delicious as the leaves. In fact, the stems are the prized portion of the plant in Provence, and that's not something kale or collards can brag about. We prefer green Swiss chard in this recipe because it cooks up a brighter green than red or rainbow chard and the stems are more tender, but if you can't find the green, don't hesitate to use other chards. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Hanukkah Feast. Menu also includes Salmon with Potato "Scales" and Apple Fritters with Orange Glaze .

Green beans have a certain suave, slender elegance that makes them a classic accompaniment to rosy-red roast beef. But too often, they get short shrift: a quick drizzle of butter, a squirt of lemon, and onto the table they go. We suggest you coddle them a little this year. Try tossing them in a hot skillet with shallots and pecans that get caramelized in buttery brown sugar, and you'll see just how special green beans can be. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Christmas Classic. Menu also includes Herb-Crusted Beef Rib Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Pinot Noir Jus and Tiramisu Yule Log .

Ready in less than an hour, this satisfying twist on traditional chili tastes like it’s been simmering all day!

Potatoes cooked in chicken broth are mashed with just the right amount of butter, cream, chives and bacon to make an irresistible side dish.

Pancetta is the secret ingredient that makes this moist stuffing really flavorful. If you don’t have pancetta on hand, bacon works great too!

Reminiscent of cornbread, this enticing casserole adds the favorite flavor upgrade of corn in another form to any daily dinner.

These tempting appetizers look like they’re difficult to make... but they’re not. They feature a spinach, onion and cheese filling simply rolled up in flaky puff pastry and sliced into pinwheels.

Give Swiss chard a flavor boost by adding whole chopped lemon instead of just the juice. Simmering it first softens the texture and bitter undertones. Serve this dish with Red Quinoa with Pistachios .

Nutritionists love quinoa for its low glycemic index; we love how this dish reinforces the idea that healthy food should pack a lot of flavor. Fresh herbs, plus crunchy nuts, keeps things interesting.

Skip a step when making mac and cheese by not precooking the pasta. Instead, mix the dried pasta with a thinner-than-usual béchamel sauce, and it will bake perfectly in just 30 minutes.