Grams

For a smart baby, eat more fish. Although fatty fish, such as salmon, are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, the government has warned pregnant women to restrict their intake to avoid exposure to high levels of mercury. But researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine have found a diet high in omega-3 may outweigh the risks posed by environmental pollution. They found that pregnant women who ate more than two servings of fish a week had children who performed better on verbal, visual and motor skills tests than their peers.

Teriyaki, a sweet sauce, glazes a juicy steak for this quick meal. Frozen diced onion, minced garlic and sliced mushrooms, all ready-prepared in the supermarket, are added to bottled teriyaki sauce to give it a homemade touch. Toasted sesame oil lends a nutty flavor to the side dish of Chinese noodles. It can be found in the oil section of most supermarkets. Steamed or fresh Chinese noodles can be found in the produce section of the market. They do not keep well. Use them within a day or use dried Chinese noodles.

I got my first recipe for magic brownies at a Weight Watchers meeting. I became so hooked on the little squares of chewy, chocolaty goodness that I began testing, revising and perfecting my own version. When mixed and baked just right, they come out moist, delicious and mind-numbingly good. The secret ingredient? Black beans. That's right, magic brownies are nothing more than a can of black beans pureed and dumped into a fat-free brownie mix. I also add cinnamon, which not only perks up the flavor but has been shown in studies to help lower LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

This recipe borrows a few ingredients popular in Indian cuisine - curry powder, yogurt and mint - for a fast route to supper. Instead of rice, we're using orzo pasta, which has a similar shape and a sublime texture. Rice can be substituted if you wish, with basmati being the best choice here. Garam masala, a blend of various spices (the mix varies but often includes cumin, coriander and cinnamon), can be used in place of the curry powder. Vegetarians could replace the meat with cubes of firm tofu; just add the chickpeas and sauce about 1 minute after the tofu hits the skillet.

Juanita McNeill of Marston, N.C., was looking for a recipe for an old-fashioned egg custard like the one her grandmother used to make. Trudy Garthe of Bellaire, Mich., saw McNeill's request in her local paper, the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Coincidentally, she had just made an egg custard for her father. Garthe sent in a copy of the recipe she used, which she found in one of her mother's old cookbooks, The New Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook, revised in 1951. She says that it was "quite easy and very tasty."

Consider this dish a Southwestern spin on a sloppy Joe. It's just as easy to make, especially if you buy commercially prepared salsa, refried beans and, of course, the soft flour tortillas. Use the Mexican variety of hot chorizo, which must be cooked. To crumble the sausage, cut down the casing with a sharp knife and use your fingers to pull out the meat. You can find chorizo at supermarkets and ethnic-food stores. Ground turkey or ground chicken are lower-fat alternatives to the ground beef.

Every spring it happens. You think you're ready to venture into salad entrees, but Mother Nature decides otherwise. Because salsa and avocado evoke warm, sunshiny days, their presence in this soup makes up for any lack of swimsuit weather. The soup is so easy that even the most reluctant cook should give it a try. Its main ingredient, and the key to its success, is a jar of salsa. And there's the catch: So much depends on the quality of the salsa, you really need to buy the good stuff.

Panini Express 70 Delicious Recipes Hot Off the Press Massimo's Italian Kitchen Authentic One-Dish Meals From a Seasoned Chef By Massimo Capra Sellers Publishing / 2007 / $22.95 Both Maxine Clark and Food Network chef Massimo Capra highlight oodles of inventive risotto dishes in their tomes. Capra's Risotto With White Asparagus, Black Pepper and Wild Strawberries and the one with shrimp scampi and zucchini look delicious. The Red-Beet Risotto I made was vivid in color but tasted bland.

Light Cheddar-and-Ale Fondue Makes 3 cups (about 12 servings) 15 1/2 -ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained (such as Great Northern, navy or cannellini) 12-ounce bottle dark ale or other beer 1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup grated reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste In a food processor, combine the beans and 1/4 cup of the ale. Puree, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until very smooth, about 4 minutes.

This vegetarian Italian "casserole" is mostly a stove-top preparation. Instead of making our own marinara, we're using a good-quality jarred version. (But nothing's stopping you from using your own!) Cooking the ingredients on the stove top, then popping a pan into the oven just long enough to melt the cheese and warm all the ingredients together, gives this entree the feel of a long-cooking casserole, minus the long cooking. If you want meat, add chopped pepperoni to taste when you heat the sauce and mushrooms, or just use a meat-based pasta sauce.