Yellow Squash Ribbon Salad

That's right - you'll be making squash ribbons to complete this side. However, don't let it stress you at all. They are actually surprisingly easy,and fun, to make. You just need a good vegetable peeler and a little bit of willingness to try something different. You'll be producing delicate squash ribbons in no time - and once you do you'll realize how versatile they are. They can be served raw to enjoy a touch of crunch, cooked as they are here, or even used in the place of pasta.

This dish is light and delicate, showcasing the squash ribbons with red onion adding some tartness and color and black pepper and Parmesan adding a burst of flavor in every bite. The dish is simple yet incredibly original, making it perfect for when you don't have much time but are looking to impress. I served it alongside freshly grilled caprese sandwiches but it can be paired with nearly anything.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 20 min
Cost: $18.16

Eggplant-Yogurt Dip

This babaghanouj-ish dip is delicious and healthy. It includes the delicious, fresh flavor of grilled eggplant but instead of combining that with calorie and fat dense tahini, it uses fat free Greek yogurt. The thick yogurt gives a robust, creamy texture to the dip but cuts down considerably on the fat and calories while still providing a boost of calcium. Black pepper, lemon juice, and garlic provide a nice flavor blend to augment the mild vegetable and just a pinch of sea salt goes a long way without packing in the sodium.

I made this for lunch for the week and just put together sandwiches with the dip, onion, and tomato. However, it's quite versatile. Make your favorite sandwich with this as a base or serve it with pita chips as a dip for guests. Either way, it's absolutely delicious and sure to hit the spot. You could even make it into a dinner with fresh bread, cheese, and veggies piled on top and perhaps even broiled to perfection.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: $7.11

Whole Wheat Pappardelle with Cherry Tomatoes, Asparagus, Squash, and Spinach

Making pasta from scratch may take a bit of extra time, but it is always worth the effort. And, if you have a wonderful hand-cranked pasta machine like I do (I have the Marcato line) then it's actually not so bad. From start to finish I was able to put this dish together in about 3 hours by myself. With two hands going at once you could have a homemade pasta dinner in probably under two hours - not too bad at all! The fresh pasta also doesn't just taste better. I'm able to control exactly what goes into it, using whole wheat flour (make sure you compare - not all 'whole wheat' labels mean the same thing and you want some whole grains in there) and no salt. I also make sure to use farm fresh eggs. However, you could also substitute in egg beaters to make it even healthier.

This dish served as a stand-alone meal, full of fresh vegetables. I used cherry tomatoes, spinach, summer squash, and asparagus. However, I was simply picking the freshest produce available based on the season. Feel free to mix and match. The end goal is to stuff this dish full of delicious and healthy vegetables for a tantalizing summer meal. Cook with the white wine you want to drink to pair perfectly and eat out on a porch to enjoy those first warm spring evenings.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 3 hours
Cost: $24.35

Pecan Trout with Mushrooms, Tomato, and Cheese Polenta

Ready for a southern-style meal? They're lightened up considerably, removing extra oil and all traces of cream, but are absolutely delicious and will leave you hoping there are enough leftovers for lunch the next day. The side here, the polenta, is also packed with vegetables, making use of fresh tomato liberally.

Look for instant polenta in your local supermarket, but if you can't find it, you can also make it using cornmeal. It will be a much longer process so the instant is far easier, but it's always an option if you are in a pinch!

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $21.19

Stuffed Shells with Shrimp

I'm not sure if it was the light texture of the shrimp, the fresh marinara sauce, or the creamy cheese blend, but my fiance and I couldn't get enough of these shells. Despite a large serving it was hard to avoid immediately devouring all of them. The flavors paired together perfectly for a delight in every bite. They were also surprisingly easy to make and came together far faster than I thought they would, making it an easy enough meal for a week night.

I paired the shells with some roasted asparagus sprinkled with garlic, black pepper, and a touch of rosemary olive oil. This was a simple and delicious side that worked very well with the meal. However, feel free to substitute in another side. A large salad would also work very well if asparagus isn't in season! You could also go the route of adding some (cooked) veggies directly to the shells, but I think they were delicious just as is.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $15.47

Salmon Ravioli with Cucumber Sauce and Four Cheese Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

That's right - this dinner featured a duo of homemade ravioli. Amazing. It definitely took a fair amount of effort to make (then still less than doing it completely by hand thanks to my pasta machine and ravioli board) but it was worth it. I made this when having a few friends over for dinner and they were duly impressed. Pull this one out when you're looking for that reaction - or just when you're looking for a cooking-filled afternoon that will result in a delightful dinner.

I made these in two entirely separate batches. As in, I prepared the dough all at once but made the two fillings separately and separately boiled the ravioli. That way I could also make two sauces and toss each batch of ravioli in the relevant sauce. I'm not sure how the cheese ravioli would have tasted with cucumber sauce! I also served this meal with some freshly-prepared bruschetta which is always a classic. It did add starch to the meal but at least each piece was also filled with something good for you (salmon, cucumber, yogurt, tomato!) and by making everything from scratch it cut down considerably on other miscellaneous additions like salt. (I added none.) However, to up the nutrient factor even more, cut down the carbs by eliminating the bread and instead serve a fresh salad - perhaps even an heirloom tomato one!

Difficulty: medium-hard
Time: 4 hours (alone - less if you have a sous chef!)
Cost: $29.57

Recipes and nutrition below the jump!

Mushroom-Green Bean Risotto

Risotto is delicious in all forms, but hardly healthy in general. Rice is full of carbs and calories and risottos often included added salt (as well as salty broth to start) and thick creams and cheeses. Yummy perhaps, but hardly leaving you feeling fit and healthy. This risotto is still carb-heavy, it's hard to avoid that with a rice dish, but it takes out a lot of the vegetable broth (instead using liquid flavored with porcini mushrooms), just uses a bit of reduced fat Parmesan, and packs in some veggies for an extra wallop.

If you use freshly grated Parmesan, full of flavor, you can cut down on the amount in the recipe below. It's a bit of a toss-up. The low-fat version doesn't muster up the same taste as the freshly grated stuff, so you need more of it. In the end, who knows which one ends up better for you!

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $12.69