Thanks to RiceSelect for the recipe. The recipe uses Jasmati rice, a Texas-grown jasmine rice that has the same fragrant aroma as Thai jasmine rice (which you can substitute).

Jasmine is the go-to rice for any Asian cuisine or rice dessert. Check out the different types of rice.

Prep time is 20 minutes, cooking time is 20 minutes; the yield is 18 bars.

RECIPE: LAYERED RICE PUDDING DESSERT

Ingredients for Crust

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

Another way to enjoy rice pudding! Photo courtesy RiceSelect.

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients, beating until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.

Ingredients For Rice Pudding

 
*Substitution: We’re not keen on frozen whipped topping—Cool Whip Original includes hydrogenated vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup, among other ingredients. So we made fresh whipped cream instead. The substitution only works if you’ll be serving the bars immediately. On leftovers, it will go flat in the fridge; but you can revive the bars with more whipped cream.

1. COMBINE egg and milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk to combine.

2. ADD pudding mix; continue whisking until dissolved. Stir in rice, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Cool pudding.

3. POUR cooled pudding over cream cheese layer. Top with whipped topping; sprinkle with toasted pecans if desired. Chill until ready to serve.
 
A TWIST ON RICE PUDDING

Moving with the times, Boyajian has added chipotle, habanero, jalapeño, roasted chili and scallion oils. (Alas, our beloved wasabi oil, the easiest way to make wasabi mashed potatoes, has been discontinued.)

Not everyone has an ongoing need for oregano oil or chipotle oil, but one that you can count on using every day is garlic oil. For some people, it’s a pantry essential.
 
Appetizers & Snacks

You can use garlic oil in just about every savory dish. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

Sides

Find many more recipes at Boyajian.com.

This idea from Posana Café in Asheville, North Carolina can turn what is typically a side salad into a main course salad. Hard boiled eggs and crispy prosciutto or bacon are added for protein.

The romaine, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and dressing remain, except that the lettuce is not torn, the raw egg in the dressing becomes a hard-boiled egg, and the Parmigiano is shaved instead of grated.

If you love citrus, add lemon or lime zest to the Caesar dressing.
 
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY PROSCIUTTO

1. PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. DIVIDE 12 slices prosciutto (about 6 ounces) between baking sheets, laying them flat. Bake until fat turns golden and meat is darker, about 15 minutes (rotating baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking time).

3. TRANSFER prosciutto using tongs to paper towels to drain. It will crisp as it cools. Serve in whole pieces or crumbled.

HAIL, CAESAR SALAD!

One of the major paths to better eating is to eat less meat and more vegetables. Yet many of us are veg-averse. Even if we like them, there’s always something we’d rather have (think pasta, pizza or a burger and fries, where the only veggies might be slices of tomato and onion and a piece of lettuce).

The secret is to serve recipes where the veggies can be “disguised” (see our favorite ideas below). Bright colors also work. What doesn’t seem to work with many people today is Mom’s approach: putting a protein on the plate with a side of string beans and a side of broccoli. So get creative on how to serve the beans and broccoli.

We picked up this idea from NatureBox.com, an e-tailer that delivers wholesome snacks and blogs on tasty, better-for-you foods. The fun and tasty spring rolls were developed by Lori Yates, a Detroit-area recipe developer, food writer and cooking instructor. She contributes healthier recipes with lots of visual appeal to the NatureBox blog, such as Thai Tofu Pizza and Salmon & Crispy Chickpea Salad and on her own blog, Foxes Love Lemons.

Ingredients For 6 Servings (18 Rolls)

For The Spring Rolls

 
For The Dipping Sauce

Preparation

1. MAKE the dipping sauce: Stir together sour cream or yogurt and hot sauce. Set aside.

2. WORKING one at a time, wet wrappers for 15 seconds and transfer to damp towel. Place kale in center of each wrapper and top with some beans, corn, sweet potato and onion.

3. BRING the bottom edge of the wrapper tightly over the filling, rolling from bottom to top until the top of the sheet is reached, being careful not to tear the wrapper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Serve immediately.
 
MORE WAYS TO EAT BETTER: FAMILY CONTEST

Get everyone into the act, thinking about how to “healthify” family favorites. Provide “healthy cookbooks” for reference: Cooking Light, Giada’s Feel-Good Food and the Eating Well Healthy In A Hurry Cookbook. Give a monthly prize to the best idea.

Some of our most popular switches:

Also see:

Crab-stuffed flounder is actually easy to
make. Photo and recipe courtesy Westside
Market | New York City.

February 18th is National Crab-Stuffed Flounder Day. The recipe is easy to make, and gives the appearance of a “fancy” preparation. You can stuff any white fish fillet with crab meat.

Before buying crab, note that there are four grades of meat. In order of expense, they are:

Here’s more on the different types of crab meat.

Thanks to the Westside Market in New York City for this easy recipe.

Here’s a second recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: CRABMEAT STUFFED FLOUNDER

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a 9 x13-inch ovenproof dish.

2. MELT the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft. Stir in the parsley or dill. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, crab meat, lemon juice, and cayenne.

3. DIVIDE the crab meat mixture among the fillets and roll them up; hold them together with toothpicks. Place the fish seam side down in a baking dish. Sprinkle the paprika over the fish.

4. BAKE for 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with dill and lemon before serving.
 
 
CRAB MEAT OR CRABMEAT?

You’ll see both uses. Which is correct?

“Crab meat” is more correct, although the incorrect “crabmeat” has eased into acceptance over time (spell or pronounce something incorrectly enough and people accept it as right).

Claw meat and leg meat are darker but more flavorful and less expensive. Use it in recipes where the crab gets fully blended with other ingredients. Photo courtesy Phillips Crab.