Blog Posts by CookingLight.com

Healthier pizza toppers, any way you slice it. By Sidney Fry, MS, RD

Customize your own 200-calorie slice of pizza, complete with toppings galore. Start by rolling a 1-pound ball of fresh dough into a 14-inch base. Top with one of these tasty topping combinations, bake, and divide by 8. Buon appetito!

Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Bacon Spread
Life Lived DeliciouslyIt's party time! For impressive and satisfying nibbles that are sure to be a hit at even the most discerning celebration, try one of our delicious dip recipes.

We'll start you off with Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Bacon Spread. Serve with crackers or bread slices. If you can't find Gruyère, substitute raclette, fontina, or Swiss cheese.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
3 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded and divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/3 cup canola mayonnaise
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan lightly with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low; cook 20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
Reserve 2 tablespoons

Our best chocolate recipe ever.
Life Lived DeliciouslySixteen recipes battled head-to-head in a bake-off to find our most intense chocolaty treat of the past 25 years.

How would we surface the best recipes published in our first quarter-century? Taste them all, obviously! But that meant hundreds of dishes. Using our own ratings and those of Web users, we narrowed the list to a Sweet 16: cake against cupcake, pudding against mousse, pastry against candy. Tastings followed, and much passionate argument.

"Best" is subjective, but also technical and nuanced. Was it important for us to distinguish between a great recipe that happens to contain chocolate and a great chocolate recipe-a paragon of chocolatiness? We decided it was. Above all, the winner had to deliver intense, deep chocolate satisfaction to anyone with a serious chocolate jones, while showing off deft use of the star ingredient (or cocoa, or a combo) in a convincingly lighter context.

And the winner is ...

Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies1. Classic Fudge-Walnut Brownies

The most recent

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast
Making healthy taste greatThese succulent slow-cooker recipes earned top marks from our staff and readers alike.

1. Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast
A Chinese version of barbecue, this moist, flavorful roast pairs well with rice and stir-fried vegetables such as snow peas, baby corn, and water chestnuts. It's made with a Boston butt pork roast and a flavorful marinade that reduces into a rich sauce.

Ingredients
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation
Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally
Place

Making healthy taste greatWhether you go casual or elegant, we have all the tips and advice you'll need to host a warm, friendly, successful party. By Ann Taylor Pittman

In this season of giving, which I love, I find that one of the hardest things to give is my time. Holiday commitments may be fun, but they come fast and furious-they seem to crowd every moment-and leave little time for myself, let alone others.

My solution is not to back away from the chaos, but to throw a party.

Making healthy taste great
A homemade gift is the sweetest thing. Not fancy, just straight from the heart. We cooked up three base recipes, with variations-and sprinkled with decorating tips.

Nothing brings tidings of cheer like fresh and delectable treats that the whole family can enjoy. This year, spend a little time in the kitchen and create gifts that everyone will love. Where to begin? We'll start you off with a basic recipe that you can then use to create two more variations. Then, add a sprinkle here, a ribbon tied there, and pretty soon you will have beautiful gifts for friends and family that are both fun to create and a delight to receive.

Chocolate Walnut Tart

Making healthy taste great
Save the best for last with these incredible sweet treats that won't break your calorie bank.

1. Chocolate Walnut Tart
A riff on the classic pecan pie, this dessert is rich, chocolaty, and a little fancier with its freestanding fluted sides. Of course, you can use a 9-inch pie plate if you don't have a tart pan with a removable bottom.

Ingredients
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup walnut halves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Arrange 1 rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine brown sugar, flour, and salt in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in corn

Triple-Chocolate Cake
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Pie is mighty nice. In fact, pie is almost a statutory requirement during the holidays. But beyond pie are applause-worthy desserts that will delight guests with a sweet, elegant full-stop ending to a great meal. And these treats do so with a much lighter touch. Get ready to wow.

Triple-Chocolate Cake

For those who say it's not dessert if it's not chocolate: Creamy milk chocolate mousse is sandwiched between intensely chocolaty cake layers.

Ingredients

Cake:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, divided
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
8 ounces cake flour (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon granulated