Healthy Meat Dishes

Adapted from a recipe in author Patricia Wells's latest cookbook, Salad as a Meal, this rosy roast beef with basil oil seems decadent but contains only two grams of saturated fat per serving.

"I like that all of the ingredients in this dish get a chance to meet each other," says Alexandra Guarnaschelli. She roasts the carrots and shallots along with the mustard-coated pork loin; then she uses the drippings to make a sauce. "The idea is that you never throw flavor away," Guarnaschelli says. "In fact, you collect flavor. It’s a good philosophy for healthy cooking."

"Rabbit might be the perfect meat," says chef Jenn Louis of Lincoln in Portland, Oregon. "The animals are very easy to raise and the meat is lean but flavorful." Louis, who has lost and kept off 34 pounds, cooks a lot of rabbit at her restaurant and eats it often at home.

Pair with a smoky, intense California Syrah.

Takashi Yagihashi crusts strip steak with a spicy wasabi-horseradish cream, then serves it with miso-glazed potatoes and deep-fried salsify (a root vegetable). For a quicker and healthier version, coat lean but tasty flank steak with bottled horseradish and wasabiâ??no cream. Skip the salsify.

"My mother and I go foraging for elderflowers for two days each May," says Trina Hahnemann. They pick enough flowers to make cordial to drink throughout the year and then use in dishes like this pork tenderloin quickly braised with fennel. Anyone not living near a Nordic meadow can substitute St-Germain elderflower cordial for the homemade kind.

Serve this warm, savory meal with steamed rice.

Chef Chris Pandel of The Bristol worked with Goose Island to create a black IPA called A Beer Named Sue, a crisp beer with a dark color that belies its lightness. Pandel likes to pair it with this savory goat-and-olive ragù tossed with pasta. "Goat has just enough richness to combat an IPA's bitterness," he says (lamb shoulder makes a great substitute). For an easier-to-find beer alternative, serve this dish with 21st Amendment's Back in Black from San Francisco.

Chris Cosentino spices his bison strip loin with juniper, since juniper berries often grow where bison graze; the bison can also be replaced with a beef strip loin. For putting a good crust on a juicy steak, Cosentino says, "A hot stone is awesome!" Sometimes known as cooking a la plancha, the method requires heating a smooth stone or cast-iron griddle over hot coals, creating a surface ideal for searing, no oil required. Pizza stones work well here.

In this faster version of a steak salad, charred tomatoes add their warm, tangy juices to an arugula salad served alongside quick-grilled veal scallopine.

Brined green peppercorns aren't particularly popular, but Kristin Donnelly loves them in a dressing for sweet roasted fall vegetables and roast beef.

This recipe for vaca frita ("fried cow") is a close cousin of Cuba's famous ropa vieja, stewed shredded beef in tomato sauce. The beef for vaca frita, however, is marinated in lime, garlic and salt, then seared until crispy. The key to achieving the perfect texture is to cook the beef in small batches, so it sautés rather than steams.

This succulent recipe is based on bulgogi, a classic Korean dish of sliced beef that’s marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic, then grilled. In this version, a bit of crushed red pepper is added to the marinade for heat.

This umami dish pairs well with an appley Riesling.

At David Burke’s Primehouse, David Burke serves three mini beef tenderloin hot dogs, topping each one with a different kind of homemade relish, such as one made with citrus and red onion or another made with wild mushrooms and herbs. Burke grills beef tenderloin, cuts it into long, thick slices about the length and width of a hot dog, then cradles each piece in a soft bun. Instead of multiple relishes, use one summery relish, made with kernels of sweet corn and bits of red onion tossed with cider vinegar, goes on top of all the "dogs."

Pair with a smoky, intense California Syrah.

Pork tenderloin is leaner than skin-on chicken and delicious in the spicy, smoky recipe here. Capsaicin, the chemical that makes chiles taste hot, can help boost metabolism; for extra fire, add the chile seeds to the marinade.

This stir-fry calls for succulent pork tenderloin, shiitake, bok choy and chewy noodles—either Japanese curly noodles (available in the international aisle of supermarkets) or instant ramen.

Chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav in Philadelphia adds onion juice or pureed onions to his Middle Eastern–style marinades to tenderize and caramelize the meat. The marinade is great on chicken breast as well as lamb.

Instead of using high-calorie coconut milk, Sue Zemanick of New Orleans’ Gautreau’s substitutes coconut water (the clear liquid inside young coconuts) and a touch of full-fat sour cream to add richness to this curry sauce. Lime juice and red curry paste contribute superb tanginess and flavor, too.

Even if you're cutting down on fat, you can still eat a little lamb; a 4-ounce portion of roasted loin or leg contains as little as 4 grams of saturated fat. It's wonderful when coated in an easy olive-powder crust and served with lots of fiber- and potassium-rich adzuki beans.

Black beans are rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber and loaded with protein, as is pork tenderloin, a very lean cut. Chef Nichole Birdsall uses chiles from her garden to give the beans a spicy kick.

Save half of this roast and some of the gravy to make beef stroganoff or beef salad.

Many cultures use meat as a flavoring instead of as the main ingredient. Here, ground bison adds substance and richness to the tofu and green beans in a chile sauce-spiked stir-fry. For the most sustainable and humane option, buy grass-finished bison.

This super fast recipe from Grace Parisi calls for roasted peanuts, cilantro leaves, and more.

F&W's Marcia Kiesel gives this quick weeknight chicken recipe a kick with curry powder and jalapeños. Serve with grilled pita, lettuce leaves, tomato wedges and cucumber slices.

The sweet licorice flavor of aniseed or fennel seeds adds depth to pork. For the sauce, look for dried figs that are soft and moist. If they seem very dry, soften them in hot water before cutting.