You’re stranded on a desert island. What five food items do you hope are on hand?

• Quinoa – I could eat it as is or I could grind it down to flour for bread and pasta.

• Tomatoes – One of my favorite things to cook with.
• Fruit – Whatever is in season, I love it all!
• Almond butter or almonds
• Greek yogurt

What’s your guiltiest indulgence?
Bacon, I secretly love it! Everything in moderation, right?

What dish do you love to cook?
Chicken sausage or shrimp (or both) with white beans, tomatoes and kale

What food do you always bring to a potluck party?
A veggie, bean or pasta salad (or combination of all three)

What recipe does everyone always ask you for?
Chicken and Spinach Lasagna or Mediterranean Couscous Salad

If you could have dinner with three people (from the past or present), who would they be?

• Grandparents (all four…I know that’s cheating)

• Dalai Lama
• Mario Batali, but I would want to go on a culinary adventure with him (Spain, Greece or Italy preferred)

What’s one food you just can’t stand?
Foie gras and processed meat products (pork roll, scrapple, etc.)

What ice cream flavor would you be?
Berry Graham Crunch

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget or appliance?
Immersion blender and microplane…it’s a tie!

Favorite fruit: grapes and berries
Favorite veggie: kale, chard or Brussels sprouts…but I love them all!
Favorite kid-friendly dish: chicken fingers and mac and cheese
Favorite cookbook: Jamie Oliver’s Jamie At Home – all about growing your own food and bringing it to life in the kitchen

Mexican or Italian?
That’s tough…I am 100% Italian so I am a huge fan, but my husband loves Mexican food (we actually were married in Mexico) so we eat it often. As long as it is fresh and full of colors and flavors, I’m in!

PB&J sandwich or grilled cheese?
Grilled cheese (a little burnt) — this is 100% comfort food.

You get one food-related wish — what would it be?
To have an amazing organic farm (and someone to tend to it), full of all of my favorite fruits and veggies and a year-round growing season so I always had local, fresh ingredients!

See Katie’s full professional credentials here and catch her on the season premiere of The Next Food Network Star this Sunday, June 7 on Food Network.

Have you checked out Foodnetwork.com’s healthy ideas lately? They’ve got dishes from Ellie Krieger for breakfast, lunch and dinner — plus, recipes for their top 10 low-fat treats, after-dinner sweets and vegetarian-friendly meals. Ingredients for this Edamame Veggie Burger are going on my grocery list right now.

Dig in >>

February is American Heart Month, and to honor this healthy initiative, our friends at Foodnetwork.com are dishing out recipes that are low in cholesterol but high in flavor. Check out their favorites — plus, see which seven foods can help lower cholesterol and eight simple steps for better heart health.

Dig in >>

Foodnetwork.com has a clever slideshow that uses everyday items — baseballs, golf balls, deck of cards and a computer mouse — to help you keep things straight.

Check it out >>

Drum roll, please…

#5 Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

Instead of: ground beef
Try: 90-95% ground sirloin beef or reduce the ground beef and add ground turkey

Instead of: serving 4
Try: slicing smaller pieces for person and pairing with more fresh and light sides

#4 Who Loves Ya Baby-Back Ribs

Instead of: baby back ribs
Try: pork tenderloin. Rub the tenderloin with dry rub then grill or broil, and baste periodically with the braising liquid.

#3 Lasagna Rolls

Instead of: unsalted Butter (for the pan)
Try: non-stick cooking spray

Instead of: whole milk
Try: skim or 1% milk

Instead of: whole milk ricotta cheese
Try: part-skim ricotta cheese and use less

Instead of: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
Try: About 1/3

Instead of: shredded mozzarella
Try: part-skim mozzarella

#2 Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Instead of: eggs
Try: egg substitutes (1 egg = 1/4 cup of egg substitute) or a combination of eggs and egg substitute

Instead of: half-and-half
Try: whole or 2% milk

Instead of: whole milk
Try: skim or 1% milk

Instead of: buttered sheet pan
Try: non-stick cooking spray

Instead of: praline topping mix
Try: chopped nuts and cinnamon

#1 Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Instead of: whole milk
Try: 1% or skim milk

Instead of: butter
Try: less than what’s noted in recipe or a small amount of trans fat-free margarine

Instead of: 12 ounces of cheese
Try: about 1/3 less or the low-fat version

Instead of: egg
Try: egg substitute (1 egg = 1/4 cup egg substitute)

Instead of: white pasta
Try: whole wheat pasta

Check out recipes 5 through 10 here >>

We know you all love your comfort foods, and yes, occasionally, you can indulge. But if you’re looking to try these top recipes on a more regular basis, check out Dana and Toby’s tips for lightening them up.

#10 – Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs
The excess in these little picnic favorites comes in the filling.

Instead of: 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
Try: 1 tablespoon mayonnaise plus 1 tablespoon non-fat Greek-style yogurt

Instead of: 7 egg yolks
Try: 5 egg yolks

#9 – Crab Cakes
It’s the frying in peanut oil that bumps up the fat and calories in these crab cakes.

Instead of: 1/2 cup of oil
Try: 1/4 cup of oil

#8 – Sweet and Spicy Coleslaw
This one comes with lots of fresh veggies but is weighed down by the add-ons.

Instead of: all the dressing
Try: Cut the recipe in half – the flavors will still be balanced and the taste of all those fresh veggies will shine through

#7 – Chicken Parmesan
Mmm, look at all that cheesy goodness.

Instead of: 1/4 cup of olive oil for tomato sauce
Use: 2 tablespoons

Instead of: Buffalo Mozzarella
Use: Part-skim cow’s milk mozzarella; you’ll save 7 grams of saturated fat per serving

Instead of: 1 pound of spaghetti
Use: 3/4 pound of pasta or replace with a large salad

# 6 – Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These cute cupcakes would be a perfect sweet for your sweetheart.

Instead of: vegetable oil
Use: applesauce – replace half of the oil with your favorite kind. It will save 60 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving.

Instead of: all the frosting
Use: cut the recipe in half, you won’t miss a thing

Instead of: pecans on top
Use: more fresh fruit

Stay tuned for part two, which will include the top 5. (Of course, you can always cheat and look ahead to see what’s coming.)

Get recipes and ideas >>

Nothing beats a wholesome meal to help warm up these chilly days. The healthy gurus from Eating Well have shared some of their top cool-weather menu ideas and healthy recipes with our sister site, Foodnetwork.com — including one-pot chili recipes and budget-friendly favorites (mmm, twice-baked potatoes).

Get inspired for dinner tonight >>