Though not exactly good for the waistline, croissants are a delectable French pastry treat. The key to including flaky, rich buttery treats, such as croissants, into your meal plan is to eat them in moderation, making them a once-in-a-while indulgence rather than something you would consume every day.

Italian sausage is a versatile meat that can be used in a variety of dishes for any meal of the day. Store fresh Italian sausage in the refrigerator before and after cooking, and eat it within four days after cooking. You can freeze Italian sausage if you're not using it by its expiration date.

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are lumpy, light tan beans that you can eat cold in salads, roasted as a crunchy snack or cooked in soups and stews. They are common in Indian, South American and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Olive oil is a healthy substitute for butter. One tbsp. of olive oil has 120 calories and 14 g of total fat, including 12 g of unsaturated fat. Olive oil contains no trans fats or cholesterol. Salted butter has 102 calories per tbsp. and 11.5 g of total fat, of which 7 g are saturated.

Pearl barley, found in most grocery stores, is put through a pearling machine that polishes off the outer bran layer, leaving a bland-tasting, tender grain. Pot -- or Scotch -- barley is minimally polished, leaving some outer bran, a nuttier flavor and a chewier texture.

The mouthfeel of longkou noodles stands out when you first try them. Slippery and almost weightless on the tongue, longkou, also called cellophane noodles, feel more like a garnish than a substantial part of a soup or stir-fry. What they lack in heartiness, though, they compensate for in flavor absorption.

Few dishes deliver an encore like chicken Parmesan. Similar to lasagna, it often makes a better impression the second time on the dinner table, once the chicken, sauce, cheese and seasonings have had time to commingle.

Sunflower oil is a healthy cooking oil that is composed of 79 percent monounsaturated fat, 7 percent polyunsaturated fat and 14 percent saturated fat, which is almost the same composition as extra-virgin olive oil. In moderation, unsaturated fats can lower your risk of developing heart disease.

If you are trying to reduce your sugar consumption or cut back on calorie intake, you might be looking for foods and beverages made with sugar substitutes. Among the many different types of artificial sweeteners are sugar alcohols.

Adzuki beans, also called aduki or azuki beans, are small, red, dry beans often used in Japanese and Chinese dishes. Their small size lets them cook more quickly than other beans, and they have a reputation for not causing quite as much of a gas problem as other beans.

Fatback is an inexpensive pork product that is sometimes sold salted. The cut comes from the back of the pig. Even if you think fatback is too fatty and salty to eat as a main dish, it has a strong flavor that makes it useful for flavoring other foods, such as beans and pate.

A bottom round roast is a thick cut of beef best roasted to yield tender and moist meat. The roast is also rich in protein, iron and niacin. This cut of meat comes from the hip area of the cow and is often marbled, making it an excellent choice for roasting, because it lends a rich flavor to the roast.