New Year's Eve needn't mean overindulging

Fifty percent of adult Americans will be making a New Year's resolution this year to lose weight. To jump-start my own New Year's resolution, and to help my friends who are all making the same resolution, I decided to host a healthy New Year's Eve party. For advice and inspiration, I consulted the experts at Canyon Ranch in western Massachusetts, one of the country's premier spas.

One of my top questions: What to serve that's delicious, fun to eat and good for you? Executive chef Stephen Betti came to the rescue with a slew of great nibble suggestions, starting with an assortment of homemade salsas, low-calorie and low-fat sauces made with chopped veggies, and even fruits that can be served as a dip for raw veggies, tortilla chips or boiled shrimp.

His yellow pepper salsa is delicious and surprising because it doesn't use tomatoes, one of the most common salsa ingredients. This is an especially good recipe to enjoy in winter, when tomatoes can be rock hard and flavorless. Instead the yellow pepper salsa calls for jicama, a root vegetable. Its white, crunchy flesh has a sweet, nutty flavor and is delicious served raw or cooked. Use what's left of the jicama from the salsa recipe as one of the ingredients in a crudites platter.

In addition to the simple-to-make salsas, Betti shared Canyon Ranch recipes for Chicken Gyoza and Spicy Crabcakes. Both can be made ahead and kept frozen until the day of the event, then heated in the oven just before serving. Both are easy-to-eat, two-bite finger foods perfect for a party.

The gyoza, which are effortlessly prepared with ready-made wonton wrappers, are better than any I've tried from a restaurant. Use chicken or turkey, and adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes. For example, I added more ginger and less wasabi, and I substituted cilantro for the lemon grass in one batch with excellent results. It is one of those dishes that is delicious no matter how much you tweak the recipe.

Even if you're not hosting your own healthy fete, you still can jump-start your resolution. Here's some advice from Lori Reamer, nutrition director for Canyon Ranch, on how to avoid overindulging:

• Have a healthful snack an hour before arriving at the party.

• Offer to bring a fabulously delicious but low-cal dish to the event.

• Eat from a small plate and drink from a small glass to control portion size.

• Select only the most special dishes. Don't waste calories on supermarket fare.

• Don't focus only on the food. Embrace the entire party experience -- the company, decorations, music, conversation. Food is just one small part of the fun.

But if you do overindulge, all is not lost. You can repair some of the damage the next day by drinking lots of water, eating light and getting plenty of sweat-producing exercise.