After the excesses of Xmas, we’re honestly looking forward to a fresh, clean start to the New Year. No, really.

If your New Year’s resolution is to eat more greens, Kirsten Jenkins shows you how to make friends with salad (basically, you just add bacon).  From a chicken, celeriac, and witlof Waldorf to our stunning cover recipe, a maple bacon and celery Caesar, these leafy bowls are definitely no garden-variety salads.

And if, like us, your favourite salad is made from potato, we’ve included a few baked gems, from a kifler salad with Provençal tapenade to baby chats with bacon in a grabiche-style dressing.

With the holidays done and dusted and many of us back at our desks, so too comes those Wednesday night dinners, that are always more difficult to prepare than any other day.  If sausages are your go-to, we show you how to transform the humble snag into a stellar home meal. Trade up the bangers and mash for a sausage pizza or pasta, chorizo and Spanish rice, or a German-inspired sausage coil with potato rosti and sauerkraut.

Cutting back on the meat? That doesn’t mean you have to bypass the barbecue. Jessica Brook shows you how to bring the seductive smell of smoke to your favourite vegetables. Make room on the grill for mushroom shawarma skewers, smoky carrot hotdogs and lemongrass tofu banh xeo.

While it’s hard to beat a slice of fresh watermelon, we show you how good this sweet, ruby fruit can be in cooking, from coolings cakes and fragrant desserts to the star ingredient in a savoury salad.

Those with a sweet tooth will love our nourishing dessert feature by Healthy Chef Teresa Cutter. Packed with wholesome treats like zucchini cake with yoghurt frosting, breakfast muesli cookies, and banana chia bread, Cutter proves it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too.

If you’re planning a trip away in the New Year, check out our dedicated travel pages for some inspiration. Follow us as we explore Egypt, from the pyramids of Giza to a luxurious cruise down the Nile.

For those who would rather stay a little closer to home, Melissa Leong takes us through the Perth dining scene, starting with the luxurious Ritz-Carlton’s new restaurant, Hearth. We also take a look at Australia’s most scenic destination – Darwin, where dense pockets of rainforest, spring-fed waterfalls and iconic Aussie animals all come with the territory.

The February issue of delicious. is now on sale.