3 of the Best Recipes for Getting Over Heartbreak

When you're consumed by sadness, getting off the couch and into the kitchen may be the last thing you want to do. But cooking may be able to help pull you out of your gloom. In particular, baking something simple, like cookies, can be impressively restorative. The simple and repetitive actions, such as measuring flour and sugar and stirring batter, will give you something beautifully uncomplicated—and unrelated to your heartache—to think about. We're all about these chocolate cookies, which combine cocoa powder, bittersweet chocolate chips and a dash of sea salt for the perfect balance between sweet and salty.

Get the recipe: World Peace Cookies

Heartbreak isn't all in your head (or heart). The emotional stress it brings can also have negative effects on your body. Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and inflammation are one such reaction to the increased tension. To ward off the various health issues linked to inflammation, try a dish with anti-inflammatory ingredients, such as this easy salmon supper. The fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which research has shown reduces inflammation; and, the dish also includes baby spinach, an anti-inflammatory vegetable high in antioxidants.

Get the recipe: Crispy Salmon with Dill Pickled Onions

In culinary writer Ruth Reichl's book My Kitchen Year, she writes about trudging out to buy some broccoli rabe one freezing winter day when she was feeling particularly sullen; the vegetable's acerbic raw taste seemed to suit her gloomy mood. Yet, as she lifted the greens from a pot of salted boiling water, drained them and sautéed them with oil and garlic, the fragrance turned mellow and inviting, a complete 180 from the former sharp and pungent taste. She piled the greens onto grilled bread and topped them with Parmesan. Reassured, she dug in.

Get the recipe: Broccoli-Rabe Bruschetta