NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Coca-Cola Co. made two moves this week to boost sagging soda sales in the United States.

In the more major of the moves, the company rolled out a lime-flavored version of its popular Diet Coke drink in stores throughout the nation.

Frozen Yogurt with Root Beer Sauce

The company also, in cooperation with the Culinary Institute of America, unveiled a slew of recipes that use Coke products as key ingredients.

Lime-flavored Diet Coke will initially be offered in 20-ounce and 2-liter bottles, multi-pack cans and 8-ounce bottles. Coca-Cola spokesman Ed Klein said the company expected the drink would appeal most to consumers in their 20s and 30s.

Diet Coke, the top selling diet soft drink in the United States and worldwide, has gone through several line extensions since its launch in 1982. It now includes cherry, lemon and vanilla versions in addition to lime.

Coca-Cola (KO: Research, Estimates) said it also reformulated its Diet Coke with Lemon drink to make the lemon taste "lighter" than the original version. The lemon flavored diet cola was introduced in 2001.

Light Lime Cheesecake

New product development is one cornerstone of Coca-Cola's strategy to reignite soft drink sales in North America, its largest market. The company's sales in the region have suffered in recent years due to an economic slowdown and mounting competition from PepsiCo. Inc. (PEP: Research, Estimates) and other rivals.

Coca-Cola's sales as measured by unit case volume, a key gauge of financial health in the beverage industry, grew 1 percent in North America in the third quarter of 2003, its most recent reporting period.

In comparison, Coke's total worldwide sales grew 4 percent in the same three months.

"The diet part of the industry is where the growth is, and these companies are now expanding their offerings of diet sodas," John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest, a leading industry newsletter, told Reuters.

Along with the new product roll out, Coke is also trying to get more uses for its existing product line. And so it asked the Culinary Institute of America to develop some dishes featuring Coke drinks.

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in. Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions. Manage alerts | What is this?

"These new recipes demonstrate how beverages can be incorporated into every-day recipes to deliver contemporary, big flavors, with moderate calories in mind," Donna Shields, manager of health and nutrition strategic communications at Coca-Cola, said in a statement.

Cooking with carbonated beverages has roots dating back to the 1950s when regular Coke drink was used in cakes, ham glazes and pot roasts, said Coke.

The new recipes include new twists on traditional favorites, such as Lemony-Honey Glazed Pork Chops, made with Diet Lemon Coke; Oven-baked Chicken Wings with Sweet & Tangy Mustard Sauce made with Barq's Root Beer; and Light Lime Cheesecake created with Minute Maid Limonada, according to www.SecretIngredientRecipes.com.  

-- Reuters contributed to the story