Dairy

A great-tasting hash that gets its kick from the combination of Maytag blue cheese, spicy sausage, red bell pepper and beets.

Food writer Janet Fletcher says, "During my childhood, the only salad on the Thanksgiving buffet was an old-fashioned Waldorf with chopped apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise. Frankly, I don’t miss it. This contemporary salad has the walnuts and the crunch, but is much fresher and far more inviting."

Low-fat buttermilk and nonfat yogurt provide the base in a refreshing, tangy soup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The Masa Harina adds a pleasant flavor to the light and fluffy pancakes.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. We like to serve this feta on crackers as an hors d'oeuvre. Thinly sliced into single-serving portions, it also makes a lovely sweet-yet-savory dessert.

At the end of the century, vegetarian cooking gained wide acceptance-and became sophisticated. Wraps (basically burritos) were a hot fast food; everything from Thai chicken to ahi tuna got "wrapped" in flour tortillas or flatbread. The two trends pair up in this terrific dish. To make these even more like burritos, add one 15- to 16-ounce can of drained black beans to the filling.

Although it would be years before most Greek cooking would become familiar to Americans, one Greek dish, moussaka, did catch on in the seventies.

This dip requires only three basic ingredients. If you're bringing it to a party, you can assemble it ahead of time in a disposable aluminum pan and throw it in the oven when you arrive. I got this recipe from Lisa Lombardo, a friend of mine who brought it all the way from Albany, New York, to my housewarming party in Brooklyn. Even after the long haul it still tasted great!

Alice Waters, who opened Chez Panisse in 1971, took salads to new heights with unusual, farm-fresh greens; she also popularized the use of goat cheese, which was being made by Laura Chenel not far from the Berkeley restaurant. Those ingredients come together in this delicious salad.

Malloreddus, the saffron-flavored pasta shaped like gnocchi, is a Sardinian specialty. For convenience, we used dried pasta of a similar shape and added saffron to the pasta cooking water.

Israeli couscous, sometimes known as pearl pasta, is available at Middle Eastern markets. You could also order it from Joan's on Third in Los Angeles; 323-655-2285.