Rice & Grains

"Never have I tried a homemade bread as light and delicious as the honey-oat loaf at The Green Mountain Inn in Stowe, Vermont," writes Rebecca Rothaug of Westbury, New York. "With your help, I would like to share this bread with my family and friends." Serve slices of this tender, slightly sweet bread with plenty of butter and honey.

"Ever since I tried the polenta with mushrooms at Vinci in Chicago, I've made a point of stopping there when I'm in town," says Colby L. Crabtree of Lexington, Kentucky. "The dish is so popular that the management counts the orders. Every time they hit ten thousand, the guest who requested it gets a free trip to Italy. I’d be happy just to 'win' the recipe."

Serve with warm corn bread or spoon over steamed rice. What to drink: Pale ale or Mexican lager or dark ale, such as Bohemia or Negra Modelo.

Natalie Zschiesch of Woodstock, Georgia, writes: "When I was a student at the University of Georgia in Athens, I frequently walked across the street to The Last Resort, a restaurant located in the heart of downtown. I'd treat myself to the delicious salmon, served atop creamy grits and surrounded by a rich caper-cream sauce. If only I had the recipe, I wouldn't have to make the trip back to Athens every time the craving sets in."

Tostadas caseras — corn tortillas that have been seasoned and fried — can be found with the tortillas in most supermarkets. The soup can be made one day before serving.

It's common in Oaxaca to add mint to rice, adding a subtle herbal dimension.

Accompany the risotto with a lettuce and radicchio salad, and pass a basket of poppy-seed breadsticks. A strawberry tart would be a nice way to end the meal. See how to finely chop herbs.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 40 min

You can bake this apple oatmeal crumble (with the oven rack in the upper third of the oven) and roast the tomatoes (on the rack in the lower third) for this low-fat menu at the same time.

Matt McMillan, Big Bowl's executive chef, threw together these items for his lunch one day. We ran it as a special the next week. It's simple and delicious.

This bread is adapted from Jean Lemlin's recipe, from our March 1994 issue.

"I used to live in New York, and once, several years ago, I stopped by Olive's sandwich shop in SoHo with a friend," writes J-R John of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "After lunch I bought one of the 'cowboy cookies'; this was an extra-large and especially good chocolate chip cookie. I've never forgotten it."

The unusual combination of mushrooms and dried apricots makes for a delicious and earthy soda bread.