A wide-bottomed saucepan with a tight-fitting lid works best for evenly cooked rice. We prefer olive oil for this dish, but butter can be used as well. This recipe is based on authentic Mexican rice; however, this version is much quicker to prepare.

ready in about 30 minutes; serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • water
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • olive oil
  • tomato paste
  • minced fresh cilantro

Make sure that the cooked chicken is finely shredded, or the edges of large pieces will tear through the tortillas. In addition to the lime wedges, serve these enchiladas with low-fat sour cream, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, and hot sauce.

ready in about 40 minutes; serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • chili powder
  • ground cumin
  • sugar
  • water
  • Ground black pepper
  • minced fresh cilantro
  • Vegetable cooking spray

Serve this dip with Quick Homemade Pita Chips (see related recipe), fresh pitas cut into wedges, or baguette slices. Also, try it spread in a sandwich wrap.

Makes about 2 cups

ready in about an hour and 10 minutes; serves 12
You might need to buy:
  • walnuts
  • fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • mild molasses
  • table salt
  • ground cumin
  • cayenne pepper

To apply spice rubs, sprinkle over the food and then gently massage in the seasonings to make sure they adhere. As a general rule, use about 1 tablespoon of rub per portion of poultry or meat and 1 teaspoon of rub per portion of fish. Although rubs can be applied right before cooking, we’ve discovered that the flavor of the spices penetrates deeper into the food if given time. Refrigerate rubbed meat for at least an hour to maximize the return (large cuts of meat can sit overnight for a spicier, more intense flavor).

ready in about 10 minutes; serves 10
You might need to buy:
  • fennel seeds
  • cumin seeds
  • coriander seeds
  • dry mustard
  • brown sugar
  • ground cinnamon

To apply spice rubs, sprinkle over the food and then gently massage in the seasonings to make sure they adhere. As a general rule, use about 1 tablespoon of rub per portion of poultry or meat and 1 teaspoon of rub per portion of fish. Although rubs can be applied right before cooking, we’ve discovered that the flavor of the spices penetrates deeper into the food if given time. Refrigerate rubbed meat for at least an hour to maximize the return (large cuts of meat can sit overnight for a spicier, more intense flavor).
Makes about 1/4 cup

ready in about 10 minutes; serves 10
You might need to buy:
  • fennel seeds
  • coriander seeds
  • white peppercorns
  • whole cloves
  • star anise pods

To apply spice rubs, sprinkle over the food and then gently massage in the seasonings to make sure they adhere. As a general rule, use about 1 tablespoon of rub per portion of poultry or meat and 1 teaspoon of rub per portion of fish. Although rubs can be applied right before cooking, we’ve discovered that the flavor of the spices penetrates deeper into the food if given time. Refrigerate rubbed meat for at least an hour to maximize the return (large cuts of meat can sit overnight for a spicier, more intense flavor).
Makes about 1/2 cup

ready in about 5 minutes; serves 10
You might need to buy:
  • ground cumin
  • curry powder
  • chili powder
  • ground allspice
  • ground black pepper
  • ground cinnamon

To apply spice rubs, sprinkle over the food and then gently massage in the seasonings to make sure they adhere. As a general rule, use about 1 tablespoon of rub per portion of poultry or meat and 1 teaspoon of rub per portion of fish. Although rubs can be applied right before cooking, we’ve discovered that the flavor of the spices penetrates deeper into the food if given time. Refrigerate rubbed meat for at least an hour to maximize the return (large cuts of meat can sit overnight for a spicier, more intense flavor).

Makes about 1/4 cup

ready in about 10 minutes; serves 10
You might need to buy:
  • black peppercorns
  • white peppercorns
  • coriander seeds
  • cumin seeds
  • red pepper flakes
  • ground cinnamon

If your kitchen is very warm, refrigerate all of the dough ingredients for 30 minutes before making the dough. If the dough ever becomes too soft and/or sticky to work with, simply return it to the refrigerator until firm; a dough scraper also comes in handy here. There should be plenty of dough to cut out and make 48 empanadas without having to reroll any dough scraps; we found the rerolled scraps of dough to be very tough. The filling can be made while the dough rests in the refrigerator.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=3988&bdc=47856

ready in about an hour; serves 48
You might need to buy:
  • For Dough
  • sugar
  • table salt
  • ice water
  • For Filling
  • olive oil
  • tomato paste
  • ground cumin
  • ground cloves
  • cayenne pepper
  • percent lean ground chuck
  • low-sodium beef broth
  • sugar
  • Table salt and ground black pepper

Makes about 2 1/2 cups
Serve with wedges of warm pita bread or slices of baguette. Even after the feta has been eaten, the remaining flavorful oil is great for dipping with bread.

ready in about two hours and 10 minutes; serves 10
You might need to buy:
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • minced fresh oregano leaves
  • grated zest from 1 lemon
  • red pepper flakes

2/3 cup serving: CALORIES 151 (27% from fat); FAT 4.6g (sat 1.7g, mono 1.9g, poly .8g); PROTEIN 7g; CARB 23.1g; FIBER 2.4g; CHOL 9mg; IRON .6mg; SODIUM 325mg; CALC 111mg

ready in about 50 minutes; serves 6
You might need to buy:
  • ears fresh corn
  • 1% milk
  • cornstarch
  • sugar
  • salt
  • ground black pepper
  • bacon
  • chopped leek