Nina’s Mexican Rice The key to nutty and flavorful Mexican rice is cooking the rice first in oil until it is nicely golden.

Chicken & White Bean Salad Zucchini and celery give this chicken-and-bean salad a nice crunch. We like serving it over a bed of slightly bitter escarole and radicchio, but any type of salad greens will work.

Greek Salad with Sardines The fresh, tangy elements of a Greek salad—tomato, cucumber, feta, olives and lemony vinaigrette—pair well with rich-tasting sardines. Look for sardines with skin and bones (which are edible) as they have more than four times the amount of calcium as skinless, boneless sardines. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh sardines available in your supermarket, try them in place of the canned sardines.

Roasted Garlic Guacamole with Help-Yourself Garnishes Rick Bayless’s new book is all about how to throw a great fiesta, or party, and a key part of any great fiesta is the food. “I like to welcome guests with this guacamole bar,” he says. “I start off with a basic guacamole made with roasted garlic and set out bowls of toppings so everyone can customize each bite.” (Recipe from “Fiesta at Rick’s” by Rick Bayless; W.W.

Hilary’s Heavenly Eggs This unusual combination of eggs braised in tomato sauce served on crusty bread is out of this world.