"It's the most powerful food in the landscape of American culinary experience," according to Glenn Roberts, founder of Anson Mills, producer of handmade milled goods from organic heirloom grains. Glenn is a purist. His favorite way to enjoy the delicious milled corn dish is plain, eaten alone and with reverence. I can't say that most of us southerners are so calm around our grits, but we do love them. 

I love leftovers, but I realize not everyone shares the sentiment. My boyfriend, for one, is in this camp. We often make a big pot of grains on the weekend to eat throughout the week, but there are times when Wednesday rolls around and we're simply sick of quinoa and brown rice. Then the question inevitably arises: what to do with half a pot of cooked grains? Freeze it!

Rice often gets relegated into the "side dish" category, which is the food equivalent of always playing wingman while flashier, more winsome ingredients get to chat up the cook. Today, we're showing a little love for this humble grain. Here are ten of our favorite dinners where rice gets to be the star.

I am always hunting for new warm weather recipes, whether I am hosting a barbecue, attending a potluck, or just filling my fridge with a simple salad for the week. Pasta salad is a particular favorite of mine (you can never have too many in your arsenal), so when a reader requested "copycat" recipes from the Whole Food's salad bar, I jumped at the chance. This version — with smoked gouda, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts — is rich, creamy, and one of the best I've made yet.

While I love oatmeal and eat it for breakfast for months and months out of the year, right around this time in the season I look for something else. The mornings are warmer and sunny, and I long for something that feels a little less substantial, isn't as predictable, and doesn't remind me of cold weather wake-ups. Lately the answer is polenta. 

Item: Vitamix 32-Ounce Dry Grains Container
Price: $144.00
Overall Impression: Not essential but extremely useful

A Vitamix is a hefty (yet worthy!) investment and if you've taken the plunge, you might now be wondering whether you really need to spend more on an additional Dry Grains Container. How different is it from the Vitamix's Standard/Wet Blade Container? Here's what we found... 

I spent a little longer than usual strolling the aisles of the grocery the other day killing time while waiting for an appointment. Initially I was pleasantly surprised to notice so many whole-grain products — we're used to seeing whole-grain breads, crackers and baking mixes, but potato chips and sandwich cookies? I went home and did some research on the regulations for labeling a product "whole grain" and it turns out the rules are pretty darn loose. So how can a consumer know if a product is truly a whole-grain food?

Quicos are my new favorite nibble, and I'll bet good money that if you like crunchy and salty snacks, they're about to be your favorite new nibble, too. These particular homemade quicos are tossed with lime zest and chili powder, making them even more irresistable than usual. If a Cinco de Mayo celebration is your future — or any party at all! — you'll definitely want this on your snack list.

Have you heard that brown rice has been found to contain trace amounts of arsenic? As a brown rice lover, all of the varying reports have been a bit confusing and tough to unpack. Some news sources are saying to avoid it at all costs while others are saying it's not a serious situation. Last week, The New York Times came up with the perfect description: "the arsenic conundrum." So how serious of an issue is it, really?