Recipe swap: Offering up Nana's Apple Oatmeal Pie; seeking edamame and tofu salad

What readers want

Edamame and tofu salad Ginger Sznakowski of South Mills, N.C., wrote, "Harris Teeter has a wonderful one sometimes at their salad bar - it also has shredded carrots and, I think, wild rice."

Noodles Romanoff Cynthia Law of Norfolk wrote, "The first one I can remember was Betty Crocker's and then Stouffer's came out with their version. Both are now discontinued, and I have no idea how to begin to re-create it.

What readers have

Nana's Oatmeal Apple Pie

Kathy Derr of Williamsburg won first place in the Virginia Autumn Festival 2008 Apple Pie Baking Contest with this gluten-free recipe, which is based on her grandmother's recipe for an apple dessert. Derr converted it to a gluten-free recipe when she and her two daughters were diagnosed with celiac disease, requiring a wheat-free diet. You can find the second-and third-place recipes at www.merchantssquare.org.

Pie crust:

1 1/4 cups white rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca flour

3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Quaker oats

3/4 cup butter

Pie filling

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 Granny Smith apples

For the crust Combine dry ingredients, then work in butter using a mixer. Reserve 1 cup of crust mixture crumbs for topping. Pack the remainder into a 9-inch pie shell, pushing the crust up the sides to make a traditional fluted edge.

For the filling Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Add the water and butter and bring to a boil. Cook gently over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the vanilla.

Peel and dice 4 Granny Smith apples. Pour the cooked filling over the diced apples and cover all the apples with the filling. Pour the apple filling into the crust and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs.

Bake pie at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour.

Note For people who do not have to eat gluten-free pie, 2 cups of regular wheat flour can be substituted for the mixture of white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour and xanthan gum.

Tester's note In a home test, the pie was not bubbly and the apples were not fully done at 1 hour; we cooked it an extra 20 minutes with excellent results. Our 9-inch pie shell was overwhelmed by the amount of apples. If that happens to you, try a deep dish pie pan or increase the pan size to 91/2 or 10 inches.

Swiss Cheddar Fondue

Nancy Girard of Chesapeake said this is easy and delicious.

Serves: 4.

8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (mild Irish Swiss works best, but any kind will work)

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup flour

12 ounces beer

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix cheeses with flour.

Heat beer in fondue pot until steaming, add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, mustard and pepper. Mix well. Add cheese mixture and stir until melted.

Use chunks of bread, veggies and apples for dipp ing in cheese mixture.

- Betty Douglass and Melinda Forbes