The third annual Cooking Light Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest ignited the imagination of more than 3,200 cooks from across the country who submitted original light recipes. Participants created dishes in one of four categories: starters and drinks, entrées, sides and salads, and desserts. They also had to incorporate one of eight ingredients from our contest sponsors: Kerrygold butters and cheeses, Cook's Ham, Kikkoman Soy Sauce, Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Quaker Oatmeal, Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Cheese, Muir Glen tomato products, and Benefiber.

From these entries, we culled the top recipes, which were prepared in our Test Kitchens, to determine the 12 finalists. Then the contestants made their recipes in the cooking studios of Kings Super Markets, a local retail chain in Short Hills, New Jersey, that hosted the event.

A panel of independent food professionals sampled each dish and deliberated over taste, originality, and ease of preparation to select the winners. The judges chose the four category winners featured here, who each took home $5,000. The grand prize winner received $20,000—the largest cash prize in the contest's history, given to celebrate the magazine's 20th anniversary in 2007—plus the $5,000 category prize, which was donated to the contestant's charity of choice.