Italian hummus with tuna meddley

Italian hummus

Level: Intermediate
Ingredients:
1 can cannellini beans
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed)
1/3 cup of canned tomatoes
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons of sour cream (or more to taste)
1 garlic clove
Olive oil
Water
Salt and pepper

1. Blend all ingredients in blender. Add water if needed to help the hummus blend properly. Consistency should be thick.
2. Serve with toasted pita bread, crackers, or just by itself. (Don't limit yourself! Work with your kitchen.)

**This was just simply delicious! I like this hummus a lot better than the regular kind. Maybe because it has sun dried tomatoes. In this recipe they are a must. I also quite enjoyed the cannellini beans, and not having to worry about the Tahini(or sesame 'peanut' butter). From the inspired recipe I read that you can make this into more or less a soup if you add more tomatoes, and I think a little bit more of everything else, except the beans.**

Tuna meddley

Level: Challenging

Green fried tomatoes with ponzu sauce and apple couscous

Green fried tomatoes

Level: Challenging

Apple couscous

Level: Beginner
Ingredients:
1 cup couscous
1 cup vegetable stock (in place of the water)
1 teaspoon of butter
1 medium apple (red is actually better)
1/4 cup oven roasted almonds (we roast the almonds ourselves in a small toaster oven, keep an eye on them, they roast really fast!)

1. Follow the package instructions.

**We tried the green apple but it was a little bitter. Most couscous cooks in 5 minutes.**

Fish with dill sauce and vegetable couscous

Dill sauce

Level: Challenging
Ingredients:
Sour cream
Celery salt
Dried dill

1. Mix ingredients in slowly to taste.

**This little dip came as a last resource while my sister was trying to find something to put on top of her fish fillet. Think about the flavors in the ingredients, if you think they will go well together, chances are you'll probably like it.**

Caramelized red peppers dip

Level: Intermediate
Ingredients:
1/2 bell red pepper (in small cubes)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup vinegar (in this red wine was used)
8 oz. Cream cheese (one package)

1. Simmer the peppers, the sugar and the vinegar together until thick.
2. Pour over cream cheese while mixture is still hot.
3. Serve with choice of crackers.

**This recipe was really easy to make, except you have to watch for the mixture not to overcook because then it becomes too caramelized. We just love the sweet and sour taste of the sugar and the vinegar. In this picture we made only half of the recipe as we thought it would be too much for us to eat the whole cream cheese block ourselves. LOL!**