Peruvian Tilapia Ceviche

Shortbread Cookies

Level: Beginner
Ingredients:
-1 cup butter (2 sticks)
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 cups flour

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 350*. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and flour slowly.
3. You can add mix-ins to your dough, including almond extract and nuts. You can also dip the cookies in melted chocolate. It is also a good dough to make them in to shapes if you have a cutter or a cookie press. I made into small balls, pressed finger in the middle, and filled dent with a little bit of homemade jam. Delicious!
4. Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes until golden around the edges.

***These cookies are very soft, best eaten sooner rather than later because it not they will fall apart. I kind of like them old, but I know I'm kind of weird with those things, so I don't recommend it for everyone.***

Super Easy Black Bean Cakes

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-2 green onions
-3 garlic cloves (minced)
-2 tsp cumin
-1 tsp cayenne pepper
-1 tsp paprika
-1 can black beans
-1 egg
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan drizzle olive oil and cook the green onions, garlic, and spices in medium-high heat. Until fragrant, about 1 min.
2. In a bowl max the black beans that have been drained and washed. Make a puree and add the spices and onions. Finally, add egg and mix well, following with the bread crumbs.
3. Make mixture into patties. On a cooking pan drizzle olive oil and place patties, (drizzle a little olive oil on top of patties as well). Cook on broil for 8-10 minutes and then flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
4. Drizzle with sour cream and lemon, salsa on top, or any other topping desired. Makes about 8 little patties.

***This recipe took me literally no time to make. It was very easy and most of the stuff I had at hand. I am sure that you can substitute the green onions for a bit of regular onion. I will freeze half the patties uncooked until they are ready to eat. Great for snack. Served here with fried canned corn.***

Original inspirational recipe: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spicy-black-bean-cakes/Detail.aspx

Torta Loca (Crazy Cake)

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-3 cups flour
-6 tbs cocoa
-2 tsp baking soda
-2 cups sugar
-1 tsp salt

-2/3 cup of vegetable oil
-2 tbs white vinegar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups of water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*.
2. Mix all dry ingredients. Then add all wet ingredients. Mix well.
3. Pour mixture in a 9x9 pan that has been greased and covered in flour. Bake for 35 minutes.

***This recipe is a classic in my house when we were growing up. Very easy to make and as I was noticing, it is also vegan. Next time I will try and pour the cake into cupcakes and see how it turns out. You can also top with icing. Enjoy!***

Middle Eastern Meal

Meal: Baba ganoush, Hummus, Pita bread, steamed potatoes, fried long green peppers, fresh salad with bulgur wheat.

Level: Beginner to Intermediate

Heavenly Broccoli Slaw

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-1 bag of broccoli slaw

-1 cup chopped/sliced almonds

-1 packet Ramen noodles

-1 seasoning packet from Beef/Oriental Ramen noodles

-1/4 cup of white vinegar

-Little less 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Crumble Ramen noodles in the packet without opening.

2. Mix all ingredients well, and add as much seasoning packet to taste.

**This is one of the most delicious salads I have ever had. I can eat this just as a whole meal in itself. One of the best ways to have fresh broccoli.**

Eggs a la Ivonne and Petit Pois Mashed Potatoes

Meal idea: fancy fried egg, radishes, mashed potatoes with peas.
Level: Beginner

Eggs a le Ivonne

Ingredients:

-1 egg

-1 tsp butter

-Parmesan cheese

-Paprika

Directions:

1. Melt butter on a pan.

2. Fry egg sunny side up.

3. When it is almost done add Parmesan cheese on egg and a pinch of paprika on yolk.

Petit Pois

Ingredients:

-Instant mashed potatoes and ingredients (we made enough for 4 servings according to box)

-1 can of sweet peas

-Hickory bacon salt (for vegetarians and vegans)

-Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make mashed potatoes according to box.

2. Drain can of peas and add to mashed potatoes. Mash together.

3. Add hickory bacon salt, and salt, pepper to taste.

**All of these things were surprisingly good together. And it all cooked in just a few minutes!**

Buying Locally

Level: Super EASY
A nice old man on the side of the road was selling produce, so I stopped to take a look. I brought a huge mango, 3 plums (I ate one), 2 big green tomatoes, and 9 yellow squash = total $9.00 There is no way I would have gotten this good deal at the super market. Buy locally because not only are you going to get a good deal, but you reduce the emissions that it takes to transports these goods, you support local growers, and you eat fresher foods. (Believe me, those plums were exquisite!)

If you live in Gainesville: Farmer's Market at Downtown in front of library every Wednesday from 4-6pm.

Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes

Meal idea: mashed potatoes, simple Cesar salad, veggy patty with caramelized red onions
Level: Beginner

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DRESSING

• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sumaq
• extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. 1

   Peel and cube potatoes and boil in water till soft (As for mash potatoes).

2. 2

   Drain potatoes add Potatoes and rest of the ingredients except dressing ingredients into a processor a whiz till smooth.

3. 3

   Note: you could mash all the potato ingredients together with a potato masher for a more courser texture.

4. 4

   Pour out into a serving plate, sprinkle cumin and sumaq and drizzle with olive oil.

5. 5

   Serve as an appetizer or as a side to meat.
6. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Mashed-Potato-With-Tahini-133629

Quick Alfredo and Greek Salad

Level: Beginner

Chicken Pasta Salad (Guest Cook)

Made by: Kristina :)
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients:

-Bowtie pasta

-Italian dressing

-Croutons

-Cherry tomatoes

-Chopped white onion

-Chopped green bell pepper

-Chicken breast

Directions:

1. Boil pasta until tender, add salt.

2. Cook chicken breast in lots of Italian dressing.

3. Chop chicken into small chunks. Drain pasta, and combine with all chopped ingredients.

4. Add more dressing, salt and pepper, and croutons on top.

Ahi Tuna and Greek Salad

Meal idea: Ahi Tuna, Greek salad, Rice-a-Roni of brown rice and pasta.
Level: Advanced

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

-Lettuce/ Fresh Spinach

-Pepperoncini

-Feta cheese crumbled

-Balsamic vinegar

-Chopped cucumber

-Chopped tomato

-Purple olives

-Dried oregano

-Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Add balsamic vinegar and salt, pepper to taste.

Shrimp Arugula Pasta

Level: Advanced

Sweet Creamy Corn

Meal idea: fish sticks, Rice-a-Roni rice, sweet creamy corn and spinash (of course).
Level: Beginner

Veg Ground Meat with Sweet Potato

Level: Intermediate

Fried Radishes

Level: Beginner

Allrecipes.com My Favorite!

This is my all-time favorite website for looking for recipes. You can type in a key word, or you can click on the link at the top that says "Ingredients" and look for recipes with the ingredients you have, and even ones that you don't want. But remember less, is more, the less keywords you put the more recipes your search will give you. Too specific might not give you any recipes at all.

This website has other features if you're a member too, you can save the recipes you like in your "Recipes box", add pictures of your own; or even review the recipe. But my favorite part of all is being able to read the reviews, this part is available to you whether you are a member or not. Reading the reviews gives you great ideas on what worked for people in the recipe and what didn't, or even tricks that they used to make the whole cooking process much easier. Whenever reading the reviews however make sure you read more than one. There's no accounting for taste, so balance out a 5 star review with a 1 star review, because chances are you will want to know what both of these people had to say, even if they might not share your same tastes.

Good luck, and happy cooking!

Green Bean Pasta Bechamel with Arugula Salad

Level: Intermediate

Pasta Ingredients:

-Sauce

-Green Beans

-Shell Pasta (preferably whole wheat)

-Gouda

Salad Ingredients:

-Arrugula

-Grape tomatoes

-Rice vinegar

-Salt and Pepper

-Olive oil

Directions:

1. Chop all arrugula.

2. Mix all ingredients together.

Our Lunch! (Doesn't that look fancy?)

Our lunch for tomorrow is composed of the following:

-Brown rice (left overs), with Parmesan and Romano cheese from Rice-a-Roni (left overs), with frozen peas (washed), and Parmesan cheese.

-Half a tomato basil veggie patty.

- Bread, alfalfa, and Ranch dip to make an alfalfa sandwich tomorrow.

-Grapes to dip into the left over ranch.

-And finally this little fruit called "Kumquats" which I tried at the local market and then proceeded to buy. They are citrus and you are supposed to roll them in your hand to release the sweetness from the skin. Then you eat them skin and all. Here's a link to a close up: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Quinotos.jpg Oh yeah, and they are called Quinotos or naranja china in Spanish. Hmmm, go figure!

Sauced Tofu

Level: Beginner

Ingredients:

-Tofu

-Asian sauce

-3 tbsp Vegetable oil

-Scallions (optional)

-Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. In a non-stick pan add oil and slices of tofu. Fry for about 2 minutes.

2. Add favorite Asian sauce and continue flipping tofu until lightly fried (and you are scared to burn it. I know these are not the best instructions, but believe me, it was more like trying an error for us. Our sauce came in a frozen package and Vane couldn't stop laughing at how the blob of sauce looked in the pan, and how I had to struggle with it to rub it on the tofu. LOL.)

For this meal we had left over Asian noodles which I made a ton of. :( Then we complimented the dish with alfalfa and tofu. The alfalfa might not have been the best combination, but the tofu was perfect and came out really good.