Creole Pan-Fried Shrimp with Cucumber-Fennel-Tomato Salad and Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

You know a meal is good when the featured piece is a freshly made fruit cobbler. With peaches and blueberries in season, bursting with juices and flavor at the farmer's market, I couldn't resist this great summer classic. I've made peach and raspberry cobblers before but decided to mix it up here, crafting a peach and blueberry version with a thick, delicious topping. It's sure to impress and while not quite good for you, certainly it's not all that bad in this version, either!

Of course, I couldn't ONLY have dessert for dinner, although I tried to convince my boyfriend of just that. So I added in a salad, utilizing more fresh farmer's market produce, combining tomatoes, fennel, and cucumber. I hadn't actually used fresh fennel in a recipe before, so I found it quite interesting. It's a bit crispy with a licorice taste - definitely different than anything I've had before. Finally, I made some pan-fried shrimp. They're a healthier version of crispy, deep-fried creole shrimp, and definitely hit the spot for a delicious dinner.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $27.52

Smoked Paprika Tilapia with Parmesan Polenta

This meal is simple yet combines many delicious flavors while putting the focus on ease of preparation. If you haven't used smoked paprika before, its an entirely different beast than the regular paprika you purchase at the grocery store. It's still relatively easy to fine, but make sure to search out the Spanish smoked variety. It really smells strongly of a rich, smokey flavor so it's hard to mistake! In this case, it's the main ingredient on the fish and lends it a tantalizing, savory taste so it's definitely necessary here.

Along with the fish, I made some simple polenta, left in its almost mashed-potato like form rather than trying to crisp it up into the polenta cakes you see more often at restaurants. (For those of you not familiar with polenta, it's a cornmeal grain originating in Europe but commonly used in this country in the South.) I also prepared a fresh caprese salad, utilizing delicious farmer's market ingredients that are impossible to beat!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 min
Cost: $26.11

Herbed Lemon Rockfish with Asparagus and Balsamic Tomato Saute and Orzo with Sweet Yellow Tomato Cruda

Simple yet fancy, easy yet full of flavor and fresh ingredients. This meal is a bit of a contrast at first, but works out beautifully. Each piece of this meal- the fish, the orzo, the asparagus -comes together very quickly. In fact, the longest any single one of those would take is just 20 minutes. However, if you have just one set of hands and are the only one chopping, prepping, and popping in and out of ovens and on and off of stoves, it'll take longer in all. If you go that route, as I did, I suggest you chop and prep everything first so once you start cooking you can move quickly. Otherwise you risk one dish getting cold as the others cook!

But not only is this meal relatively simple, it's fantastic. With fresh tomatoes in season, the asparagus-tomato dish and the orzo with the yellow tomato cruda are absolutely bursting with flavor. Make sure to purchase fresh, ripe, farmer's market tomatoes for the best results. These two dishes also both include balsamic vinegar, lending complementing tastes to one another without duplicating too many flavors.

The fish then rounds out all of it perfectly. With such flavorful side dishes, full of both sweet (tomatoes) and a bit of salt (cheese) the fish is the final, essential touch. It's rich on herbs and olive oil, giving savory, Mediterranean flavors, that supports without overpowering or being overpowered. Make this meal to impress - and you surely will.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 45 min
Cost: $15.24

Homemade Sushi

This is actually nowhere near as hard as it looks. With a couple pieces of equipment and a few ingredients, you can easily begin making your own sushi as well in no time at all! You'll need to purchase the rolling mat- a bamboo mat used to roll up the sushi into a roll. This is the only necessary piece of equipment but my bamboo mats came with a wooden paddle/spoon as well that was helpful for making the rice.

I've listed what I used in my sushi below - enough to make 10 rolls or about 80 pieces. However, one of the great things about making sushi is that the possibilities are pretty much endless. I stuck to some common ingredients, but don't let creativity stop you. While I wouldn't recommend using raw fish at home unless you for some reason have access to sushi grade fish, everything else is fair game. Stick to the common ones, as I did below, or get creative. Try using other cooked fishes or even meats - there is no reason you can't have chicken, beef, or turkey sushi. Use other vegetables, like eggplant, zucchini, and tomato. Model them after common combinations, such as a mozzarella, tomato, and basil roll. Or, bend the boundaries even further and make dessert sushi. Use a sweet rice and make nutella and banana sushi! There is no limit to what you can do - but make sure to tell us about your attempts in the comments below so that we can all benefit from your creativity.

Difficulty: easy (as soon as you get the rolling technique)
Time: 1 hr 30 min
Cost: $33.46

Turbot Fish Curry and an Apricot-Toasted Chickpea Salad

Beans are not a natural favorite of mine, but I've been making an attempt to branch out and experiment a bit more with them to take advantage of their health value! Part of this means turning to dry beans. My little use of beans has always mainly included canned beans - which come soggy and in a weird sauce-like coating. Dried beans just somehow seem fresher and more exciting to me. Just make sure that you allow enough time to cook them - this usually includes at least an hour of simmering or soaking and could take several hours. It's low-maintenance, so just set it up and let it go but this still means it takes some advance planning!

For this meal, I combined the fresh, summer tastes of juicy, sweet apricot and crunchy, toasted chickpeas with a rich, Turbot curry. I'm a huge Turbot fan and it did not disappoint here, flaking nicely and combining with the richness yet lightness of the sauce for a perfect meal.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 45 min
Cost: $29.72

Asparagus and Cashew Mahimahi with Caramelized Garlic and Parmesan Gnocchi with Broccolini

Have you ever tried the vacuum-packed gnocchi before? I hadn't, before this recipe, and let me tell you that you are in a for a treat! I'm a huge gnocchi fan and aficionado, getting picky about the "fluffiness" and density of my gnocchi. Those dense, heavy blobs that sit in your stomach are just no good at all, nor are the sticky messes. The vacuum packed gnocchi, however, at least the brand I used, are neither. They're quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious. They're also not full of added salt, which is nice.

In addition to the simple yet delicious gnocchi recipe, I also served up some fresh fish market mahimahi complete with cashews, onions, and asparagus. The meal has some asian flavors, but is truly a composite of a number of things rather than representing any one culture or style. It takes advantage of fresh asparagus still available at my local farmer's market for a delicious meal that packs in the veggie-goodness.

Difficulty: medium-easy
Time: 40 min
Cost: $16.37

Rockfish with Cilantro-Onion Salad and Spring Vegetable Risotto

Don't be fooled by this entree. It might sound simple, but somehow it turns out simply amazing. Ah-may-zing. When you scoop up a bite, with a touch of avocado yogurt, tasty rockfish, fresh cilantro, and crispy onion, it just works absolutely perfectly. It hits the perfect combination between fancy and simple, incorporating unusual with common and ending in a relatively simple meal to make that is incredibly impressive - both in presentation and in taste. I wholeheartedly suggest you make this one right away!

To go with the rockfish, I prepared some spring risotto as well. Risotto is always a good idea! This one packs the rice-dish chock full of veggies, including asparagus and edamame among others. Then some cheese adds a savory, creamy blend that adds some richness sparingly. A perfect spring dish.

Note: If you do not live in the DC area, you're probably confused by rockfish. It's local here, but is just a member of the striped bass family. Feel free to substitute bass, or another firm, darker fish, if you're from another region.

Difficulty: medium
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $26.23

Raspberry and Chocolate Tiramisu

Yum! But, first, a caveat. I've made real tiramisu and it's delicious and amazing and fully worth the efforts. It's also terrible for you and DOES take a lot of effort. This is not that. This is a poor man's take on tiramisu that can be made quickly and doesn't utterly destroy your arteries, but wow, it sure does a decent approximation at a fraction of the calories and time involved. It's not identical, but it does retain a number of key features and leaves you delighted with dessert. (Or dinner? I'm not judging!)

Whip this together to impress company and serve it with after-dinner drinks or else make it for a dinner party and surprise your guests with dessert. It'll be a great addition or end to any food occasion.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 min
Cost: $14.07

Tofu and Broccoli Udon Noodle Salad

When a meat-loving diner consumes a tofu dinner without once asking about more protein, you know that it's a good meal. This tofu and broccoli Japanese-style noodle salad has absolutely nothing to prove. It's absolutely delicious. This meal can be served warm or cold depending on your tastes and combines just-crisp broccolini with crispy tofu, filling udon noodles, and a ton of bursting flavor. Although flavor-filled, I made mine mild but it can easily be a spicy delight as well.

Along with the noodle salad, I prepared some fresh Cambodian spring rolls - one of my favorites. You can find this healthy appetizer in the 'appetizer' section above or else get creative and make your own meal combination. Let us know in the comments below if you really come up with something special!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hr
Cost: $13.06

ENTIRELY from scratch pizza - dough, sauce, and cheese

That's right - this pizza is ENTIRELY from scratch. Homemade dough, homemade sauce, and homemade mozzarella cheese. We started with flour, milk, and tomatoes. Unfortunately we can't take credit for growing, harvesting, or milking our way to those ingredients, but this is about as garden-to-table that two apartment city dwellers can get! And it was worth it. While this took an incredible amount of time, it yielded food that tasted fresh and that tasted better due to the satisfaction of making all of it from start to finish.

Keep in mind that you do not have to make every single piece from scratch. Making homemade dough or homemade sauce can make a huge difference by itself - not every single piece is always needed. Figure out what time you have available and do what you can. If you can only do one piece, I'd recommended the sauce. While the mozzarella was fun to make since we had never done it before, it actually wasn't quite as tasty as some of the mozzarella you buy (this could be simply because it was our first effort, though!) And while fresh dough IS better, it's not miles and miles better. But the sauce? Well, just taste it and find out.

Difficulty: medium-hard
Time: 4.5 hrs
Cost: $28.71 (5 individual size pizzas, 4 corn on the cob)