Classic Mexican Guacamole
1 fully ripened Mexican avocado, halved, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon minced jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, mash avocado with a fork or potato masher until it's still slightly chunky. Stir in onion, jalapeño and salt.

Optional add-ins:
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and 1 tablespoon lime juice
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 teaspoons roasted chopped garlic
Hot pepper sauce (red or green) to taste

Yield: about 3/4 cup

Italian Roasted Pepper Soup
1 package fresh white mushrooms, sliced (4 cups)
2 jars (7 ounces each) roasted red peppers
2 cans (13 3/4 ounces each) ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 package (8 ounces) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
4 ounces sliced baked ham, cut in strips (about 1 cup)

In a large saucepan, place mushrooms and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, process roasted red peppers and their liquid until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add to mushrooms along with the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powders; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; return to a boil and cook uncovered, until tortellini is firm-tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in ham; cook until tortellini is tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Yield: 4 portions

Grilled Jerk Tomato Salad with Shrimp and Mangoes
1/3 cup dry jerk seasoning mix
3/4 cup oil
6 large fully-ripened fresh Florida tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (24 slices)
1 large mango, peeled and cut into thick strips
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled, and deveined
12 ounces mesclun greens
Tomato-Onion Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

In a bowl, combine jerk seasoning, oil and 1/3 cup water. Place tomatoes and mango in a pan; place the shrimp in a separate pan. Divide marinade between two pans; cover and refrigerate about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat grill. Grill shrimp, tomatoes and mango until shrimp are cooked and tomatoes and mango are tender. Place a handful of mesclun greens on a plate and top with 4 tomato slices. Place a shrimp on each of the tomatoes and then place about 6 strips of mango around the plate. Drizzle the tomato-onion vinaigrette over the salad and serve.

Tomato-Onion Vinaigrette
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large, fully-ripened, fresh Florida tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons jerk seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add tomatoes and onion; cook and stir until very soft, about 5 minutes. Cool. Purée in a blender or food processor. Add remaining 1/2 cup oil, the vinegar, jerk seasoning and salt. Whirl until blended.
Yield: 6 servings

Cod in Asian Tomato Broth
2 large, fully ripened fresh Florida tomatoes
1 can (14 ounces) ready-to-serve chicken broth
4 thin slices fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, sliced
2 teaspoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 fillets (5 to 6 ounces each) cod or other firm white fish, cut in 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 bag (10 ounces) spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Cut 1 tomato into thin wedges; dice remaining tomato. In a wide saucepan or deep skillet, combine broth, ginger, garlic, tamari, red pepper flakes and the tomato wedges; bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer until tomatoes soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add fish; simmer, partially covered, until fish is cooked, about 4 minutes. Add spinach, lime juice and the diced tomatoes; cook until spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings

Paella Salad
1/2 cup medium- or short-grained white rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 package (10 ounces) green peas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons) 3 cups diced cooked chicken and/or cooked, peeled shrimp (about 1 pound)
1/2 package (8 ounces) chorizo or pepperoni, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise in 1-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup pitted small green Spanish olives
1/2 cup piquillo peppers, cut into small pieces
8 cups mixed salad greens

In a 2-quart saucepan, over high heat, bring 1 cup water, rice, salt and saffron to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; cook for 10 minutes. Add peas; cook until rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add garlic; cook and stir until golden. Stir in chicken and/or shrimp and chorizo until hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in olives, piquillo peppers and Sherry-Paprika Dressing (recipe follows). Arrange greens on a large platter. Spoon mixture onto greens/serve warm.

Sherry-Paprika Dressing: In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons each sherry vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Yield: 4 servings

Chilled Fresh Blueberry Soup
4 quarts fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup apple juice
3/4 cup (to taste) honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel (yellow part only)
2 teaspoons ground cardamon
1 cup vanilla yogurt or créme anglaise

In a blender or food processor, combine blueberries, apple juice, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel and cardamon; strain through a fine sieve. Chill mixture. Serve soup in chilled large wine glasses or bowls, with a swirl or dollop of yogurt and cardamon sugar cookies, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings

The following ethnically-oriented recipes were developed for Prepared Foods by the test kitchen of the American Spice Trade Association. More recipes can be viewed at their website: www.astaspice.org.