I Went Vegetarian

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/avocado-strawberry-spinach-salad-with-poppyseed-dressing/
Note: I found the avocados unnecessary  

"I went Vegetarian."  Wow! I've always made fun of people who say things like that.  My husband prompted me based on this article about antibiotics in meat.  My paranoia about cancer enticed me to agree to "Go vegetarian" what!  We decided not the be religious about it and have meat when we go out to eat and people come over. The plan is to not buy meat regularly so that we can afford better quality meat every once in a while.

Each week, I've been trying 3-4 new recipes.  It' an entirely different way of cooking and it has been a little more expensive for us because the staples are different with vegetarian cooking.  For example, I go through a lot more olive oil than usual.  Adding new things to my pantry like apple cider vinegar, red whine vinegar, and sunflower seeds have also impacted our start-up cost.  For example, our weekly budget for food is $60 and last week it cost $70 dollars for groceries.

Along with the above "Avacado Strawberry Spinach Salad".   Here are some more recipes I've tried over the past couple of weeks.
Chickpea Salad with Feta and Mint 

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/07/jamie-oliver-chickpea-salad-with-feta-and-mint-recipe.html
Note: Rather plain on it's own, but it would be fantastic in pita bread. Also, I used a serrano pepper stead of a fresh red chili pepperr. 

 Pico de Gallo with Chickpea, Avacado, & Queso Fresco

http://www.mangotomato.com/2012/03/how-to-cook-chickpeas-from-scratch-plus.html
Note: Perfect just the way it is

White House Salad from "Biggest Loser"

http://www.ivillage.com/white-house-salad-biggest-loser/3-r-319466
Note: Needs fresh lime juice & avocados to taste complete. Maybe even some  sunflower seeds.  

Asian Slaw with Ginger-Peanut Dressing

http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/asian-slaw-with-ginger-peanut-dressing.html
Note: Perfect just the way it is, and my favorite so far

Sweet-Chile-Pineapple-glazed Tofu

http://spoonwithme.com/2011/10/16/sweet-chile-pineapple-glazed-tofu-with-mixed-veggie-stir-fry/
Note: Next time I will use more chili garlic paste than requested.  Use pineapple juice from a can of  cubed pineapples for the glace and put the pineapples in the stir-fry   

Raw Cookie Dough Bites 

http://www.adashofcompassion.com/2011/01/raw-cookie-dough-bites/
Note: Perfect just the way they are

Interesting fact, by chance all of these recipes are gluten free.