Cool World Cooking

Lisa Wagner is a freelance writer, graphic designer, and creative consultant who loves to cook, eat great food, travel, and listen to music. She worked extensively in the travel industry marketing and creating promotional material for various northern resorts, which included writing about food. She is the founder of the Books In the Woods program and also conducts walking and historical tours in the Twin Cities. She loves to cook with fresh, local, and organically grown ingredients. In the summer she grows many of her own vegetables and herbs. She lives in Saint Paul, MN, and has two sons, who also love to cook. Dinner is always the highlight of the day; the family cooks together, eats together, and enjoys sharing cooking adventures at home and on the road.

Introduction... 6 The Basics... 8 The Tool Box... 10 Cool Cooking Terms... 14 Explore the Foods of Mexico... 18 The Coolest Ingredients... 20 Mexican Extras... 24 Tasty Tostadas... 26 Savory Mixed Salad... 28 Amazing Mexican Rice... 30 Tempting Taquitos... 32 Terrific Tortilla Soup... 34 Green Enchilada Casserole... 36 Explore the Foods of France... 38 The Coolest Ingredients... 40 French Extras... 44 Superb Salad Nicoise!... 46 Fun French Onion Soup... 48 Classic Croque Monsieur... 50 Lovely Quiche Lorraine... 52 Savory Roast Chicken... 54 Very Berry Clafoutis... 56 Explore the Foods of Italy... 58 The Coolest Ingredients... 60 Italian Extras... 64 Fantastic Fettuccine Alfredo... 66 Green Beans Parmigiana... 68 Legendary Lasagna... 70 Marvelous Meatballs... 72 Impressive Insalata Mista... 74 Tangy Lemon Granita... 76 Explore the Foods of Africa... 78 The Coolest Ingredients... 80 African Extras... 84 Seasoned Chickpea Salad... 86 Sizzling Groundnut Stew... 88 Juicy Jollof Rice... 90 Moroccan Carrot Salad... 92 Authentic Alecha... 94 Tropical Fruit Salad... 96 Explore the Foods of the Middle East... 98 The Coolest Ingredients... 100 Middle Eastern Extras... 104 Harriet's Tasty Tabbouleh... 106 Crispy Crunchy Veggie Salad... 108 Turkish Kofta Creation... 110 Golden Potato Latke... 112 Greek Herbed Chicken... 114 Nummy Nut Wedges... 116 Explore the Foods of China and Japan... 118 The Coolest Ingredients... 120 Chinese and Japanese Extras... 124 Sensational Sesame Noodles... 126 Chicken Meatball Yakitori... 128 Spectacular Sukiyaki... 130 Cashew Chicken Stir Fry... 132 Chinese Fried Rice... 134 Crunchy Almond Cookies... 136 Glossary... 138 Index... 142