Recipe Finder Skill

Find recipes, get nutrition information, and create meal plans using free recipe APIs. Supports searching by ingredients, dietary restrictions, cuisine type, and more.

When to Use

User asks for recipe suggestions
User wants to know what to cook with specific ingredients
User has dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, etc.)
User asks about nutrition or calories in a recipe
User wants meal planning help
User asks about cooking instructions or techniques
User asks "what can I make with..."

Available Operations

Recipe Search: Find recipes by keyword, ingredient, or cuisine
Ingredient-Based Search: "What can I make with chicken and broccoli?"
Dietary Filtering: Filter by diet (vegan, keto, paleo) or intolerances
Nutrition Analysis: Get calorie and nutrient breakdown
Random Recipe: Get a random recipe for inspiration
Recipe Details: Get full instructions, ingredients, and nutrition

Instructions

When a user asks about recipes or cooking:

Step 1: Understand the Query

Identify what the user needs:

Ingredient-based: "What can I make with [ingredients]?"
Cuisine search: "Give me Italian recipes"
Dietary needs: "Keto dinner ideas"
Specific dish: "How do I make chicken parmesan?"
Nutrition focused: "Low calorie lunch ideas"

Step 2: Load API Reference

ALWAYS read references/api_reference.md before making API calls. The APIs have specific parameter formats.

Step 3: Choose the Right API

Option A: TheMealDB (Simpler, Completely Free)

Good for: Basic recipe search, random recipes, category browsing
URL: https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/
No API key needed (use "1" as the key)

Option B: Spoonacular (More Powerful, Free Tier)

Good for: Ingredient search, nutrition, dietary filters
Requires API key (free tier: 150 points/day)
More detailed data but limited calls

Step 4: Make the API Call

TheMealDB Example (search by name):

https://www.themealdb.com/api/json/v1/1/search.php?s=chicken

Spoonacular Example (search by ingredients):

https://api.spoonacular.com/recipes/findByIngredients?ingredients=chicken,broccoli&number=5&apiKey=YOUR_KEY

Step 5: Present Results

Format recipes clearly with:

Recipe name
Brief description or cuisine type
Key ingredients
Cooking time (if available)
Dietary info (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.)
Link to full recipe or instructions

Dietary Restriction Mappings

User Says...	API Parameter
"vegetarian"	`diet=vegetarian`
"vegan"	`diet=vegan`
"gluten-free"	`intolerances=gluten`
"dairy-free"	`intolerances=dairy`
"keto" or "low-carb"	`diet=ketogenic`
"paleo"	`diet=paleo`
"nut-free"	`intolerances=tree nut,peanut`
"healthy"	`maxCalories=500` or `diet=whole30`

Cuisine Types

TheMealDB categories: American, British, Canadian, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, Egyptian, Filipino, French, Greek, Indian, Irish, Italian, Jamaican, Japanese, Kenyan, Malaysian, Mexican, Moroccan, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Tunisian, Turkish, Vietnamese

Resources

ALWAYS read these before making API calls:

references/api_reference.md - Complete API documentation for both services
references/dietary_guide.md - Detailed dietary restriction information

Examples

Example 1: Ingredient-Based Search

User asks: "What can I make with chicken, garlic, and lemon?"

Load API reference
Use TheMealDB search or Spoonacular findByIngredients
Return 3-5 recipe suggestions with names and key details

Example 2: Dietary Restriction

User asks: "I need gluten-free dinner ideas"

Load API reference
Use Spoonacular with intolerances=gluten
Or use TheMealDB and filter results manually
Highlight that recipes are gluten-free in response

Example 3: Quick Recipe

User asks: "Give me an easy pasta recipe"

Search TheMealDB for "pasta"
Pick a result with simple ingredients
Provide full recipe with ingredients and instructions

Example 4: Nutrition Query

User asks: "How many calories in chicken alfredo?"

Search for chicken alfredo recipe
Use Spoonacular nutrition endpoint or estimate
Provide calorie and macro breakdown per serving

Example 5: Random Inspiration

User asks: "What should I cook tonight?"

Use TheMealDB random endpoint: /random.php
Present the recipe with ingredients and instructions
Offer to find alternatives if they don't like it

Notes

TheMealDB is completely free with no limits - prefer it for basic searches
Spoonacular free tier is 150 points/day (searches cost ~1 point each)
Always check dietary restrictions before recommending recipes
Cooking times are estimates - actual time varies by skill level
Ingredient quantities may need scaling based on servings
When nutrition data isn't available, note that it's an estimate

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