It's hot, very hot, here. I need some cool food suggestions.

[Missy Vixen]

ooookay.

It's supposed to be over 100 this week in Seattle; this means the natives aren't doing well at all. Our house is steaming despite multiple fans running 24 hours a day. We don't want to turn the oven on, either.

How about some suggestions for some cool food? You know, besides salads. Extra points for not having to use the oven...

Thanks! :woohoo:

[armyowalgreens]

1. Sandwich.

No AC?

[rug]

2. Apple sauce.

[fizzgig]

3. use your grill if you have one

i eat a lot of light pasta dishes in the summer. saute up some squash, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus or whatever veggie you like with some onions and garlic, toss with the pasta and drizzle with olive oil.

pitas with hummus and veggies and a side of tabbouleh or bagels and lox would work too, at least for me :9

[newcriminal]

4. cucumber sandwiches with dill mayo.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. Tomato sandwiches

on white bread (I know, I know) with lots of mayonnaise.

Thinly-sliced tomatoes.

Lettuce, if you must.

And lots of cold beer.

Man, I'm sorry for your weather. That's so freaky.

Good thing there's no such thing as climate change, huh?

Oh, and my favorite gazpacho recipe, which requires a bit of cooking, but not much:


GAZPACHO

1 small onion, chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, chopped
1 small red or green pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
3 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil
¼ cup vinegar
1 cup tomato juice
1 - 2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. brown sugar
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
salt
1 tsp. dill weed
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
4 to 5 sprigs watercress

Garnish:
1 large, firm tomato
1 red or green pepper
1 cucumber
croutons (optional)
watercress sprigs

Puree all the vegetables in a blender, together with the eggs, oil, vinegar and tomato juice. Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the mayonnaise and watercress, and empty it into a pot. Heat very slowly, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, and simmer the mixture this way for no longer than 2 or 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and continue stirring with the whisk occasionally as it cools. Add the mayonnaise and put back in the blender – at high speed – for a very short time. Pour into a tureen or serving bowl and chill. Sprinkle the chopped watercress leaves over the top before serving.

In a separate bowl, pass the garnishes.

And my favorite salad sandwich, courtesy of Calvin Trillin:

Niçoise Tuna Sandwich (Pan Bagnat)

1/4 of white onion, thinly sliced
1/8 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, plus additional to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste

black pepper to taste
1 6-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil, including olive oil
lemon juice to taste

2 kaiser rolls, plain
lettuce leaves, combination of Boston, green-leaf, or other green leafy lettuce
8 tomato slices
6-8 hard-boiled eggs slices
4 anchovy fillets, drained
Niçoise olives
scallions, chopped
radishes, sliced

Combine the red and white onion with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a bowl.

Using your hands, mix and squeeze everything together for 5 minutes. (Don't rush through this part; the onions need time to release their juices and mellow.)

Work in can of tuna in olive oil, including the oil. Season with fresh lemon juice, red-wine vinegar, and salt, then add pepper to taste.

Cut kaiser rolls in half crosswise and spread each bottom half with lettuce leaves. Use a couple of varieties—whatever looks good—for the difference in texture.

On top of each lettuce layer, arrange 4 tomato slices (skip this step if you don't have good—really good—tomatoes on hand).

Then add about half the tuna mixture and 3 to 4 slices of hard-boiled egg.

Crisscross each sandwich with 2 drained anchovy fillets and strew with Niçoise olives (pit them if desired), chopped scallion greens, and sliced radishes.

Then drizzle generously with more olive oil and top with the remaining kaiser halves, pressing gently but firmly.

[mnhtnbb]

6. Cold soups. I used to have a lot of great recipes for cold soups.

Try the internet and see what you can find.

[Aristus]

7. Any restaurant with air conditioning.

My wife and I had lunch at The Outback. Yum! B-)

Nice and cool, too...

[applegrove]

8. Buy a head of cabbage. Make a dressing using mayo, curry powder and a little sugar. Throw in some

raisins. Yummy.

[havocmom]

9. hummus is great for summer

nourishing, satisfying, on wheat crackers, bread, or wrapped in lettuce. Good on a tortilla or pita, with a handful of fresh spinach leaves and diced tomato.

Buy it at the deli area or get canned garbanzo beans and whirl in blender or food processor with tahine (or olive oil if you prefer) lemon juice, a bit of cumin, a little salt, and fresh garlic to taste.

I get dried garbanzos, cook 2 or 3 pounds before it gets too hot. Whirl a couple cups at a time with some oil and lemon juice, pour into big bowl, repeat until all pureed, then add the seasonings to taste. Sometimes a little chili flakes. Put it in pint containers and freeze. Take out of freezer and thaw in fridge as needed.

Yummy and not expensive. Easy. Very good for us. I pack it for Havocdad's lunch if he is gonna be out in the field. Put in little cooler with some ice, and I don't worry like I do with a sandwich containing mayo.

Very refreshing for hot weather meals with a salad.

Also, try cold yogurt 'soups'. Get a GOOD yogurt, vanilla or plain. Add berries and a little milk or soy milk to the vanilla yogurt. Add some cucumber, parsley and some soup mix or whatever you like to season with the plain yogurt. Garnish with fresh dill

Black bean salad: canned (rinse & drain) or freshly cooked and rinsed beans, cooled. Add: minced onion, minced celery, diced tomatoes. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, dried mint, dried dill, fresh garlic and a bit of salt if you want. Toss with crumbled feta cheese. Delicious and nourishing. Cool, refreshing and handy for 'little meals' which seem to work better in hot weather. You can also do basically same salad with garbanzo beans instead of the little black beans.

Tabbouleh is a summer time fav. There are boxed mixes available or get bulger wheat and soak. I also have used cooked and cooled barley when someone with wheat allergy is a guest. Season with oil, lemon, garlic. Add LOTS of fresh chopped parsley and diced tomato. Wonderful hot weather fare.

[csziggy]

10. Strawberry Sherbet - no cooking needed

I bought an ice cream maker last week - one of the little 1.5 quart ones with the container you put in the freezer.

32 ounces of strawberries, cleaned and pureed - sieve the puree if you want to get rid of the seeds
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 can (14 ounces) sweentened condensed milk

Mix together well, chill overnight in the refrigerator. Freeze in ice cream maker. Store in individual serving sizes for ease of serving.

We also made Strawberry Sorbet:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
32 ounces strawberries, cleaned and pureed - sieve the puree if you want to get rid of the seeds
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved; cool. Mix together well, chill overnight in the refrigerator. Freeze in ice cream maker. Store in individual serving sizes for ease of serving.


I think I like the sorbet better, though the sherbet is nice and creamy. Next time I may try half and half sugar and Splenda or another sweetner, but I have a bunch of Splenda hubby bought a while back that I need to use up. We've got a bunch of little yogurt cups that we did not want to put in the recycling that make perfect single serving containers. Both the sorbet and sherbet tend to get a little hard to serve if put in a large container. The individual servings defrost enough to eat within a few minutes.

[BreweryYardRat]

11. Sherbet, yogurt, cereal, fruit/veg that've been chilled in the fridge, iced tea, lemonade...

Unfortunately, most meat isn't good cold. A turkey sandwich on sourdough bread with your choice of cold condiments is a pleasant exception.

If you want to go for a higher-calorie option, ice cream, cheesecake, and Key Lime pie are all good choices.

[grasswire]

12. think ahead

cook some stuff at night for the next few days

It was murderously hot here, too. I poached some chicken breasts in good broth and put them in the fridge. The possibilities are many for them. Chicken salad with grapes and walnuts and curry mayo? Soft chicken tacos or burritos, heated in microwave? Club sandwiches? Chicken caesar pasta salad? So many options!

How about healthy nachos made in the microwave with some whole grain tortilla chips, grated cheese, black beans, salsa, green onion, olives, and sour cream? Serve with a chilled corn and cilantro salad with red bell pepper chunks and red onion bits.

How about some cold peel and eat shrimp? Boil them the night before, and then serve chilled the next day with slaw and dirty rice and corn on the cob you cooked the night before and reheat. (For the dirty rice, have you tried Zatarain's rice mixes from New Orleans? they are a snap to make and extremely flavorful.)

Leftover shrimp could be made into a shrimp, avocado, celery and parsley salad with a squeeze of lime juice and hot sauce. Serve with a loaf of good wheat bread and some deviled eggs.

This is fun. I like thinking up menus.

[yewberry]

13. Ugh, no kidding. 81 degrees at 11:00??

This is loathsome.

I had hummus, pretzel chips & carrots for dinner. Too hot to cook, and it's only going to get hotter this week.

Tomorrow it'll be my version of gazpacho:

Pile of nice tomatoes, diced
diced cucumber, yellow peppers, and some white onion
chopped avocado
heavy squeeze of lime juice
pressed garlic
cumin, salt
little bit of cayenne
some V-8 if it needs more liquid

Chill. Eat. I'll probably serve with some (store-bought) smoked tofu.
__________________________________

Raw zucchini "pasta"

Grate zucchini and summer squash on a mandoline
(so it's cut like this)

Topping:
* 1/2 cup cashew cream or thick cashew milk
* 1 tsp lemon juice
* 1 tsp miso
* 1 clove garlic
* 1/4 small onion
* 1 tbsp cold pressed olive oil or other oil
* 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Blend in food processor about a minute until creamy. Toss with "pasta."
___________________________________

Yummy spinach salad

Big pile of raw spinach
seedless red grapes, halved
Some chopped (or broken) walnuts
cubed (store-bought) sesame tofu (available at PCC)
raspberry vinaigrette
___________________________________

Black bean & corn salad

1 can rinsed black beans
1 can corn (niblets, shoepeg)
1/2 diced red pepper
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
heavy squeeze lemon juice
balsamic vinegar to taste (more than you think, like 2-3 T)
salt

Chill.
__________________________________

Husband's favorite Orzo salad

about 1 c orzo, cooked off
canned or frozen artichoke, in quarters or eighths
1 can drained small white beans (low sodium is better)
some chopped kalamatas
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
black pepper, dill, heavy oregano
(husband adds cubed feta)

Chill.

This is going to be a long week. Most of our local restaurants don't even have A/C!

Good luck!

[sarge43]

14. Chilled soups: Vichyssoise, gazpacho, fruit soups

Check out recipesource.com. Many tasty choices

[eppur_se_muova]

31. Mmmm ... Swedish fruit soup. You had to remind me. nt

[sarge43]

32. I know, nothing like it to take the edge off a steamy hot day. n/t

[annabanana]

15. Lemonade Pie?

I actually copied this off of DU a couple of weeks ago and haven't had a chance to try it yet. If anyone does, I'd love to know how it comes out...

One can of frozen lemonade (I'mm guessing large)
Two cans of sweetened condensed milk
Two regular size tubs of frozen whipped cream topping (cool whip?)
Two large graham cracker crusts


Using an electric mixer, blend the lemonade, sweetened milk and whipped cream. Pour into the crusts, refrigerate for two hours. Garnish with a little lemon zest sprinkled on top.

[grasswire]

16. I like the idea of lemonade pie...

...but the thought of all that cool whip (with hydrogenated stuff in it) and all the sugar in two cans of eagle brand is off-putting.

I'll look for a healthier version and bring it back here.

[grasswire]

17. here's a cream cheese version

Dunno if it is any healthier; just different

Ingredients
2 (5-oz.) cans evaporated milk
2 (3.4-oz.) packages lemon instant pudding mix
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 (3-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, partially thawed
1 (9-oz.) ready-made prepared graham cracker crust
Garnishes: whipped cream, fresh mint sprigs, lemon slices
Preparation
1. Whisk together evaporated milk and pudding mix in a bowl 2 minutes or until thickened.

2. Beat cream cheeses at medium speed with an electric mixer, using whisk attachment, until fluffy. Add lemonade concentrate, beating until blended; add pudding mixture, and beat until blended.

3. Pour into crust; freeze 4 hours or until firm. Garnish, if desired.

[annabanana]

37. Thanks.. at least it has a smidge of protein!. . n/t

[old mark]

18. Tuna salad sandwiches using high quality tuna, good mayo with extra lemon

and olive oil and added hot and sweet peppers on the side. Serve on good rolls with greens like romaine and sliced tomatoes on top.
Make cucumber/sliced onion salad w/sour cream and vinegar and a sliced tomato and avocvado salad w/lemon juice and olive oil, fresh oregano and pepper.

Iced tea, lemonaide, etc.
Fruit for desert - cantaloupe, strawberries, fresh figs, plums.
No cooking at all.

mark

[newcriminal]

20. add hard boiled egg whites, relish, and onions to the tuna salad.

I can't keep it in the house, the kids eat it all up no matter how much I make.

[unpossibles]

19. hummus, avocado & cucumber sandwich (or avocado soup!)

fruit and cheese, cold sesame noodles, iced coffee...

I like spicy food when it's hot out because it makes me sweat, although that works better in a low-humidity area where the sweat actually works.

[Moondog]

21. If you want warm food, and are tired of BBQ, think about a slow cooker / crockpot.

And put the crockpot out in the garage, on the patio, anywhere but in the kitchen.

I live in Florida at the moment. Part of my hurricane prep kit is a solar cooker - for cooking when there is no power. They work pretty well actually. Easy to throw one together using stuff around the house - search solar cooking, or similar on Google.

[Patiod]

22. Caprese salad

tomatoes, mozzarella, bayleafs, oil, balsamic vinegar, salt

I also make tiny little appetizers like this, using cherry tomatoe halves instead of standard tomato slices

Another great cool weather no-ccok appetizer is cucumber slices topped with a cream cheese mix and some lox. The cream cheese mix is made by blending cream cheese, about 3 teaspoons of whiskey, a little horseradish and worchestershire sauce to taste.

Gazpacho is very cool and nice, without cooking

[TommyO]

28. This was my first thought when I saw the thread

I use the buffalo mozzarella from Costco and it works wonderfully, just make sure it's kosher salt, it works better than table salt for this.

[RebelOne]

23. Buy a bunch of microwavable foods

A microwave won't heat up the kitchen.

[jotsy]

24. six ways to a sandwich? or spreads to share

take your pick, I got all kinds of tricks.

Most Popular:

Salmon Dip.
Take one package of smoked salmon (2-4 oz, NOT canned)and break it up as finely as you can into a bowl. In another bowl, mix equal amounts of softened cream cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle into both bowls: Note, amounts for all these items are to taste. Lemon juice, dill weed, minced onion, (I use a freeze dried kind). Gradually add cream mixture to salmon until desired texture is achieved, careful, it's easy to add too much. Spread on your choice of cracker, this stuff is filling and will always be better the next day.

When my family takes any kind of trek, cold fried chicken is available on arrival, but road sandwiches are what keeps us happy til we get there. Pretty simple, genoa salami, provolone cheese, and a slice of ham on a hoagie roll, try italian dressing instead of mayo, but switch to stadium rolls, or the bread gets a bit gushy.

From there?, French Dips, Clubs, Meat kabobs. All meals this time of year need cold fruit just to go down with any enthusiasm.

And lastly, the most vital ingredient of any dish is TLC.

Bon Appetite?

[texanwitch]

25. Y'all are having the heat we had a few weeks ago.

Fans don't really help.

Use the fans as window fans during the day, put the fans in the windows pointing outside.

This pulls the heat outside, at night turn the fans around and pull in the cooler night air.

That is how we used to do it down here, pre ac days.

I don't eat much during the summer.

[Bertha Venation]

26. Drink coffee.

I used to play softball with a woman who had coffee post-game when the rest of us had water or sodas, even if it was a hundred degrees out. I asked her why. She explained that the coffee heated her up inside to the same temp it was outside, thereby cooling her off.

(Okay, just telling that story made my head hurt.)

I think if you blend some salsa, you'll have gazpacho . . . Kidding about the method. But I've heard gazpacho is very cooling.

[MajorChode]

27. Strawberry Daiquiris

If you drink enough of them, you won't be hot or hungry.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

29. We eat baguettes and cold meats

and cheeses, sliced onions, chilled pickled asparagus, olives, antipasti, etc. when the heat is too much. It's really quite refreshing. Throw in some cold fresh fruit (watermelon?!) for a finisher and there you have it.

[eppur_se_muova]

30. Google "raita recipe", "lhassi recipe", "cold yogurt cucumber soup"...

Indian cooking features several kinds of foods to cool you off. Yogurt, cucumber, dill and mint are recurring leitmotifs.

http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Recipes/Raita/Raita.htm

http://www.indiamarks.com/guide/Different-types-of-Lassi-Recipes-and-Videos/184

My favorite raita contains cucumber (no skin), golden raisins (soaked for 1-2 hrs), and sliced almonds (soaked overnight) :9 Look for Madhur Jaffrey's "World of the East" recipe book. This also includes a recipe for Kacic (Turkish cold yogurt cucumber soup).

Cacik (Cold Cucumber and Yogurt Soup)
A favorite summer soup with its origin in Turkey.

Yield: 4 Servings

1 Large cucumber
2 cups Yogurt, plain
2 tsp Distilled white vinegar
1 tsp Olive oil
2 tsp Mint, finely cut
1/2 tsp Dill, finely cut
1 tsp Salt



Peel the cucumber and slice it lengthwise into halves. Scoop out all the seeds and then grate the cucumber coarsely. Mix the yogurt in a large bowl until smooth. Mix in the grated cucumber, vinegar, mint, dill, and salt till completely incorporated.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve pour into a bowl and garnish with small toasted slice of baguette with grated cucumber on top.

http://www.pastrywiz.com/dailyrecipes/recipes/460.htm

Raita (a cold yogurt condiment) is often served with Indian food to cut the heat of the spicy dishes.

Ingredients

1 large unpeeled English hothouse cucumber, halved, seeded, coarsely grated
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1/4 cup (packed) chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon plus pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation

Wrap grated cucumber in kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Whisk yogurt, mint, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper in medium bowl to blend. Add cucumbers and toss to coat. Season raita to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Sprinkle raita with pinch of cayenne pepper and serve.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CUCUMBER-MINT-RAITA-109803

And of course, keep lots of rice pudding (kheer) in the refrigerator.:)

[Fire Walk With Me]

33. 96 degrees here today, so I broke out the hot sauce.

Raising your body temperature reduces the perceived temperature differential. Really. That, and siesta, are things most other nations already understand.

[aikoaiko]

34. watermelon. Its like eating juice.

and it will make your nether regions a little more excitable.

[Mojambo]

35. Gazpacho

http://www.spain-recipes.com/gazpacho-recipes.html

[Ariana Celeste]

36. Same deal here, Tacoma mid-90's

31 weeks pregnant, no a/c, fans barely doing the job... I'm just miserable

Eating a lot of pasta salad, rice chex, fruit, and ham sandwiches. lol