# Simple Meals When It's Hot Out



## GDPR (Jun 16, 2015)

Since it's a hot time of year here my husband and I have been eating a lot of fast food and things made on the grill.I am tired of both already and want to change things up a bit.

What are some of your favorite, fast& easy recipes for hot weather?


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## gooblax (Jun 17, 2015)

I don't really change up my meals depending on weather <insert "Australia only has one season" joke here>, but this lentil salad is pretty boss. Rice paper rolls are great too, although there's a bit of vege prep involved.


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## GDPR (Jun 17, 2015)

The rice paper rolls look really good,I may try those.

I didn't get the joke thing,I know absolutely nothing about Australia.What type of weather/seasons do you have there?

I change up what I cook because like right now it is so hot and humid that we have to have our central air conditioning running at all times and when I cook the heat from it makes it work harder to keep the house cool(cold..I like it cold inside),which increases our electric bill.So fast and easy recipes are best.

I have been eating a lot of taco salads lately,I love those but getting tired of them also.

Thanks for sharing what you like.


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## PrincessX (Jun 17, 2015)

My absolute favorite is this cold cucumber soup:

1 large or two small English cucumbers
 750 ml  plain without any added sugar Yogurt - high fat works best
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon dill - fresh and chopped
 1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 -3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
 2 teaspoons chopped Pecans or regular Walnuts
 750 ml ice cold spring water

Preparation:

 Cut cucumber into tiny pieces or shred them - best to cut in a food processor - the size should be as small as chopped tomatoes.
 Mince or smash garlic cloves (do not use minced garlic from the store, it changes the taste)

What I do is I blend the garlic, pecans, lemon juice, salt and oil with a small amount of high fat yogurt. 

Separately stir the remaining yogurt well, add the cold water to it in a big dish

Get a large pot or bowl, place the cut cucumber on the bottom. Cover with the spice mixture that you blended, add the diluted stirred yogurt, add the finely chopped dill. Stir well for a few minutes, add some ice cubes if you like. 
Your cucumber soup is ready to serve.

Modifications could include: no dill, add or substitute dill for Italian parsley, no lemon, or no Walnuts. Also, the amount of garlic can be adjusted according to taste.


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## GDPR (Jun 17, 2015)

Thanks.That sounds really good,I love cucumbers and like that it is a cold dish.


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## PrincessX (Jun 17, 2015)

The only thing is, some ppl like it with less salt, so if you try it, you might find you do not want a full teaspoon of salt  lol, I wrote it down for the first time, but I have made it at least 100 times.


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## gooblax (Jun 18, 2015)

LIT said:


> I didn't get the joke thing,I know absolutely nothing about Australia.What type of weather/seasons do you have there?


For summer, it's either hot dry or hot wet. Where I am, it's p< 35deg C.
But we often hear that we don't have a "real winter" unless you happen to be further south. Where I am, on average it's a minimum of about 8deg C and max above 20deg C.


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## H011yHawkJ311yBean (Jun 21, 2015)

If you either buy frozen fruit, or just freeze fruit yourself (best to cut into pieces, first) you can either make your own popsicles, or toss them into some Greek yogurt with a blender and have a smoothie... 

A yummy alternative is microwaving some fruit (or cooking on the stove) and then pouring them on ice cream.

For fresh fruit that isn't getting close to spoiling, though, you can also have cottage cheese or yogurt with chopped fruit.

My favourite combos:
Cottage cheese and citrus fruits - fresh chopped pineapple chunks, cut up peaches/nectarines, chunks of orange wedges,  apricot...  of course you can also add strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, banana, etc...

------------------------
I use a website to store my recipes... onetsp.com

Here is another good one:


Arugula and Peach Salad

Originally from Vegetarian Times, July/August 2014, page 56

This salad is all about the tangy dressing. Choose the brightest, ripest stone fruits you can find, and feel free to substitute other fresh-looking salad greens for the arugula.
Serves 8

Ingredients
10 cups arugula
4 peaches, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
2 green bell peppers, finely chopped (2 cups)
⅔ cup slivered almonds
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
? tsp. grated orange zest
? tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions
1.Combine arugula, peaches, bell peppers, and almonds in large bowl.
2.Whisk together oil, vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, salt, and cayenne in separate bowl. Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.

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Here is another one: you don't have to make the servings so big, of course, but I was taking it to a backyard BBQ...

Curried Quinoa with Blueberries and Snap Peas 
Originally from Vegetarian Times; July/August 2014; page 65


Curry powder is usually a mix of spices such as coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, and ground chili. It?s a wonderful complement to the sweetness of blueberries.
Makes Serves 8
Total 30 minutes

Ingredients
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. coconut oil, divided
2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained (make sure rinsed really well, 2-3 minutes, with a metal sieve with really tiny holes, for example)
3 Tbs. curry powder
1 pinch salt, optional
1 medium shallot, finely chopped (? cup)
1 ? cups fresh snap peas
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
? cup chopped fresh mint
? cup chopped unsalted cashews or roasted peanuts

Instructions
1.Melt 2 Tbs. coconut oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add quinoa and curry powder. Saut? 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Add 4 cups water and salt (if using), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 12 minutes without stirring, or until quinoa is cooked through and water is absorbed. Remove from heat, and keep covered.
2.Melt remaining 2 tsp. coconut  oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, and saut? 2 minutes, or until translucent. Stir  in snap peas, and saut? 5 minutes. Add blueberries, and cook 30 seconds, or until warmed through.
3.Combine blueberry mixture and quinoa in large bowl. Serve dolloped with yogurt and sprinkled with mint and cashews.

Additional notes
Per 1 1/4-cup serving:
Calories: 278
Protein: 11 g
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 39 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 16 mg
Fiber: 6 g
Sugar: 6 g

Gluten-Free 
RECOMMENDATIONS : Get all your ingredients chopped and ready before you start cooking. ---- You can use one kind of quinoa, or divide into red/black/golden. I tried 1 cup golden quinoa with 1 cup red, and it looked really nice. ---- The recipe does not say you have to dice, but I did. I cut off the ends of the snap peas and then cut them into about 1-2 cm pieces. I also opened up a few and had some rolling around free. ---- Instead of nuts, I used nut butter, melted into the quinoa: I warmed a couple table spoons in the microwave for about 20 sec and then poured it in and mixed into the quinoa with a fork after it was set aside to cool.


Garlicky Holy Guacamole!
Originally from Food Network
Courtesy of Rachel Ray!

Makes 4 servings
Prep 10 minutes
Total 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 ripe small Hass avocados
1 lemon, juiced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 small plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Blue corn tortilla chips, for dipping

Instructions
1.Cut avocados in half around the pit. Separate the halves. Pop out pit with spoon, then scoop flesh of avocados into a bowl. 
2.Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the avocados. Squeeze the juice with the lemon halves facing cut-side up, allowing the juice to spill down over the sides of the lemon into the bowl. This method keeps the seeds in the lemon and out of the guacamole. 
3.Add garlic, jalapeno, tomato, onion and salt to the bowl. 
4.Mash and mix the ingredients into a chunky dip using a fork. 
5.Serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

Additional notes
Can use it for a dip, or if it isn't as squished down, you can gently fold salad greens or put the guacamole on top of salad greens. 

It can also be used as a sandwich spread with vegetables and meat.

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BROWN RICE TABOULI SALAD

Originally from This recipe is right off the package of rice I bought...TSURU MAI Brown Rice
This recipe is right off the package of rice I bought...TSURU MAI Brown Rice.


Ingredients
3 cups of cooked and cooled brown rice
1 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 generous tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. fresh mint (optional)
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup chopped scallions/chives (include greens)
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
8 oz black olives, sliced

Instructions
1.Combine rice, salt, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, pepper, and mint. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Just before serving, gently mix in tomatoes, parsley, cucumber, and scallions/chives. Garnish with the feta cheese and olives. Serves 6-8.

SUBSTITUTES: could use other oil if preferred
- instead of diced tomatoes, one could use whole cherry tomatoes, or halve them...
- perhaps along with, or instead of, cucumbers... Celery or other crunchy mild-tasting veggie.
- can use other type of cheese.
- can substitute quinoa for the rice
- can also mix in softened chia seeds (you would soak chia seeds for at least 20 min, perhaps longer if soaking in cold liquid)...


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