yummy summer eats

 I love to cook but not so much in the summer when the temps are in the 80's and 90's

and the humidity makes my hair look like I stuck my finger in an electric socket.

No one wants to be standing over a hot stove or turning on an oven in that kind

of weather. And I don't know about you, but I'm not big on Crockpot foods in the summer

either. Hot meat-laden dishes just don't do it for me.

So one thing I rely on in the summer are salads. I made this one up last night

and it was delicious! I could've eaten it as my main meal, but hubby it's not

quite enough for my hubby, so I made BLT sandwiches, too. 

Early in the day when it was cooler, I boiled a pot of pasta, drained, and ran

cold water over the noodles until they were cool. I drained them well, then put

them in a big bowl. In the meantime, I also roasted a pan of veggies. Again, you

can do this in the early morning before it gets too hot. And you can roast

whatever kind of veggies you and your family like: onions, peppers, zucchini,

yellow squash, fennel, mushrooms. All I had on-hand was red and yellow peppers

and onions, so that's what I used. Let the veggies cool down, then add to the pasta

 in the bowl. I then added halved chopped grape tomatoes and kalamata olives.

 Artichoke hearts would be good, too. At this point, you could also add chunks of

 mozzarella cheese or any diced meat or tofu. Good way to use what you have leftover 

in the fridge! I then used a jarred pesto sauce (you can make your own and I usually do

 in the summer, but my basil isn't prolific enough yet to make a batch of pesto) to cover 

the pasta and veggies.

Another thing I made yesterday was a big batch of hummus. I found the recipe

 here - on Inspired Taste.   It's a tasty, nutritious snack when served with raw

 veggies and pita chips. And no heating up the  kitchen! If you can't find tahini 

in your supermarket, a good substitute is peanut butter. It won't quite taste like 

authentic hummus since tahini is made from  sesame seeds, but it's a close match

 and actually gives the hummus a unique (in a good way!) flavor. I like to spread the

 hummus on a plate, sprinkle with  paprika, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.

 Happy eats and happy weekend!

Sharing these recipes with The Homesteading Hippy.