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.
