Hey, gals. I was off to Colorado for the holiday weekend, meeting my newest relative (Niece born around Xmas) and spending some quality time w/ the BroDork branch. It was (mostly) awesome. Hot, but Colorado hot, meaning bearable in the shade. (I of course didn’t stay in the shade, and now have blistery, red, peeling stripes on my shoulders, but that’s another post for another time.)
But back to NYC, it’s HOT AS BALLS. (And I mean “hot” like sweaty-gross, not rawr-rawr!) Hot, sticky, oppressive, gross. June was reasonably mild, with only a few sweltery days, but now we’re in for it.
I don’t do so well in the heat. I act like a lot of animals do in extreme cold: I slow waaaaaaay down. I try not to move too much, and eating becomes almost optional, mostly because eating means cooking, and cooking means using heat-generating appliances. Which is a damn shame, because: FOOD!
Anyway, the only way around this is to make things that require little or (preferably) no cooking. Salads obviously qualify, but even with all the great fresh stuff you can get during the summer (OMG TOMATOZ), it can get old.
So this week’s FFT is for sharing your favorite recipes that don’t require any (or very much) actual cooking. I end up eating a lot of raw/dressed vegetables, and one of my favorite recipes is Gingery Marinated Chickpeas, which I got out of the old Moosewood Cookbook, but which is also available here. If you used canned chickpeas, there’s no cooking at all: just measure, mix, and eat (although it’s better if you make it in advance).
So whatcha got? I’m getting hangry.
Artichoke dip
Buy a jar of cooked artichokes.
Drain.
Mash.
Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, a teeny bit of garlic, salt and pepper.
Convey to mouth using the usual other foods.
Looks terrible (grey-green and lumpy), tastes great.
Also plays well in sandwiches with cheese or bacon.
Can I tell you about my favourite salad too? It’s strawberries and cucumber, dressed with white wine or white wine vinegar and black pepper. (You could also lemon juice).
It’s called ‘Salad Elona’ and was invented by a 1930s food writer for his wife, which I think is lovely.
I eat this a lot in the summer because my parents grow strawberries in their garden.
Cut watermelon into pieces. Apply directly to mouth. Repeat.
Otherwise, salad and sushi. I guess the upside to the summer heat is I eat way more healthy food in July and August because I can’t stand the thought of anything heavy or meaty. I am especially fond of putting a little soft cheese like goat cheese or boursin in raw veggie salads.
A turning point occurred when I discovered I can roast beets, peppers, new potatoes etc. in my toaster oven, thus avoiding making my place any hotter by turning on the actual oven.
I just discovered that homemade tabbouleh doesn’t require cooking, so I’ve been eating it every day. You just soak the bulgar for a couple hours to soften it. Mix with olive oil, lemon juice/zest, and every kind of chopped veggies you can handle. Top with feta & avocado. Bonus, if you make it with quinoa instead, it can be gluten free.
Various dips…bean, guacamole, artichoke, etc etc, delivered with whatever you are hungry for (carbs or veggies) eaten directly from a bag.
My almost-14yo would be happy to eat breakfasts lunch and dinners of deli potato salad and coleslaw. No cooking!
Any hot meals tend to be quick small microwavable entrees.
It doesn’t get so hot here (seattle area), but summer gets busy and lazy, and I just don’t have the urge to prepare anything.
I second the dips – home-made guacamole. Avocados, garlic, tomatoes, salsa, and whatever herbs/spices you desire, all to taste.
Ditto homemade salsa.
Cold vichyssoise. Gazspatcho (sp?).
I often resort to dinners of olives, good cheese, bread, and pate. Maybe some prosciutto. For dessert, same bread with nutella. Add some Orangina, and you’ve got most of my meals when I traveled throughout Europe as a poor student.
Tomato, red onion and avocado salad. I eat this three times a week during the summer. It’s a Frankies Spuntino recipe, and it’s AMAZING.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129227811
I also really like making a raw tomato sauce (halved cherry tomatoes, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, minced garlic, a teensy bit of sherry vinegar, let it hang out for a while in the bowl) and tossing it with hot pasta.
http://queenietakesmanhattan.blogspot.com/2010/08/meatless-week-tomatoes-galore.html
Also, this Patricia Wells recipe, for using up all that cheap local summer squash.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/dining/061mrex.html
Finally, if you’re not veggie and you feel like splurging on some salmon, gravlax. It’s ridiculously tasty, and requires no cooking at all.
http://queenietakesmanhattan.blogspot.com/2009/12/easy-impressive-entertaining-perfection.html
I can/will do ALL of these. Gracias, mis hermanas.
Oh, Meg! YES! Or just regular smoked King salmon from the PNW, with bread to soak up the yummy juices. Mmmmmm.
I am so into this thread!
Here’s what I made earlier. I keep some canned whole clams around, and those yellow packets of rice with Spanish seasoning in there already (Vigo brand), plus clam broth.
Boil clam broth with some crushed saffron threads. Cook rice 20 minutes in that liquid. When it’s done dump the clams in there to heat them.
If you want it to be pretty put a heat safe dish of this under the broiler to get some of the rice cripsy and brown.
I made the most amazing BLTs last night. Sure, it requires frying bacon, so that’s cooking, but man. I cut up some basil and stirred it into the mayo, served it up with chips and a homemade refrigerator pickle, and some sweet tea, and it felt like the best meal of my life.
my favorite is a pasta salad – all you need to cook is the pasta, and i’ve found that boiling the pasta on a back burner makes it seem less…HOT. but:
1 box rigatoni (yes, rigatoni! it holds the yumminess best) – after cooking, IMMEDIATELY shock it with cold water. You want to be able to stir the pasta with your hands.
1/2 block mozzarella cheese, or one small ball of fresh mozzarella
3 medium bell peppers – i like different colors to make it pretty
1 pkg grape tomatoes
i like to add salami bites or a sliced up salami stick
Mix all of the above together, with everything sliced to bite size.
The dressing is grated parmesean cheese and Italian salad dressing. Mix, chill for 30 minutes, and chow down.
It’s supposed to feed 2 for 3 days. It doesn’t. If we’re lucky, we get dinner-lunch-dinner out of it.
It’s DELICIOUS.
Also, mozzarella caprese: slices of tomato topped with a slice of Fresh mozzarella and a fresh basil leaf, drizzled with balsamic. YUM.
Cheerios + banana.
Fiber One Crunch cereal + yogurt + berries.
Labneh and hummus wraps, with a bit of lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta, or whatever.
A big chef’s salad with all your favorite add ins. Mine include carrots, cukes, beets, black olives, hard boiled eggs, chick peas, sunflower seeds, craisins, and croutons. It can get crowded in there! I put meat in mine but you won’t miss it if it’s not there.
Add a fresh loaf of crusty bread and sweet butter. Yum.
Oh, and cheese!
Oh! I saw this on top chef a few years ago (or something like it). I poach an egg or, if I’m feeling like I want to try something different and end up failing (which happens every damn time I try) make a soft-boiled egg. Then I put it on a bed of raw spinach, some blue cheese dressing, red onions, grated carrots, maybe a little red pepper–spinach salad with an egg (or two if you’re feeling decadent) for protein. + a piece of bread and ice cream for dessert and that’s dinner. It’s really good, too.
For dessert: ice box pies! You can buy a Graham cracker crust, purée whatever fresh fruit you like and mix the fruit purée with a can of sweetened condensed milk. Fill the crust and stick it in the freezer until firm.
If you’re tired of regular salad try panzanella (lots of bread cubes) or salad made with cabbage instead of lettuce.
Ceviche is traditionally seafood that’s marinated instead of cooked and is pretty awesome. There’s also this vegan version which I love from a blog called Where’s The Revolution
1 avocado, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
3-4 stalks canned hearts of palm, sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
large handful cilantro, chopped
1 TB dulse, finely chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
instructions:
Toss all ingredients together and marinate for a few hours. Serve cold, garnished with slices of lime and cilantro leaves.
Don’t underestimate the pleasure of a loaf of French bread, some good cheese, and a good wine. It’s best if you eat it on the floor. Since hot air rises, that works out well.
I love you food threads. This is indeed Fun.
I really really like the simple things – cheese (especially soft creamy cheeses, like brie or camembert) and red globe grapes, with smoked salmon (especially Tasmanian).. with some tinned/delicatessan sourced anti-pasto.
No cooking, and only one plate to clean!
cold bruschetta! the recipe varies depending how much onion & garlic you like (for me, lots!)
for a decent bowl of it I use 3-4 vine tomatoes, 1/2-1 red onion, and a few cloves of garlic. chop em all up small and mix with a few tablespoons of olive oil, dash of salt, some fresh black pepper, and maybe a teaspoon of basil.
then just scoop onto bread of some sort!
I just discovered Trader Joe’s frozen falafel yesterday. You can just take out as many as you want, and microwave. They turn out great. Stuff in a pita with lettuce and some tzatziki sauce (TJ’s also has this), and it is a great hot weather dinner.
Great Friday Fun Thread!!!
I don’t know if you all have seen this, but just in case you haven’t, Mark Bittman made a list of 101 salad recipes a couple summers ago. My. God. my ladyfriend and I are practically living on this list during this firey (literally) New Mexico summer.
Oh yeah, here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html
My friend’s dad just posted this salad on my Facebook page. It sounds INSANE:
Thai salad with cantaloupe, basil, jalapenos and fish sauce.
Throw a little lime juice in there, and it’s a party.
I had homemade kimchi for lunch today in the 104+ heat and it was perfect.
Sandwiches are good for summer too. If you get a fancy bread, it makes it seem a little more special.