Give your stove a day off with these cool recipes
Being a creature of comfort, I was not a happy person when our air conditioner was on the fritz and we spent two days with fans only.
Believe me, there was no cooking in our house. Our gas range can heat the dining and living rooms fairly quickly. We ate sandwiches, no-cook salads and takeout. To make things worse, I was ill with bronchitis, which doesn’t like heat, either.
Since the spring/summer heat has definitely arrived and so have fresh vegetables and fruits, I will share some foods that will not heat the kitchen too much, including quick fresh fixes and grilled dishes.
Since Long Beach, Miss., was once known as the radish capital, I thought a Southwest Radish Salad would be appropriate. Radishes make for cool, crunchy salads, and this one has a little kick.
Take the next recipe to the grill for an awesome BLT salad.
The Zucchini Delight recipe is one Myra Jones of Bradenton shared several years ago. It is one of my go-to, easy veggie recipes. The broiler need not be on long for this quick recipe.
Stir-fry is another method to keep the kitchen cool when it’s 90 degrees outside. The recipe for Sugar Snap Peas with Pearl Onions was my mom’s. Please make an effort to buy fresh sugar snap peas for this. It does make a difference.
See, we can keep our cool and still cook or grill fresh foods.
Andrea Yeager, can be reached at ayeager51@cableone.net or Cook’s Exchange, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi MS 39535-4567.
Southwest Radish Salad
From “Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook”
Orange-Salsa Dressing:
1 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Salad:
6 cups lettuce, cut into 1-inch strips
1-1/2 cups sliced radishes
3 hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups cooked red kidney beans, or 1 (16-ounce) can, rinsed and drained
1 (7-ounce) can corn kernels, drained
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon or bacon bits
1/4 cup sliced green onions
Thoroughly combine all of the dressing ingredients.
Combine all of the salad ingredients, toss with the dressing, and serve immediately.
Pretty easy, huh?
Charred BLT Salad
From Hormel
1 pint grape tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling on lettuce
3 romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise
1 (2.8-ounce) jar real bacon bits
2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Pesto vinaigrette:
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pesto
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
To make vinaigrette, stir together all ingredients until combined.
Heat grill to medium-high heat.
Make an aluminum foil packet large enough for tomatoes, place tomatoes on foil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Wrap tomatoes in foil. Grill 10 to 15 minutes or until tomatoes shrink and are soft to the touch.
Drizzle cut sides of lettuce with olive oil and place lettuce, cut side down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray.
Cook lettuce 5 minutes or until the leaves begin to wilt and are marked with grill marks; remove to platter.
Top romaine with tomatoes, bacon, cheese and pesto vinaigrette.
Zucchini Delight
Submitted by Myra Jones
Slice some raw rather large zucchini, pretty thick.
Lay slices on a baking sheet.
Spread with mayonnaise (can be low fat).
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Sprinkle with paprika and/or seasoned salt, if desired.
Put under the broiler until mayo is bubbling and a bit browned. Serve. Accept graciously the compliments.
Sugar Snap Peas with Pearl Onions
Recipe from Billy Leslie Wheaton
1 pound fresh sugar snap peas
1 package (10-ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Trim stem and ends from peas. Be sure to remove strings from both seams.
In large skillet over medium heat, cook onions in olive oil stirring occasionally until caramelized and golden brown about 6 minutes. Add garlic and brown sugar. Cook stirring constantly until fragrant or about 30 seconds.
Add peas. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Stir-fry until veggies are crisp tender. Makes 6 servings.
This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "Give your stove a day off with these cool recipes."