Too hot in the kitchen?

It's summer time and growing up in FL (as I did) that meant lots of heat and humidity. We rarely used the oven after May. Many times they were picked up dinner from somewhere else or only used one or two burners on the electric stove, we weren't much into salads at that time.

Now that I am older, have some experience in the kitchen, and a wealth of recipes (thanks to my personal library and the public) I tend to lean toward the "salad" category once it gets hot.

I don't like the hot. I don't particularly like sweating either. Both almost unavoidable in FL and SoCal in the summertime. So I eat cold things, and do more chopping and marinading than I do baking and sauteing.

One of my creations came about recently in a heat wave of 90 degrees (yes I know not that hot as I sit here in triple digits). I wanted something greek like and I had just made a trip to my favorite spice store Penezys where I got their Greek Spice blend. 

Have you ever tried Persian cucumbers? I recently discovered them, as I was never much of a cucumber fan I wrote them off. Man was I wrong to do that.

So delicately crunchy, sweet, and cooling. Throw in some feta, klamata olives and a basic vinaigrette and it's cooling, sweet and salty.

Recipe:

Four Persian Cucumbers, Quartered then sliced

2oz of Feta cheese crumbled

1/4 cup of pitted klamata olives chopped.

3 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons of White wine vinegar or fruity vinegar

1 teaspoon of a greek seasoning blend (oregano,

1 teaspoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

Mix vinaigrette first in a small bowl or shaker (like a small mason jar), pour over the chopped olive, feta and cucumbers. Try not to devour all at once, it's even better when allowed to chill in the fridge.

Enjoy,

Head Bather

 

Oh.My.Goodness! Carrot salad? Oh yes Carrot salad.

I am addicted to this recipe!
I was recently told to eat more veggies and one serving or less of grains for a little while, for health reasons. This is really difficult once you look at what you eat with a critical eye, at least for me. So I got to reading all my cookbooks for salads I could keep on hand and this is one that doesn't stay in the fridge for more than a day. Thank you Nigella Lawson and your Forever Summer cookbook, I bought it ages ago when I could catch her program on Food Network. I love how easy and yummy this recipe is, and if you don't have peanut oil olive works just fine.

4 medium carrots, peeled
1/3 cup salted peanuts
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
few drops sesame oil
Nigella says:  Grate the carrots very coarsely, push them through the french-fry cutter blade in the food processor, or just cut them into skinny batons or sticks. In a bowl, combine them with the peanuts and then add the remaining ingredients. I like to eat this, straight out of the Pyrex bowl I mix it in, held up high, under my chin, for ease of eating-action. In fact, the only way I stop eating it is by having someone prise the bowl out of my hands.
Serves 1-2, depending on your compulsiveness or generosity.
Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson Hyperion April 2003