289569 Tue Jun 11 20:23:27 -0700 2002 20 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1568419 My second floor apartment is charming but lacks sufficient insulation, air conditioning, or even just window screens. The result is sweltering heat, making it unbearable to even think about cooking even when I’m hungry. My usual standby quick fixes of quesadillas or fried eggs sound suddenly disgusting. And I can’t eat tacos from the trucks every night. Last night I went to bed without dinner because I couldn’t come up with anything to eat that sounded appealing and didn’t take much effort. That was just plain pitiful. So help Chowhounds! My current diet of nothing, water, Popsicles and tuna fish is making me very hungry and hostile. I need ideas for simple hot weather dinners that take minimal effort and little or no cooking. I have a regular kitchen set-up, except no microwave, but I do have a handy toaster oven. I’m only cooking for me, but leftovers are great for repeat meals and brown bag lunches. Thanks! Tue Jun 11 20:23:27 -0700 2002 0 Jennie Sheeks 1 1568428 Gazpacho. Panzanella--Italian bread salad made with day-old artisan bread, good tomatoes, basil, cukes, red onion, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Get some smoked fish (salmon, trout, whitefish) and make a fish mousse with cream cheese, unsalted butter, shallot, lemon peel and a little dill or parsley. Spread on baguette, pumpernickel or melba toast. Fruit smoothies -- ripe fruit, yogurt, sugar and ice cubes. Make farmer salad with chopped raw veggies (cuke, scallion, celery, carrot, radish, tomato), mixed into cottage cheese and yogurt or sour cream. Eat with fresh rye bread. Tue Jun 11 21:11:19 -0700 2002 1568419 0 zora 2 1568432 It may sound obvious, but the sandwich in all its many forms is part of the answer. They key to making them really satisfying meals is the bread--go to a bakery and get really good bread. Salads, too. Try this recipe, if you feel so inclined: Link: http://home.mchsi.com/~stafford95/recipes/cornavocad/cornavocad.html Tue Jun 11 21:34:45 -0700 2002 1568428 0 david 3 1568433 I've been enjoying good tapenade on crusty, toasted French bread baguette. I'm not the biggest fan, but Crostini might be good with some fresh tomato, garlic, basil, mozzarella, etc. You can just eat as much or little as you like. Tue Jun 11 22:49:20 -0700 2002 1568432 0 Ciaohound 4 1568445 Gazpacho. You can throw all the ingredients in a blender and have a dinner/starter in minutes. The texture suffers a little compared to the hand-chopped version, but it's still tasty. You can make croutons in the toaster if you like. Toast bread, rub with garlic, drizzle with oil, cut into bite-sized morsels and sprinkle on soup. Nicoise Salad: Use solid packed white tuna, in water if your being healthy, or in oil if you're feeling decadent. Steam some new potatoes and green beans. Add a handful of nicoise olives (kalamata olives are a good substitute). Capers are nice in this dish, too. Some people add chopped hardboiled egg. Toss with a classic vinaigrette. Smoothies: My favorite smoothies have four key elements: dairy, fruit juice, fresh or frozen fruit, frozen banana. Vanilla yogurt and vanilla frozen yogurt work well for the dairy, as does plain old milk. Orange juice is my first choice for most kinds of smoothies because it is relatively tart and doesn't overpower the other flavors. Apple juice can be okay, but it's mostly a sweetener that adds little flavor of its own. I've heard good things about white cranberry juice, but I haven't tried it. Adding one frozen banana to a belnderful of smoothie gives wonderful texture without pronounced banana flavor, add more bananas if you want a banana flavored smoothie. Wed Jun 12 02:53:38 -0700 2002 1568433 0 Lindsay B. 5 1568471 dittos! Frozen banana makes the smoothie CREAMY. Chop up a bunch of bananas, put on cookie sheet (not touching) freeze. Then put them in a zip-lock, that way they are individually frozen, you can pull them out in whatever quantity you like and they don't kill the blender. This is not the most healthy smoothie, but frozen bananna, coffee yogurt and chocolate syrup is awfully good. Buy some egg white and whey protein powder and add to smoothies. By the end of summer you will be a ripped-up hard-body! Wed Jun 12 10:29:31 -0700 2002 1568445 0 danna 3 1568503 Simple but perfect: toss chopped salad greens in oil & vinegar,salt & pepper, add thinly sliced tomato & fresh herbs. Slice some mozzarella or cheddar onto bread and toast it. Sandwich your cool salad between the warm toasty cheese bread,and there you have it. My favorite. Wed Jun 12 14:25:25 -0700 2002 1568432 0 Jackie Avery 1 1568435 What about doing a Mediterranean meal? I'm thinking tabouli, potato salad (sans mayo), dolmas, cucumbers, tomatoes -- all cold. My BF who intro'd me to Chowhound swears by this cookbook: Mediterranean : Food of the Sun: A Culinary Tour of Sun-Drenched Shores With Evocative Dishes from Southern Europe by Jacquelin Clark, Joanna Farrow Visit the link below to buy. (If you buy it via this link, Chowhound gets credit.) Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0754809277/ref=cm_wl_topnav_shopping/ref=cm_wed_ovu-pg.1-pos.5/104-7746670-2594331?coliid=I2HS4CWIMN1KVC Tue Jun 11 23:01:00 -0700 2002 1568419 0 wow i'm a dog 1 1568442 Cans of Pepperidge Farm Madrilene soup chilled, serve with a big squeeze of lemon or lime with rye crackers - can do the same with beef bouillon. Also Pepperidge Farm has an OK Vichysoisse if you fix it up with grated nutmeg plus half milk and half, half and half with chopped chives on top. All very cooling. Poached salmon is quick and put on top of some designer greens with a good dressing, oil and vinegar with some mustard, garlic and lemon makes a great salad. Wed Jun 12 00:35:29 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Zoe 2 1568480 Variations of Zoe's suggestions: Madrilene, serve with a dollop of salmon caviar. Also try steaming salmon. For those with microwaves it can be done in a deep dish covered with plastic. It will balloon up, but that's ok. (just be careful not to steam burn yourself when removing). To go with it, slice up some cucumbers (very thin) and mix in some yogurt (and minced garlic if you like) Wed Jun 12 12:30:46 -0700 2002 1568442 0 saucyknave 3 1568486 what's Madrilene soup??? Wed Jun 12 13:16:51 -0700 2002 1568480 0 JessicaSophia 4 1568492 Its chicken bouillon, strained of everything and is canned as soup by Pepperidge Farms (used to buy S.S.Pierce soups out of Boston, don't know if they are still around). Love the idea of salmon caviar. Fits with my counting fat grams diet. Wed Jun 12 13:34:52 -0700 2002 1568486 0 Zoe 1 1568443 My third floor apartment feels much the same as yours does. I got home late & had forgotten to eat dinner. At midnight I was starving. I had half a small cantaloupe, filled with chopped up mango, sliced banana, and a blump of cottage cheese. It was filling and cool. Wed Jun 12 01:10:42 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Pat Hammond 1 1568458 My homemade chilled tomato basil soup. Throw ripe tomatoes and bunches of basil in the blender. Puree. Serve topped with dollops of ricotta cheese and pesto. Ceviche is also pretty good, and easy. I usually make it with squid, and cook it for about 30 seconds in boiling water before adding lime juice, sliced vidalia onions, and cilantro. Wed Jun 12 08:47:26 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Caitlin Wheeler 1 1568461 In hot weather like this I also make a Greek salad and serve with crustry french bread. I throw together red onion, cukes, tomatoes and feta cheese. Dress it with some nice Greek oregano and add vinegar and olive oil. YUM. will probably have tonight. Wed Jun 12 09:43:24 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Lulu 1 1568465 a quick and easy pasta dish that requires only cookin the pasta. You cut up plum tomato's and mix that in a bowl with olive oil, basil and fresh garlic and you let that sit and marinate within itself...then you just toss it with some spaghetti and it is delicious and quick, easy and NO OVEN. Wed Jun 12 10:13:56 -0700 2002 1568419 0 SOURPATCH 1 1568466 In hot weather, we adore some of the recipes from Nina Simonds' "Asian Noodles" cookbook. Here are a few of our favorites. The book is really worth picking up! We try to keep some cooked noodles in the refrigerator, but cooking them (especially soba and rice sticks) doesn't really take that long so it doesn't get the kitchen too hot. Rainbow Peanut Noodles (cooked noodles with carrots, english cucumbers, bean sprouts, red peppers & chicken, tossed with scallions and peanut dressing) are served room temperature or chilled. Chile Noodles, which involve a quick stir fry mixed with cooked noodles and a hot and sour dressing, are tasty and don't get the kitchen too hot. Our absolute favorite is Cold Soba Noodles, which is SO easy and fast. I'll give the recipe for this one: 2 tblsp wasabi powder 6 tblsp finely chopped scallion greens 3/4 lb soba cooked until just tender, rinsed under cold water, drained and chilled Dipping sauce: (mix together and chill) 2 cups dashi (easy to make from scratch with bonito and konbu, even easier to use the powdered stuff available in Japanese markets) 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tblsp mirin Mix the wasabi with 3 1/2 tblsp water to form a paste, then divide evenly among six small plates. Put 1 tblsp scallions on each plate. Divide the dipping sauce among six small bowls. Divide the noodles among six serving bowls. To eat the noodles, mix a dab of wasabi and scallions with the dipping sauce, then dip some noodles in the dipping sauce. (We usually just throw it all in one bowl and eat like a soup.) The combo of the chilled soba and the spicy wasabi is just perfect for hot weather. Wed Jun 12 10:14:59 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Chris VR 2 1568469 I do many variations on the Asian-style chilled-noodle/veg/spicy sauce salad, as mentioned above by Chris VR. Cooking the noodles takes 2 to 3 minutes once the water boils, so that's easy. And this is one instance where salad bars are great -- you can buy your veg already cut, so it only takes a little extra effort. Lots of times I will dice or julienne whatever leftover meat I may have brought home from eating out, or use tofu -- again, minimal work, no cooking. Finally, the spicier the better! to encourage both sweating and drinking. Wed Jun 12 10:28:08 -0700 2002 1568466 0 CTer 1 1568505 For minimal cooking and maximum flavor, get yourself a half-pound of sea scallops ($5-7) and sauté them up in a roomy skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of butter. Squeeze of lemon optional. Turn once. They cook in about 3 minutes. Or try my recipe for "Spanish-style squid"--it's also VERY fast and delicious. Use Chinata HOT paprika for summer sizzle. Spanish Squid Rings Just in case you’d forgotten, these will remind you why God invented ice cold beer. In a medium bowl, beat together: 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon water pinch kosher salt 2 grinds black pepper In another medium bowl, stir thoroughly with a fork: 1 cup masa harina (or all-purpose flour, if you must) 1 heaping tablespoon “hot” smoked Spanish paprika (or “bittersweet”) 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger 1/2 lb. squid bodies (8-10 medium bodies), cut into 1/2” rings Olive oil for frying Soak the squid rings in the egg mixture for a few minutes while you heat 1/4” of olive oil in a roomy skillet over medium heat. Heat until a pinch of masa mixture sizzles fervently. Dredge the squid rings in the masa mixture and fry, in batches, for 1 1/2 minutes—no more—turning often. Serve immediately. Yield: 3-4 servings Wed Jun 12 14:28:40 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Tom Steele 1 1568511 Steak Tartar? The French bistro favorite! Start with the best quality ground sirloin you can find. Carefully fold in a beaten egg, a little dijon mustard, a few capers, an anchovy filet or two, some raw diced onions, a dash of worcheshire, and s&p. Serve cool w/ fresh french bread, a green salad, and a glass of wine. Wed Jun 12 15:12:07 -0700 2002 1568419 0 Pappy 1 1568552 When you can stand to have the oven on low for a few hours, roast some plum tomatoes: slice in half length-wise, crowd together cut-side up in a roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste and drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast *slowly* at about 200-250 for up to 3 hours till wrinkly but not browned. Pop in the fridge and keep on hand for for: pasta salad: chop a few tomatoes, toss with drained capers (salt-packed are best), chopped basil, cubes of fresh mozzarella. Add some olive oil and lemon juice (optional mix oil and lemon with a garlic clove and oil-packed anchovy mashed together). Toss with pasta. Or omit cheese and add some oil-packed tuna and maybe chopped flat-leaf parsely too. If I want to get some greens in there I'll add chopped arrugala. Bruschetta -- toast some good thick-sliced bread, rub with olive oil and cut side of a garlic clove, pop some tomatoes and maybe fresh mozz on top. cold soup: puree a lot of roasted tomatoes (perhaps roasted a little less time so they retain some juice) garlic, add chopped basil and salt /pepper to taste. Chill. Add some heavy cream for cream of tomato soup. These tomatoes are a fine accompaniment to to cold roasted chicken (store-bought if you don't want to heat up your kitchen). They also make a great salsa with lime juice, jalapenos, cilantro, etc. Chipotles and/or their adobo sauce for extra heat and complexity. Another favorite hot-weather quick dish: heat up some good-quality big flour tortillas, fill with good salsa, chopped lettuce, killer tomatoes, avocado, and good drained yogurt. Roll and devour. I also love bean salads in the summer -- white beans (canned work fine if you don't want to cook your own) with oil-packed tuna, a little diced red onion, chopped basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar or lemon. Room temp potato salad with slivered raddichio, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Drain good thick plain yogurt, mix with lots of fragrant dried mint, a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper and salt. Add chunks of cucumber. Eat with warmed (or not) pita bread. Optional crumble some feta into the yogurt. Wed Jun 12 22:33:04 -0700 2002 1568419 0 foodfirst