I’m so excited to wrap up my Keep it Cool series with this amazing Lemony Lentil and Chickpea Salad. I’ll be making this one to pack along on our car trip to the Vosges Mountains for a week of family hiking. And I’m especially looking forward to gathering fresh radishes and herbs in my mother-in-law’s garden to make this dish even more delicious!

Lentils:
2 cups dried black beluga lentils or French green lentils
2 large garlic cloves, halved lengthwise (or finely chopped green onions or shallots)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Lemon Dressing:
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons worth)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
1 (14 ounce) can cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 big bunch of radishes, sliced thin and roughly chopped
¼ cup packed fresh, leafy herbs, chopped (combination of mint and dill recommended)
Optional garnishes: sliced avocado, handful of fresh leafy greens.

Full Instructions Here

Enjoy!

I am such a fan of Thai flavors that this Thai Cashew Chopped Salad recipe easily caught my attention. Like the other salads in this series (Asian Broccoli Salad & Southwestern Chopped Salad), this one is packed with flavor and freshness. And, while there is already a bounty of veggies included, you can certainly take it up a notch by adding chopped raw broccoli or grated local zucchini.

Salad Ingredients:
4 cups Romaine, chopped
½ head red cabbage, chopped
½ cup carrots, sliced
½ cup edamame, shelled
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup cashews, roasted

Ginger Peanut Dressing Ingredients:
⅓ cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
2 tablespoons honey
3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoon sesame oil
Water to thin

Full Instructions Here

Enjoy!

Cool, crisp, and flavorful! That’s what I look for in summer recipes, and this Southwestern Chopped Salad has it all. Feel free to improvise on the basic ingredient list and add extra veggies. They can only enhance the mix!

The cilantro lime dressing is a keeper for sure, and it can be repurposed for wraps or raw veggie dip. Come along with me this month for my Keep it Cool series and try four fabulous main dish salads you can remake all summer!

Ingredients

• Large head of romaine
• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large orange bell pepper (I like to chop mini sweet peppers for a variety of color)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups corn (fresh roasted, blanched or thawed from the freezer)
• 5 green onions

Dressing

• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt or ½ cup of soaked cashews)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
• 1-2 garlic cloves (or green onions or shallots)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (I use Braggs apple cider vinegar)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Season with honey and cumin to taste

Directions

1. Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
2. Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
3. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
4. Toss with desired amount of dressing.

Enjoy!

Adapted from the Garden Grazer

The best summer recipes in my opinion make use of the abundance of this season’s produce, require a minimal list of ingredients, and don’t involve the oven!  Follow this month’s series to Keep it Cool in your kitchen and add four fantastic main dish salads to your repertoire.

I personally think broccoli is at its best when its raw or just lightly blanched. This Asian Broccoli Salad recipe captures that perfectly. With just enough crunch and Asian seasoning, it will surely become a favorite. This dish also keeps well so be sure to make enough to pack along for a lunch or two in the days ahead. The peanuts in this recipe can easily be replaced with less inflammatory cashews or almonds and not a bit of flavor is lost.

Broccoli Salad Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup shelled cooked edamame
1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
1/2 cup peanuts, almonds, or cashews
1 batch peanut sauce (recipe below)
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer coconut aminos or tamari)
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1-2 tablespoons hot water, as needed to thin the sauce

Full Instructions Here

There is no doubt that those first tomatoes of the season deserve to be eaten just as they are off the vine. We have already enjoyed many straight out of our Tecolote Farm basket, especially that gorgeous sun gold variety. However, when you feel ready to cook a few up, you will certainly want to consider this Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup. Yes, this does require you to turn on an oven but trust me it is worth it. Perhaps you can find a few minutes in the morning to roast those tomatoes before the heat is in full swing and, btw, you might just want to consider making a double batch!

Ingredients
16 Roma tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
2½ medium yellow onions, cut in half lengthwise
One garlic head (see directions – use 8 roasted peeled garlic cloves in soup)
1½ tbsp olive oil (for drizzling)
Salt & Pepper (for drizzling)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp maple syrup
2½ cups water
1 cup coconut/almond milk
Splash Hot Sauce
Bay Leaf

Full Instructions Here

I have to admit that, as a child of the 60’s, I never tasted fresh greens bean until adulthood. It’s a sad truth, but I certainly have made up for lost time by eating my fair share each year when they come in to season. Since their first appearance in our weekly Tecolote Basket, they have been gobbled up on the first night. While we all love this veggie roasted with just a drizzle of oil and pinch of Himalayan sea salt, sometimes a bit of spice is on order. This particular Vegetarian Times version of Szechuan Green Beans offers just the right amount of heat so that the fresh taste of the green beans can still be experienced.

Ingredients
8 green onions, white parts only, thinly sliced (½ cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)
4 tsp. minced or grated fresh ginger
2 Tbs. mirin (rice wine)
4 tsp. gluten free tamari or coconut aminos
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1–2 tsp. chile-garlic sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved (4 cups)
8 oz. shiitake or button mushrooms, thinly sliced (3 cups)
9 dried Thai bird chiles, optional

Full Instructions Here

New potatoes! What a treat! If you haven’t tasted freshly harvested new potatoes, you are seriously missing out. I happen to be partial to the ones I have been discovering in my Tecolote Farm basket each week.

I was inspired last month by Gena Hamshaw’s Food 52 post and have been tweaking this recipe ever since. As it contains two ingredients that my guys love, Potatoes and Avocados, several repeat appearances were certainly not a problem.  What better way, than this Cool & Creamy Green Potato Salad, to celebrate the “oh so brief” appearance of new potatoes?

Here is my current version for you to try out this week.

Dressing
2 small Hass avocados
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup of Organic Olive Oil
1 freshly squeezed lemon
1 tea of honey or organic maple syrup
½ bunch of basil leaves- stems removed
½ bunch of organic parsley- lower stem removed
½ bunch of fresh dill

Blend all ingredients in blender or using an immersion blender. Add water in small amounts to thin if necessary to coat the potatoes.

Salad Ingredients
2 pounds new potatoes washed and cut into 1-inch pieces and steamed until fork tender
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus extra to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup green onions or chives finely chopped

Rinse potatoes with cold water and lay on dishtowel to dry. While potatoes are still slightly warm toss with salad dressing, green onions or chives and salt and pepper to taste. Let salad sit for 30 minutes at room temperature for flavors to meld.

Since summer squash is here to stay until fall, having a handful of go-to recipes to use up these beauties is definitely helpful.

In my opinion, there is not much that beats them sliced, seasoned, and grilled or roasted but this Coconut Curry Summer Squash Soup is really hard to pass up. While I am usually not a big fan of tofu, using a sprouted version on occasion is certainly fine. I have to admit, though, replacing it with babybella mushrooms was divine.

Ingredients

8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I prefer sprouted for easier digestion.)
Fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste, plus more if needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tofu croutons
3 large shallots, chopped
1 1/2 pounds yellow summer squash or zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
12 ounces potatoes, unpeeled, cut into tiny cubes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups lightly flavored vegetable broth or water
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

Full Instructions Here

While summer is off to a wet start here in Austin, we can still celebrate its farm fresh bounty along with Tecolote Farm. You may remember that in early spring I shared a bit about Tecolote and the goodness they bring to Austin kitchens each season with their 100% organic family owned farm. Now with summer in full swing we are spoiled with choices. Tecolote is Austin’s oldest and longest running CSA and, as a big fan and customer, I can’t even begin to tell you the joy their basket of produce brings each week when it arrives. Honestly, I don’t know what kind of home delivery could make me happier! It’s not too late to sign up for a summer season CSA or you can select your own Tecolote produce each Saturday at the SFC Downtown market.

This week my basket, bursting with goodness, arrived with a handful of gorgeous crisp cucumbers. Not wanting to let them linger a day or two and lose their fresh appeal in the produce drawer, they quickly became the feature in this delightful dish: Sesame Ginger Miso Cucumber Salad. This flavorful salad combines some of our absolute favorite tastes along with cool hydrating cucumbers to create a perfect summer dish.

Ingredients

Salad
2 large English or Asian cucumbers
1½ cups frozen shelled edamame, defrosted
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 tablespoon toasted white and black sesame seeds
Optional: 1 sheet of nori, cut into small 1-inch long ⅛-inch wide strips.

Sesame Ginger Miso Dressing
2½ tablespoons white miso paste
1½ tablespoons hot or warm water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon tamari sauce (or coconut aminos, both are gluten free)

Full Instructions Here

The desire to keep away from the heat of the oven only increases as summer sets in. So, when you tire of puddings and frozen desserts, how about giving these sweet bites a try? The sweet, salty, and crunchy tastes all at once certainly would be enough to give the cookies rave reviews but the fact they mix up in minutes exponentially increases their appeal. Mix up a double batch and hide half in your fridge for later because that’s exactly what you will need to do to keep them from being gobbled all up at once!

Ingredients
1/2 cup (96 g) coconut sugar
2 Tbsp (30 ml) unsweetened organic almond milk
3 Tbsp (45 g) coconut oil (or Earth Balance Coconut Spread)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (85 g) organic natural almond butter
1 1/2 Tbsp (11 g) coconut flour
1/4 cup (45 g) sesame seeds
3 Tbsp (24 g) roasted unsalted sunflower seeds (or slivered toasted almonds)
1 cup (90 g) gluten free rolled oats
A pinch or two of sea salt

Full Instructions Here

Goodness does not need to be complicated and neither do sweet treats! If you have never tried your hand at chia pudding, now is the time. If you have experimented a bit, have you ever added raw cacao? This one ingredient is a total game changer in my book and certainly one you need to try at some point. The beauty of chia pudding is that it makes such a simple straightforward base to a host of inviting flavors. Hold the cacoa if you prefer and consider toasted coconut and mango or a mix of ripe sweet berries. So have some fun, play around with this recipe, but at least once give in to the cacao!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (Califia farms unsweetened almond or organic canned coconut milk happen to be my favorites)
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder (I recommend Navitas)
Dash of pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tablespoon organic maple syrup or raw honey
Dark Chocolate shavings for garnish (I sub raw cacao nibs and toasted almonds)

Full Instructions Here

As the temps begin to creep up this lime tart recipe is one you certainly want to have on hand. It tastes as if you have spent hours in the kitchen (I won’t tell.) and yet is a snap to prepare. We’ve made several variations of this recipe and like it best as individual servings in muffin tins. I have also enjoyed a variation of swapping out the lime juice with Meyer lemon juice. Oh Yum indeed!

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup dates
1/3 cup walnuts (toasted pecans are also delicious)
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cashew Cream
2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
1/4 -1/2 cup lime juice + 1 teaspoon lime zest (depending on desired flavor intensity)
1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water (adjust according to desired consistency)

Full Instructions Here