It has been a scorching, smoky weekend in Northern California leaving me with no desire to cook over a fire. A simple, cooling lunch that can be put together without turning on the stove or oven is what I was looking for.
My inspiration came from a book I am currently reading called Lunch at the Shop by Peter Miller. It is about the simple, elegant mid day meals that he and his coworkers prepared in the backroom of his book shop without access to an oven or stove. The trick (I gathered) is to have some precooked foods like rice, lentils and beans available in the fridge, and basic ingredients like olive oil, lemons and dried herbs in the pantry. Add fresh seasonal produce to this, and a gourmet meal will come together in no time!
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| Sugar-free “ice cream” with pluot jam topping |
And so it came together – a pretty-in-pink healthy, cooling summer lunch complete with dessert! Here is the menu:
- Lunch-sized chopped salad with cooling vegetables
- Strawberry-mint shrub sparkler
- Sugar-free “ice cream” with pluot jam topping
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| Strawberry Mint Shrub Sparkler |
Before I get to the super-simple recipes, a confession! The sauerkraut I started 2 weeks back did not turn out well. There is a guy in our wonderful year-round farmer’s market who sells this amazingly tasty sauerkraut. Mine was a 2-year old’s doodle compared to his Monet! I think I know where I went wrong, so I will try again, undaunted!
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| A summer salad |
(1) Recipe for A Chopped Summer Salad with a simple lemon dressing
Inspired by ideas from Lunch at the Shop by Peter Miller.
Ingredients:
- 1 long Persian cucumber or 3-4 small ones, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in to 2
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup of chopped red cabbage
- 1 avocado sliced in to wedges or cubed
- Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped basil leaves or cilantro leaves
- Some toasted nuts (almonds, walnuts) or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin) to garnish (optional)
Method:
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients except herbs. Mix in the herbs and set aside
- Combine in a bowl all the chopped vegetables
- Pour the dressing over it and toss to coat evenly, garnish with nuts if desired and serve
Notes:
1) Use any summer vegetables you have at hand and don’t be limited to the ones I used. Bell pepper (red or green), greens of any kind, cooked (or canned) beans, lentils or chickpeas, grated carrots or beets, cooked wild rice or quinoa, and radishes are some choices.
2) You can use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice in the dressing if you wish and also make the dressing more interesting by adding grated ginger or dried oregano.
3) Did you know that both cucumber and red onion are cooling vegetables? So is lemon juice.
1) Use any summer vegetables you have at hand and don’t be limited to the ones I used. Bell pepper (red or green), greens of any kind, cooked (or canned) beans, lentils or chickpeas, grated carrots or beets, cooked wild rice or quinoa, and radishes are some choices.
2) You can use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice in the dressing if you wish and also make the dressing more interesting by adding grated ginger or dried oregano.
3) Did you know that both cucumber and red onion are cooling vegetables? So is lemon juice.
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| Strawberry Mint Shrub |
Back in May, with the advent of an early summer here in California, I made a Ginger-Mint Shrub as part of the Veggie Sutra’s Fermentation Series. V and I loved it so much that it has become our go-to summer drink. That was my first attempt at making shrubs and therefore I followed the original recipe by Mary Karlin in Mastering Fermentation by the book, so to speak. This time I substituted the ginger with strawberries. After all, what’s more summery than strawberries?
(2) Recipe for A Strawberry-Mint Shrub Sparkler
Adapted from Mastering Fermentation by Mary Karlin
Makes enough for around 6 people
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped very ripe strawberries, smashed slightly
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves + a couple of sprigs of fresh mint
- 3/4 cup raw organic apple cider vinegar (use one with live mother cultures like Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar)
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice
- 1/2 cup raw unrefined cane sugar
- 1 bottle of sparkling water
- A few ice cubes if you like
- Plus about 2 weeks of patience!
Method:
I am going to be lazy here and ask you to refer to my post on Ginger-Mint Shrub. It turned out very well, and the original recipe has step-by-step photos as well. Just substitute strawberries for ginger. Other interesting combinations to try: Apricot-Mint or Apricot-Basil, Peach-Mint, and Mango-Mint (use fresh mango).
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| Banana-Date Ice Cream with Pluot Jam Topping |
This year, the California-grown stone fruits that we get at our farmer’s market have been extra-sweet, apparently a consolation prize for the persisting four-year drought. I could not resist making a batch of summer fruit jam, even though V and I are abstaining from eating any added sugar these days. Well, I usually give away most of the jam I make, so I don’t feel so bad! I used some of the jam to top a sugar-free dessert giving it a pretty pink look as well a sweet and tart finish.
(3) Recipe for a Sugar-free “ice cream” topped with home-made pluot jam
Makes generous portions for 2
Ingredients:
- For “Ice Cream”
- 2 overripe bananas which have been frozen ahead of time, thawed slightly to peel and chop
- 1/2 cup pitted and chopped dates
- Up to 1/4 cup creamy coconut milk as needed
- For topping
- Some toasted pine nuts and raisins
- Home-made pluot (or any summer fruit) jam (I used this recipe, with a slight variation of spices)
Method:
- In a powerful blender or food processor, add the banana and dates. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides every now and then, and adding a little bit of the coconut milk at a time if needed
- Scrape into a container with a lid, and freeze for around 6 hours
- Scoop the “ice cream” into serving cups, top with pine nuts, raisins and a spoonful of jam and serve
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| Here is that pretty Pluot Jam |
Summer is my least favorite time of the year, except for the abundant variety of produce that is available. Which reminds me, I need to get more canning and freezing done before it is too late to save any produce for winter! What are your favorite summer produce to save for winter and how do you do it?
August 18, 2015 at 2:50 am
The amazing produce that summer brings us! The guy at one of the stalls in our farmer's market has assured that he will bring pea eggplant (Sundaikkai) in 2 weeks or so.
August 18, 2015 at 2:59 am
Do you plan to dry it and store? I did not even know "sundakkai" was called pea eggplant! Amazing! Lucky to live in CA!
August 18, 2015 at 3:18 pm
What went wrong with the sauerkaut?
August 18, 2015 at 3:19 pm
Hi Mila, It does not taste right. There was no mold or anything, but it had a salty taste rather than a fermented taste. I realized it could have been because I did not weigh down the cabbage so that it is all submerged in the brine. Also, I saw a tip on another site to keep releasing the bubbles every day, maybe I should not do that? If you have any suggestions, let me know.