MINIMAL EFFORT COOL MEALS

Minimal Effort Cool Meals

          The heat from the Midwest finally caught up with us last week. What would have been considered a “cool day in Arizona” certainly felt like a day in a sauna in Maine. A local restaurant had to close in the afternoon, because the kitchen fans could not keep up with the heat and it became a health hazard to the employees. Home thoughts turned to simple meals with minimal effort and a cool and refreshing taste.

          Unless you have a gas grill right outside your kitchen door, even grilling can seem like too much effort. Tacos come to mind as an easy substitute in all their possible variations. There are beef tacos, chicken tacos, German tacos with ham and sauerkraut and cheese, shrimp tacos, black bean tacos for vegetarians and even lobster tacos for those of us fortunate to have some extra lobster meat.

          Another favorite are Fajitas, a wrapped meal popular in warm climes. Fajitas preferably are made with skirt steak or other thin tender cuts of beef, but chicken has become a popular variation. For either one you can marinate the meat 30 minutes to 2 hours before cooking in lime juice with spices or take the easy way out and avoid pre-marinating the meat with any Fajita mix available in the store.     

   

                                                Quick Beef Fajitas

           Cut up in ½ inch strips: ½ large onion, 1 each green and red peppers seeded and deveined. Cut in wedges 2 Roma tomatoes.  Slice ½ lb skirt steak or sirloin strip tips in ½ inch strips. In a large skillet heat 2 tblsp. peanut oil, quickly sear the meat for about 3 minutes and set aside. Add another 1tblsp. olive oil to the pan and stir fry the onions and peppers for about 3 minutes, stir in the tomatoes the Fajita mix and some water according to the Fajita mix directions. Cook for 3 minutes, return the meat back to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Serves two in warm flour tortillas. If desired top with sour cream and hot salsa.

          Gazpacho, the traditional hot weather soup is actually a cold tomato-based salad with a soup like consistency. With slightly more effort, one can achieve white-gazpacho, which in my kitchen has evolved from a blend of Vichyssoise and Gazpacho.

                                            White Gazpacho

          In a medium pot bring to boil 3 cups chicken broth. Add: 1 cut up large celery stalk with leaves, 1 medium onion quartered, 2 medium zucchini cut in chunks, 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped, 1 large potato cut in 1 inch pieces, ¼ cup Italian parsley, ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes and 1 tsp. ground thyme. Boil vegetables for 15 minutes and allow to cool a bit before blending with 3 tblsp. white vinegar and 3 cups yoghurt. In a large bowl stir into the soup: ½ chopped green and red peppers, 2 sliced scallions, 1 small chopped English cucumber, 2 chopped Roma tomatoes, ½ cup chopped curly parsley. Correct salt and pepper seasoning and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours for the flavors to blend. Can be made a day ahead. Serve garnished with croutons and chopped chives.

          Either of these meals with a chilled glass of sangria is likely to please.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)