cool foods?

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.
lee

Here's one my kids liked and we still enjoy. It's quite adaptable too.
I let my kids put their own toppings on so that way if they didn't
like something, they just omitted it.

Taco Salad

1-2 lb lean ground beef, browned; add enough taco seasoning for flavour
with water and boil down. One tip, if you do the beef on a cool day
then put into the freezer, all you have to do is break off some and warm
in the microwave.

Then layer toppings as desired and whatever order you want: sour cream,
salsa, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black or green olives, chopped onion,
taco hot sauce, shredded cheddar cheese

Serve with: nachos, frito dipping chips, or soft tortilla shells;
personally, I just do the layers on the plate and eat with a fork.

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.
lee

Another good cool food:

Chicken Wraps

Fry boneless, skinnless chicken. Cut into strips. I usually do a few
at a time. Freeze until needed.

Using a soft tortilla shell, spred a little mayonnaise or miracle whip
down the centre. Add lettuce if desired. Add thawed chiken strips
(from above), tomato, and onion. Drizzle a small amount of French or
Catalina dressing over. Fold and enjoy 🙂

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.
lee

Any plain canned fruits or veggies...

What? No refrigerator or stove???

I still adore plain canned spinach right out of the can!

Canned dinners work fine too as they are pre-cooked.

Spaggetios or Chef Boy-ar-dee raviolis.......

Man, I've not eaten that [censored] in years! <lol>
It has some good memories tho'.
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

On Fri, 10 Jun 2005 17:22:08 +0000 (UTC), enigma <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?).

Sesame Noodles

1/2 lb pasta
4T sesame oil
1/4 t hot pepper flakes
1 t sugar
1/2 cup coarsly chopped peanuts
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1T rice wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped coriander/cilantro

Cook pasta, drain, rinse, toss with 2T oil, and set aside. Briefly
saute green onions, garlic & hot pepper in the other 2T of oil until
onion is softened. Add to pasta. Stir in vinegar, nuts and coriander.
Chill.

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.

We call this one:

Cool Beans

1 can kidney beans (15 ounce or so)
1 small onion, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1 tomato, finely chopped (if using plum tomatoes, use two)
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, diced
Other veggies as desired (Jicama might be good in this)
2-4 tablespoons salsa
2-4 tablespoons sour cream
handful of crumbled tortilla chips
2-4 soft white tortillas (soft taco size)
Shredded cheese if desired

Mix the everything except the tortillas and shredded cheese together and
let it sit in the fridge for a bit. Serve with the tortillas and cheese.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. It's cool and tasty, and you
can easily add or substitute from the basic idea to get all sorts of
different kinds of salads. 🙂

--
Siobhan Perricone
"I ain't afraid of your Yahweh
I ain't afraid of your Allah
I ain't afraid of your Jesus
I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god"
- Holly Near

Katra <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity
part. anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room
temp foods to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can
deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am
allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it
if it's that or not eating.
lee

Any plain canned fruits or veggies...

um, ok... got a recipe for marinated chickpeas or bean salad?

Quoted message said:

What? No refrigerator or stove???

yes, refrigerator. would prefer not to use the range/oven
anytime after 8am currently (i get up at 5, so i do have time
to make things then)

Quoted message said:

I still adore plain canned spinach right out of the can!
Canned dinners work fine too as they are pre-cooked.
Spaggetios or Chef Boy-ar-dee raviolis.......

um...ewwwwww! sorry, no. even the Kid won't eat that stuff &
he really isn't that picky.

Quoted message said:

Man, I've not eaten that [censored] in years! <lol>
It has some good memories tho'.

keep the memories intact & *don't* eat them. they aren't
nearly as good as they used to be.
lee

Frogleg <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

enigma said:

i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?).

Sesame Noodles

1/2 lb pasta
4T sesame oil
1/4 t hot pepper flakes
1 t sugar
1/2 cup coarsly chopped peanuts
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1T rice wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped coriander/cilantro

Cook pasta, drain, rinse, toss with 2T oil, and set aside.
Briefly saute green onions, garlic & hot pepper in the
other 2T of oil until onion is softened. Add to pasta. Stir
in vinegar, nuts and coriander. Chill.

oooh! thanks! this looks great... i'll make it tomorrow
morning (i made taboule from a box & let it chill overnight
last night... it's pretty dull).
lee

oh. i meant to thank patches for the suggestions yesterday,
too

Siobhan Perricone <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Cool Beans

1 can kidney beans (15 ounce or so)
1 small onion, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1 tomato, finely chopped (if using plum tomatoes, use two)
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, diced
Other veggies as desired (Jicama might be good in this)
2-4 tablespoons salsa
2-4 tablespoons sour cream
handful of crumbled tortilla chips
2-4 soft white tortillas (soft taco size)
Shredded cheese if desired

Mix the everything except the tortillas and shredded cheese
together and let it sit in the fridge for a bit. Serve with
the tortillas and cheese.

i made a taco bake the other night & Boo was too tired & hot
to eat, so he had a bowl of sour cream instead... he loves
anything with sour cream (or plain yogurt. he's the only
almost 5 year old i know that eats plain unsweetened yogurt).
this looks like a hit 🙂
lee

<<(i made taboule from a box & let it chill overnight
last night... it's pretty dull)>>

I like to jazz up boxed tabouleh with canned chickpeas, crumbled feta
cheese, minced seeded cucumber, and chopped green onions on top.

On Sat, 11 Jun 2005 14:16:36 +0000 (UTC), enigma <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Frogleg <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Sesame Noodles

1/2 lb pasta
4T sesame oil
1/4 t hot pepper flakes
1 t sugar
1/2 cup coarsly chopped peanuts
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1T rice wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped coriander/cilantro

Cook pasta, drain, rinse, toss with 2T oil, and set aside.
Briefly saute green onions, garlic & hot pepper in the
other 2T of oil until onion is softened. Add to pasta. Stir
in vinegar, nuts and coriander. Chill.

oooh! thanks! this looks great... i'll make it tomorrow
morning

Oops. I left soy sauce out of directions. Mix in at same time as
vinegar.

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

Katra <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity
part. anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room
temp foods to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can
deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am
allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it
if it's that or not eating.
lee

Any plain canned fruits or veggies...

um, ok... got a recipe for marinated chickpeas or bean salad?

Quoted message said:

What? No refrigerator or stove???

yes, refrigerator. would prefer not to use the range/oven
anytime after 8am currently (i get up at 5, so i do have time
to make things then)

Quoted message said:

I still adore plain canned spinach right out of the can!
Canned dinners work fine too as they are pre-cooked.
Spaggetios or Chef Boy-ar-dee raviolis.......

um...ewwwwww! sorry, no. even the Kid won't eat that stuff &
he really isn't that picky.

Smart kids. ;-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Man, I've not eaten that [censored] in years! <lol>
It has some good memories tho'.

keep the memories intact & *don't* eat them. they aren't
nearly as good as they used to be.
lee

Got it!

Okay, one of my personal favorites is pasta salad with either seafood or
canned chicken:

Cook up a batch of the tri-colored noodles.

Add either chunk canned chicken or a bunch of the fake crab meat, a can
of well drained peas and carrots, then toss well with your choice of
salad dressings.

My personal favorite is ranch dressing, but creamy italian or even
caeser dressing will work well.

A little fresh grated parmesan cheese also goes well with this.

Bean salads? I don't really care for cold beans, sorry!

Lately at work, I've been living off of tuna salad! Works well with
either celery sticks or stuffed into a pita, or scooped on to crackers
or made into tradtional sandwiches.

1 can chicken of the sea tuna
(I've found that that brand REALLY is superior in flavor! A far cry from
the generic or starkist!)

Or if you cant' stand tuna, use canned chicken or crabmeat, or even baby
shrimp instead

1/4 cup mayo
1 small can minced black olives
1/8 cup minced chives
2 tbs. dill relish
1/4 cup minced celery

Mix well and serve however you prefer.

Look up some recipes for rice pudding too.

Hope this helps?
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

Siobhan Perricone <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Cool Beans

1 can kidney beans (15 ounce or so)
1 small onion, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1 tomato, finely chopped (if using plum tomatoes, use two)
1 red or green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, diced
Other veggies as desired (Jicama might be good in this)
2-4 tablespoons salsa
2-4 tablespoons sour cream
handful of crumbled tortilla chips
2-4 soft white tortillas (soft taco size)
Shredded cheese if desired

Mix the everything except the tortillas and shredded cheese
together and let it sit in the fridge for a bit. Serve with
the tortillas and cheese.

i made a taco bake the other night & Boo was too tired & hot
to eat, so he had a bowl of sour cream instead... he loves
anything with sour cream (or plain yogurt. he's the only
almost 5 year old i know that eats plain unsweetened yogurt).
this looks like a hit 🙂
lee

If he likes sour cream and yogurt, there is nothing wrong with a nice
big bowl of fresh chopped fruit salad as a meal now and then. :-)

I like to mix sliced strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bannanas,
blackberries and raspberries, and/or any other fresh fruit that looks
good and is on sale.....

Avocado, lettuce, bacon and tomato sandwiches on pitas are excellent too.
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell‹you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

~patches~ said:

Another good cool food:

Chicken Wraps

Fry boneless, skinnless chicken. Cut into strips. I usually do a few
at a time. Freeze until needed.

Using a soft tortilla shell, spred a little mayonnaise or miracle whip
down the centre. Add lettuce if desired. Add thawed chiken strips
(from above), tomato, and onion. Drizzle a small amount of French or
Catalina dressing over. Fold and enjoy 🙂

We make something similar and call them Thai Chicken Wraps (no mayo
involved). We shred carrots and cucumbers, chop green onion and
cilantro, use bean sprouts instead of lettuce. Drizzle with bottled
Thai Peanut Dressing/Sauce. LiteHouse brand is a good one.
http://www.litehousefoods.com/html/pr_dressings01.html

Try Gazpacho or other cold soups.

Gazpacho Andaluz
Recipe by Chef Stef George

1 slice sourdough bread, crusts removed (I didn't remove the crust)
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 lbs very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
2 T sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Garnishes: Finely diced green pepper, cucumber, tomato, red onion, small
croutons

Soak bread in water for 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water.

In a blender, purée bread, cucumber, tomato, garlic, vinegar, salt to taste
until smooth. Add olive oil slowly with blender running to allow it to
emulsify. Strain through a coarse sieve, pressing as much of the pulp
through as possible. Chill.

Adjust seasoning before serving.

Serve with garnishes on the side.

Enjoy!

Debbie

How about a chopped salad - something made with chunks of diced
veggies, fruits, cheeses, meats, and/or nuts, but without a base of
lettuce? or a fruit salad with a avriety of fruits, fresh and dried,
some nuts, coconut, tossed with vanilla yogurt?

Some yummy ones that I've had include:
*tomato, mozzarella, mushroom, onion with bread cubes and a basil
vinaigrette

*granny smith apple, bleu cheese, pinon nuts, avocado, celery, radish
with a creamy sweet-and-sour dressing

*shredded zucchini with toasted almonds, peas, and a lemon dressing

what do you like?

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.

Quiche, lots of it.

If you barbecue: smoked pork. (And...I recently tried an experiment
cooking a quiche in a barbecue grill with an eye towards not having to
turn the oven on during the summer. It works, though if you use
charcoal, wrap the quiche in aluminum foil lest it pick up the charcoal
flavor)

As for noodles: try the following for cold noodles (this works best
with zarusoba, Japanese buckwheat noodles, but you can probably make do
with wheat pastas).

Noodle sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice wine (sake) or cooking sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lemon or lime (ideally organic) OPTIONAL

Mix soy and rice wine; bring nearly to a boil. CAREFULLY set aflame to
burn off the alcohol. Add sugar and let dissolve. Zest the citrus
skin into the mixture (this is why it's better to have organic, as it
will not be sprayed with pesticides). Let cool and serve as a dipping
sauce with the noodles.

Quoted message said:

the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.
lee

Jeffs

Jude said:

How about a chopped salad - something made with chunks of diced
veggies, fruits, cheeses, meats, and/or nuts, but without a base of
lettuce? or a fruit salad with a avriety of fruits, fresh and dried,
some nuts, coconut, tossed with vanilla yogurt?

Some yummy ones that I've had include:
*tomato, mozzarella, mushroom, onion with bread cubes and a basil
vinaigrette

*granny smith apple, bleu cheese, pinon nuts, avocado, celery, radish
with a creamy sweet-and-sour dressing

*shredded zucchini with toasted almonds, peas, and a lemon dressing

what do you like?

Hi ,
I like your ideas. I too look for cool things to make for the
summers. I saw a recipe on Mr. Food ( he is a chef who is on every
evening on our evening news ) He made a dressing of only a few
ingredients for a fruit salad. Said, it really was good on even a green
salad. I have lost it. On his site on the news page, it says its
outdated and can't be found. I would love to have it again , if any of
you got it. So I can try it on some salads. It had lime juice and
sweetened condensed milk , I'm pretty sure. Sure sounded sweet. Might be
great on citrus salads. Thanks a heap. Hugs , kate

In article <[email hidden]>,

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.

What about a cold side dish? One of my favorite cold side dishes is
cucumber salad made from the 2nd Ave. Deli in NYC. The 2nd Ave. Deli has
a cookbook, which I own, but do not have handy right now.

Cucumber salad is very easy to make, but you need to prepare it one day
a head of time and a mandolin is a big help with this recipe. Mix 1.5
cups of white vinegar with 1/2 cup of sugar. I use Splenda instead of
sugar because I prefer to minimize my carb intake. Add some freshly
ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the vinegar. The recipe calls for
white pepper, but I use black pepper because I like the flavor better
and white pepper is too expensive.

Mix the sugar and vinegar concoction thoroughly. Slice three or four
pickling (a.k.a., Kirby) cucumbers paper thin, then do the same to a
small white onion. Layer the cucumbers and onions in a bowl and then
pour the vinegar/sugar mixture over the vegies. Cover the bowl tightly
and then allow it to rest overnight in your refrigerator. This couldn't
be easier and it makes for a healthy and refreshing side dish.

Another cold side dish that's very healthy and loaded with flavor is the
2nd Ave. Deli's health salad. As I recall, the recipe for this health
salad is just a couple of cups of shredded white cabbage mixed with a
1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1/4 cup of finely slivered carrots and sugar,
salt and pepper, all blended together and chilled overnight.

I made both of these dishes last month for my sister's engagement party
and they both got eaten up very quickly and no one even realized I had
substituted Splenda for the sugar until I told them.

enigma said:

i just despise heat & humidity... ok, mostly the humidity part.
anyway, i would like to find some good cold or room temp foods
to add to the seasonal rotation.
the only restrictions are no shellfish or fish. i can deal with
very small amounts of tuna once in a while, but i am allergic.
i'd like a good recipe for cold noodles (sesame or peanut
butter?). Kid isn't crazy about lettuce, but will eat it if it's
that or not eating.
lee

I live in New Orleans, where it was 98 yesterday and 99 the day before,
with a heat index of 110 degrees, so I'm used to looking for meals that
don't heat up the kitchen. This is one of our favorites all summer; in
fact, I made it yesterday with our own homegrown tomatoes (Louisiana
has an abundance of Creole tomatoes available at this time of year so
we've got it good). It's best served with HOT pasta and room
temperature sauce but it's good leftofter as well, either room temp or
cold from the fridge. The recipe is from The New Basics Cookbook (one
of my alltime favorites) and I've been making it for about 12 years.

Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce

Note: Tomatoes must be the sweet, honest,
sun-ripened-to-almost-bursting garden variety for this classic sauce.
This sauce is to be found all through central Italy in the warm summer
months; it is usually made in the morning and allowed to ripen at room
temperature all day in a covered bowl.

2 large ripe tomatoes
4 Tablespoons olive oil (I used extra virgin)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1 Tablesppon chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (use the best cheese you can)

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and blanch the tomatoes in the
water for 30 seconds. Then plunge the tomatoes into cold water (to
stop the cooking). Drain the tomatoes and peel them.
2. Remove the cornes, and cut the tomatoes in half. Remove as many
seeds as possible, and drain off the juices. Dice the tomato pulp.
3. Combine the diced tomatoes with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a
mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the Parmesan,
and toss to blend. (If not using the same day, cover and refrigerate.
Bring to room temperature before tossing with the pasta.)
4. To serve, add the remaining 3 Tablespoons olive oil and toss with
hot pasta. Sprinkle with grasted Parmesan.
Makes 2 cups

I usually use penne pasta (a bit less than a pound for this recipe; I
usually use 3 or 4 tomatoes and a bit more of everything so there's
plenty of "sauce" for a pound of pasta) but I used ziti yesterday
because it was all I had and the ziti worked well too. Just make sure
not to overcook the pasta initially.

Hope you find this helpful. I've used this aside grilled steaks, crab
cakes, seafood, etc. -- it really goes with everything well. My
husband eats no seafood and we have relatives that eat no meat so I
often make crab cakes for them and my husband grills a steak for
himself and this side dish complements both entrees.
--Crybaby