This is my third summer here in New York. This is also the third year I haven’t bought an air conditioner for my side of the apartment. It’s flipping hot in here! Here are some of my survival techniques to keep me from turning into a warm puddle of vanessagoo:

• A lot of water
• Iced coffee
• The ice cream truck
• Sunbathing at the park
• Wearing my bathing suit all weekend
• Spray bottles
• Whining about the heat in a blog post
• Trips to my local grocery – it’s truly like 60 degrees in there
• Cold showers + window fans
• And, of course, hanging out on The Sistaster’s side of the apartment. Right in front of the air conditioner.

Oh, and eating cold foods. I’ll start the dog days off right by sharing my recipes for a cool summer soup and a refreshing but hearty salad. I promise you’ll like them, even if you’re smart enough to have an air conditioner.

Time: 50 minutes, plus chilling time for the soup
Serves: 4

Chilled Avocado Parsley Soup

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup packed chopped Italian parsley
juice of 2 limes
3 cups cold water (or half veggie broth)
3 avocados, peeled and quartered
1 tsp salt
1 small cucumber, cut into tiny dice (to serve

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It’s too hot to cook so imagine my excitement when my darling boyfriend Jerry told me we were leaving the big dirty city for a refreshing long weekend at a B ‘n B in the Catskills. Which was great. Except it wasn’t so much a romantic Bed and Breakfast as it was a room in a dorm for the friends and family of campers of a Latvian Lutheran Summer Camp.
But hey, we had a superfun time and became real wilderness people for a weekend: hiking, biking, canoeing, swinging… A big thanks to my new Latvian friend Alvis for being such a hoot- he’s a great host, big thinker, and looks cute in a bandana. Paldies!
So on to my recipe of the week: this is one for a barbeque potluck (at a Latvian Summer Camp or elsewhere) or just for a quick easy dinner when it’s too hot to cook anything too difficult. It’s a little bit inspired by some yummy olives we ate over the weekend, sort of like a pasta salad we had, and also modeled a bit on Rasols (Latvian Potato Salad.) BTW, there is some evidence that the largest salad ever was made in Latvia, but when I tried to confirm at the official Guinness Book of World Records site all I found out is that as a country Latvia has the largest shortage of men. Well guys, now you know where to go for your next long weekend.

Serves: 4
Time: 40 minutes

Red Pepper, Olive and Tofu Summer Pasta Salad

1 lb bowtie pasta (I used spinach flavored)
2 red peppers, diced
1 jar (5 oz) garlic stuffed green olives, cut into slices
1 bunch green onions, chopped
16 oz extra firm tofu, cut into ¼ inch cubes

Dressing

2 red chile peppers, minced
¼ packed cup fresh oregano, minced
3 Tbl red wine vinegar
3 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl juice from the olive jar
½ tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

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The recipe is simple, but the results are unexpectedly delicious. I made a big batch of this and ate if for 3 days straight. Then I made it again a week later. Then I went back to the bulk foods store and bought $15 dollars worth (that’s alotta quinoa, folks!) and when The Sistaster heckled me I told her “Don’t worry, uh, it’s a complete protein.” Because it is.

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes

Quinoa

1.5 cups quinoa
2.5 cups water
Salad
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 box frozen corn, or equiv of fresh corn cooked and cut from the cob
1/2 small cabbage, cored and shredded
3 Tbl red wine vinegar
4 Tbl oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

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This is a crunchy, healthy, zingy recipe with a lot of chopping and a little cooking. Enlist help if possible and it will be ready in no time.
This is a really fun (uh, really messy) dish to eat – each person assembles their own wrap and tries their best not to drop the contents all over the place. I’m great at assembling, less good about ruining my shirt with the dipping sauce. It’s worth it anyway.

Serves: 4
Time: 50 minutes

Wraps

canola or peanut oil
16 oz tofu, cut into ¼ inch strips
1 head lettuce (bib, red curly leaf, or a wide-leafed romaine)
½ small head of red cabbage, chopped
4 carrots, grated (I used a cheese grater)
1 bunch basil
1 bunch mint

Sauce

canola, peanut or sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbl fresh ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (deseed if you’d like less hot)*
1/3 cup peanuts, chopped
1/3 6 oz can tomato paste (about 3 Tbl)**
3 Tbl creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbl honey

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