Molly Cookie

5 Recipes for when it’s too hot to cook

Aug 8, 2011 Appetizers, Beef, Chicken, Dips and Spreads, Mexican, Salads, Snacks

Well, it’s officially been the hottest summer in Oklahoma since before I was born. Brian, Hurley and I are surviving, thankful for a working air conditioner and lots of iced tea. Hurley runs around outside after the sun goes down, and sometimes spends half the night outside playing. Brian’s routine hasn’t changed much, and since the grass hasn’t been growing because of the drought he hasn’t had to go outside and mow the lawn. I’ve pretty much given up on running with Hurley until the weather gets back down to highs in the 90′s, but other than those things the main thing that the heat as been affecting is dinner.

The stove and oven put off enough heat in 30 minutes to make life miserable for the evening. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones with this problem. I should have posted this a few weeks ago at the beginning of this long, hot string, but I’m sure there are still plenty of hot days ahead.

Here are some of my favorite recipes for when it’s too hot to cook. These recipes require no grilling, stove, or oven. Now you should have no excuse to go out to eat every night.

1. Sandwiches are a great choice, and this one is one of my favorites. This is a Roast Beef Sandwich with Cranberries that I wrote about a few years ago, but you can easily substitute the roast beef for turkey and it works very well. All ingredients are cold and refreshing.

(photo courtesy of Bon Appetit)

2. This Wild Arugula Salad looks amazing, and if you use store bought croutons you don’t have to use your oven at all.

3. The third recipe I have is Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters Cookbook. These are presented as an appetizer in restaurants, but I think you’ll find that a few of these are quite substantial as a meal, and they are so good for you. Sorry I don’t have a picture, but just read the recipe and you’ll see how wonderful these are.

4. This might be my favorite recipe from this last year, and even though I’ve made it at least 8 times I don’t have a single picture of it anywhere. There could be two reasons for this. #1, I generally am so excited to eat it once it’s done that I forget to take a picture before it’s gone, or #2, I decide not to take a picture because it’s sort of ugly. I can’t ever get it to bring a good presentation, but the combination of flavors is so amazing that I promise you won’t be disappointed. This recipe uses a slow-cooker, which doesn’t generate a lot of heat but produces a wonderful meal.

Slow Cooked Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, Jalapenos, and Fresh Herbs from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Everyday

Ingredients:

1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
salt
4 medium (about 1 pound) red-skinned or Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1.5-2 lbs)
1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves or 1/3 cup (loosely packed) fresh epazote leaves
1 1/4 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup slicked canned pickled jalapenos
2 tbs jalapeno pickling juice

Directions

Spread the onion over the bottom of a slow-cooker. Sprinkle with salt. Continue with layers of the potato slices, chicken thighs, cilantro, and then tomatillos, sprinkling salt evenly over each layer before moving on to the next. Scatter the jalapeno slickes over everything, then drizzle with the picking juice. Cover and slow-cook on high for 6 hours. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with cilantro.

5. Guacamole is probably my favorite no-cook food. I know it’s an appetizer, but use it as the base on tostadas and you’re on your way to a delicious no-cook meal. Tostadas are a great way to clean out the fridge of any leftover taco meat, chorizo, or baked chicken. Sprinkle on some cheese, sour cream, salas, and guacamole, or whatever else you have in your fridge. I generally like tostadas with a base of black beans, and you can microwave those for a minute or two and spread them on the tostada before topping.

I hope everyone stays cool, whether you’re in Oklahoma or somewhere else fantastic. For now, I’ll keep drinking lots of iced tea and dreaming about moving to Alaska.