(no subject)

[insilhouette]

It's summer here in Arizona, and when it's going into the hundreds every day, I need some good vegetarian recipes to beat the heat. Any suggestions? Here are my summer favorites:



Cucumber Rolls

Carrot
Fried tofu, cooled
Radish or jicama
Cucumber
Any other vegetables you like

Cut the veggies and tofu, except for the cucumber into julienne slices. Make long, thin slices from the cucumber and wrap them around the other ingredients like sushi. Serve with peanut sauce or another dipping sauce of your choice.

Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

Soft white bread
Cucumber
Cream cheese

Spread cream cheese thinly on the bread, layer cucumber slices and cut into tiny sandwiches.

Comments

[tetra]

Well, I enjoy deep-frying my own tortilla chips and slathering them in salsa.

I find gently barbecuing the vegetables for the salsa first to be a fun addition, or just use them fresh for a brighter flavor:

-1 roma tomato
-1 tomatillo
-1 jalapeno
-1 serrano
-cloves of garlic to taste
-quarter onion
-cilantro to taste
-teaspoon red wine vinegar
-tablespoon olive oil
-salt and pepper to taste

Put this all in a food processor and get it to desired chunk...I leave mine in for a little over a minute. Modifications on the heat level can be had by omitting/doubling the chiles. Sometimes I add two tomatillos. Point is, the salsa is eminently malleable so add and subtract where you like.

Oh, and once you start frying your own tortilla chips you'll never go back to bagged.

[theresa]

Vietnamese Rice-Noodle Salad / Bun

Eaten room temperature or cold...vermicelli noodles, cilantro, lime juice, carrots, peanuts, grilled tofu, green onions, sprouts

Similar recipe here (you can modify with whatever veggies you want): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vietnamese-Rice-Noodle-Salad/Detail.aspx

[theresa]

Also, a Greek pasta salad...pasta, olive oil, red wine vinegar, mushrooms, feta cheese, cucumbers, olives, salt, pepper.