By Eve Baum Victory
By the time August rolls around, it often feels too hot to even think about cooking. That’s where the spoils of summer come to the rescue. Our corner produce stands are bevies of easy meals in the making. Every week you can grab anything from fresh corn and zucchini to Cherokee tomatoes and watermelon.
The grocery produce aisles are bursting with color. Take advantage of the variety and brighten up your plates with ripe berries, tangy citrus and refreshing peaches. With very little effort, you can use all those beautiful ingredients to change up your usual fare.
~New salsas: Try combining watermelon, feta cheese and jalapeno, or cantaloupe, red onion and serrano chilies
~Summer soups: Skip the tomatoes and make gazpacho with cucumber and mint, or try zucchini, coconut milk and lime.
~Sweeten up your salads: Handfuls of blackberries or any citrus sections liven up all sorts of leafy greens.
~Freshen up grilled meats: Char up some cherry tomatoes on the grill, sprinkle with salt & pepper and splash with red wine vinegar; or make a super quick red pepper and almond Romesco sauce in the food processor.
~Flavor your water: Infuse the best thirst quencher with raspberries and basil, or try blueberry, lemon and rosemary
Stay out of the heat, and get creative with summer’s bounty of fruits and vegetables. Who knew eating your veggies could be so much fun?
A native New Yorker, Eve Victory has called Hot Springs home since 2003. Working for years as an event and tradeshow planner and personal chef, Eve is currently the Hospitality and Tourism Instructor at National Park College. For information on how to turn your education into a career in the second largest industry in Hot Springs, contact Eve at evictory@np.edu.
