Summer Eating | Pujakins

Heartwings says, “Simple meals taste best in summer heat.”

In the summer heat, my appetite tends to disappear. In addition, so does my desire to cook. Not much affects Stephen’s appetite. However, he’s not the chief cook in this household. With little desire to cook and practically no appetite, I have to make sure I have food on hand that is easy for me to prepare and tempting to my diminished appetite.

One of our favorites is egg salad. It is easy to prepare if I have hard boiled eggs ready to shell and mash. As I have never mastered the art of successfully peeling eggs without mangling them, I never make stuffed eggs, however, I am happy to scoop the contents from their egg shells and mash them up with a fork. Then I add the following ingredients. Suggested amounts are for 6 eggs.

11/2 tsp Dried or fresh tarragon, 1 tsp granulated dried garlic, ½ tsp. mustard powder, or 1 Tbs. of your favorite prepared mustard, ¼ cup chopped celery, 2 or 3 Tbs chopped scallions, 2 or 3 Tbs, fresh parsley, and 1/2 cups mayonnaise–or to taste. Feel free to substitute, increase or decrease amounts and ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Some people like to add 2 tsp. or more of curry powder. In which case, eliminate the tarragon. Serve lettuce with the egg salad.

Another summer favorite is seafood salad. I often bring this to potlucks. It is tasty, simple to make and nutritious as well as friendly to the budget. I usually have a package of the base, usually called crab meat salad or sometimes, Surimi. It is a combination of pollock and crab meat, cooked and sealed up; thus it keeps well. I begin by taking it out of the packaging and either taking the block apart or cutting it up-a purely esthetic decision. Next, I put it into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

½ cup mayonnaise—more if you wish, or less; a half a cup of finely chopped celery, ½ cup finely chopped onion, ½ cup finely chopped red or yellow pepper, a tablespoon of dried or more snipped fresh tarragon, and 1 tsp dried, ground garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve on a bed of lettuce, or keep it separate and serve it alongside of the mixed seafood.

A good salad can be made with blueberries, strawberries cut up, pears or apples peeled or not, halved grapes, and/or dried cranberries, raisins, pecans, slivered almonds or walnuts. The dried fruit adds fiber and the nuts add protein. Cheese of all sorts can be chopped, slivered, or even grated, to add more protein.

Cottage cheese or feta also add protein.

Tomatoes are a summer standby, however Stephen and I are both allergic to them. My substitute is either Strawberries or blueberries. You can feel free to use any or all of the ingredients I have suggested, and change quantities of seasonings to suit your taste.

May you enjoy whatever food you fix, bless it and give thanks for your abundance

Blessings and best regards, Tasha Halpert

PS Please share your summer recipes, I would be happy to try them and will write you back.

A poet and writer, I publish a free weekly blog, Heartwings Love Notes for a Joyous Life. My Books: Up to my Neck in Lemons, and Heartwings, Love Notes for a Joyous Life are available on Amazon. My latest publication available there is my first chapbook, Poems and Prayers, and I have two more in preparation. You can sign up for my blog at http://tashasperspective. Com.

A Salad 1

I do love to cook, however my enthusiasm tends to dwindle somewhat in warm weather. I confess I am always glad to see the cooler weather of fall roll around. In hot weather I work to make healthy meals that will tempt summer appetites as well as help me stay out of the kitchen for any length of time. Salads are always a good choice, however variety is the key to tempting lackadaisical summer appetites.

Condiments that can be used as appetizers or mixed into other ingredients to make dips are high on my list. I am happy too that the following parsley pesto has so much healthy food value. However, be sure to wash the parsley well, otherwise your pesto could be gritty. I didn’t once and was embarrassed once when I tasted it at a neighborhood potluck party. Parsley is a breath freshener, so ignore the quantity of raw garlic, said to help preserve youth.

Some years ago I invented a parsley pesto. I called it Garlic Whammo. It is an excellent condiment, can be used to enhance the flavor of any recipe you wish to perk up. All of the ingredients: garlic, parsley , olive oil and green peppers are full of vitamins, minerals, and anti cancer nutrients. Simple to make in the food processor, it keeps well in the refrigerator. You can vary the amount of garlic and also rest assured that the large amount of parsley will prevent a strong garlic presence on the breath.

Ingredients: 2 cups Parsley, large stems removed, packed into a one pint measuring cup, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup roughly chopped green pepper, 5 to 10 medium sized cloves garlic, pinch of salt. Place ingredients in food processor and whirl until they resemble a green paste with flecks of white. For best results, stop the food processor once or twice and push the mixture together. Chill and serve any number of ways: on crackers or cut up vegetables, mixed into cottage cheese or any vegetable dip, in scrambled eggs, or to enhance any stir fry.

Parsley Pea Salad: This recipe was invented when I accidentally left the frozen peas out on the counter and needed to use them quickly. It has proved to be very popular and is especially good with salmon salad. Ingredients: 3 cups thawed frozen (petite or regular) peas. (Do not cook) 1/3 to ½ cup snipped parsley, 2 Tbs finely chopped sweet onion, 1/3 to ½ cup good mayonnaise (Don’t use low fat or light style) 3 Tablespoons Dijon or other good mustard, 1½ tablespoons or more horseradish sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Mix ingredients and chill until needed.

Salmon Salad: This is a summer staple in our house. Usually I cook twice as much salmon as I need and reserve half for later. Amounts really depend on how much you have to work with. For a half pound of salmon, I suggest ¼ to ½ cup good mayonnaise, (to taste) ¼ to ½ cup chopped sweet onion, ¼ to ½ cup chopped green celery, 2 Tbs or so snipped parsley, 2 Tbs capers, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients well with a fork until salmon is well integrated with ingredients and chill until ready to serve.