Hot Weather Meal Strategies

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Hot Weather Meal Strategies

- Plan ahead. Make menus each week and stick to them.

Use your freezer. Freeze meat in marinades, fresh fruit pieces for snacks and look for freezable dessert recipes.

Cook with everything but the oven. Use your rice steamer, the crock pot, pressure cooker and of course your charcoal or gas grill.

Don’t forget your microwave—they don’t heat up the kitchen the way ovens and stoves do.

-Take advantage of plentiful fresh produce.

- When you cook, make it count. Cook once, but plan to eat at least three times.

Make use of pre-prepared foods.

 

Tuna Pasta Salad

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon dill weed

12 ½ ounces tuna in water flaked and drained

1 cup shell pasta cooked and drained

1 cup frozen peas thawed

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

 

First, make the dressing by combining first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a serving bowl and stir in dressing. Chill. Yield: 4 servings

 

Marinated Broccoli Matchsticks

5 ½ cups julienne-cut broccoli stalk (2x1/4 inch)

2 ½ cups diced seeded tomato

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

 

Combine broccoli and tomato in a bowl; toss well, and set aside. Combine lemon juice and next 4 ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour over the broccoli mixture, and toss well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 6 servings