Top 10 Summer Foods

Once the warm weather hits, if you're like me, you don't like to cook. The stove heats up my whole house, and since I don't have air conditioning, this is a major problem! There are some dishes however, that I love to prepare and enjoy in the summer time. Here are my top ten summer dishes!

1) Gazpacho This soup is so refreshing, and very healthy too! We prepared this soup for our Vegetarian Cooking class at Thyme to Cook, make it as spicy as your like! My favorite gazpacho recipe is posted on the Recipe page.



2) Pasta Salad Another summer classic! You can make it with just about anything you have on hand. I like to make mine with cheese ravioli, broccoli, peppers, sunflower seeds and a vinaigrette. I find that using a ravioli makes the dish a lot more hearty. This is best prepared the night before, so the flavour becomes more intense. You can use the stove right before bedtime so the increase of temperature doesn't bother you as much.



3) Broccoli salad This is an old favorite. A roommate of mine had me convinced that this was his original recipe. Well, he turned out to be the worst roommate ever, and the recipe turned out to be a classic that I could easily find on the internet. I wish I had known that earlier, I might have kicked him out sooner ;) You can find a good recipe here.



4) Veggie Dogs Since I am a vegetarian, I prefer the meat free version of hot dogs. They are tasty grilled and served on a toasted bun with lots of garlic mustard, and maybe some cheese. Easy, fast and makes me feel like I'm 7 again.



5)Tomato, mozzarella and basil with olive oil and balsamic vinegar A classic Italian appetizer, easy to prepare and delicious. Use all fresh ingredients from an Italian grocery store for the best results.



6) Alfalfa sprout, tomato and mayo sandwich My favorite sandwich from the time I was about 8. Toasted multi grain bread, with summer fresh tomatoes, lots of alfalfa sprouts and a bit of mayo!



7) Corn on the Cob Here in Guelph we have Strom's corn, which I believe has the best corn I have ever tasted! There are many different varieties, ready to be cooked in whichever way you choose.



8) Summer Rolls You can find rice wrappers at any oriental grocery store. Here in Guelph, I prefer to go to Tan Dai. There are a wide range of rice wrappers, from plain to sesame seed and much more. You can cater your ingredients to taste. I usually make them with: Smoked Tofu, rice noodles, mint, carrots, and lettuce (a dark green lettuce). You could also use shrimp, peppers, udon noodles, cilantro.... the list is endless. Have all of your ingredients chopped into thin strips and ready, I find little glass prep bowls make this much easier, and they look so cute too! Have a shallow dish of water to dip the rice paper into. To assemble: Dip the rice paper in water. Place thin strips of ingredients down center of wrapper. Fold like you would a tortilla, or in any style you choose. Here is a page with some ideas. Place seam down on a serving dish. Continue to make as many as you need. These can be prepared the same morning as you need them, but they will dry out if you make them too far in advance. Thyme to Cook offers a few wonderful dipping sauces (Thai dipping sauce, peanut sauce) that would compliment this dish perfectly!