Sunny-Side Up!

While it may not be the peak of summer yet, it sure feels like it, in our flats in Chennai! The soaring temperature means one thing – it is time to mix it up in the kitchen! Here are easy to make recipes to take advantage of sunny time produce like watermelon, summer squash, and forget not – mangoes!

Banana coconut smoothie

Replace your morning coffee or tea with a refreshing tender coconut smoothie. Power-packed with essential vitamins and minerals, this combination is tender-licious!  

You will need:

• 1 cup of tender coconut flesh
• 1½ cups of tender coconut water
• 2 Bananas (preferably frozen)
• ¼ Regular milk (or almond milk)
• Ice cubes
• Mint leaves

Steps:

• In a blender, add the frozen banana and tender coconut flesh, and blend until it is a semi-solid paste.
• To that, add the tender coconut and milk, and blend until you have the desired consistency.
• Garnish with a few mint leaves and some ice-cubes.

Gazpacho

Cool off the heat with this Spanish style gazpacho (tomato soup served cold)! This slurp-worthy classic is perfect if you are in need of a little pick-me-up. You can make this recipe your own by adding any toppings you like.

You will need:

• 6 – 7 medium tomatoes
• 1 Italian sweet pepper (red or yellow)
• 1 cucumber
• ½ white onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• A splash of sherry vinegar (it can be substituted with red wine or white wine vinegar)
• Salt (to taste)
• Optional (for topping): diced cucumber, diced green apple, diced onions, diced pepper, croutons or hard-boiled eggs

Steps:

• In the blender, add – the tomatoes with the core removed, the pepper that has been cut in half and deseeded, diced onions, and diced cucumber. Blend the vegetables at high speed, until they are completely pureed.
• Bring the blending to a slow speed, and add olive oil, a little at a time, till you get the desired consistency. If required, you can also add cold water.
• Add salt and vinegar to taste, and blend one last time.
• Refrigerate and serve cold.

Garnish with your favourite toppings, right before you serve the soup.

Recipe credit: spanishsabores.com

Broccoli salad

If you are looking for a quick and light summer salad recipe, this is it! Loaded with antioxidants and folic acids, this broccoli salad is hearty, yet light. It is the perfect end to a long day when you want an easy-to-make recipe, that is high on flavor!

You will need:

• 1-2 heads of fresh broccoli
• ½ cup of red onion (chopped)
• 200 grams of cooked bacon, crumbled into small pieces (can be substituted with paneer)
• 2½ tablespoons of vinegar
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1½ cup of grated mozzarella

Steps:

• Chop broccoli into small bite-size pieces.
• In a salad bowl, add broccoli, onions, bacon (or paneer), and mozzarella.
• In a separate bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, and mayonnaise, to make the dressing.
• Pour this dressing over the mix of vegetables, and toss to coat.
• Cover the salad and refrigerate it for about an hour before serving.

Recipe credit: foodnetwork.com

Summer Chili

With the mercury on the rise, you may want to spend as little time as possible, over a blazing stove. This one-pot vegetarian summer chili is quick to make and is a great way to get all those summer veggies in!

Pro tip: you can add any meat to this chili and it will taste just as good.

You will need:

• 3 summer squash (medium size)
• 3 zucchini (medium size)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 400 grams of diced tomatoes (with the core removed)
• 400 ml of of tomato sauce
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1 head of broccoli
• 400 grams of chickpeas (boiled)
• ¼ cup of corn
• 2 teaspoon of cumin
• 3 teaspoon of chili powder
• ½ teaspoon of paprika
• ¼ teaspoon of cayenne
• Salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)
• Fresh basil (optional)

Steps:

• In a stock pot, sauté the cubed summer squash and zucchini in olive oil, over a medium-high flame, for 10 minutes or until soft.
• To the vegetables, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth, and cook for another 10 minutes.
• To this, add broccoli, chickpeas, corn, and all the spices, Let this boil for another ten minutes.
• Cool the mixture down and garnish with basil before serving.

Recipe credit: jaroflemons.com

Mango popsicles

You can’t have a summer recipe list without featuring mangoes or lassi! We have taken it up a notch and combined the two, to make a refreshing mango popsicle. You can replace this recipe with just about any summer fruit, but mango tastes best (obvs!)

You will need:

• 2 – 3 mangoes (peeled and diced)
• 1 cup of yogurt
• Milk (as required)
• Sugar
• Popsicle molds (you can use an ice tray)

Steps:

• Blend the mango and yogurt to make a thick paste. Add cold milk to get the desired consistency.
• Add sugar as required.
• Pour the liquid in the Popsicle tray and place it in the freezer for about two hours.
• Serve cold with garnish.

Recipe credit: Egglesscooking.com

The best way to enjoy making this is to have a fantastic, fully fitted kitchen, that will take the heat off of cooking (if you know what we mean). Ensure that you pick from the best of properties in Chennai so that your cooking time helps you cool off! On that note, which one of these mouth-watering creations are you going to try first?

14 Dec 2021