What happened to global warming?

Usually in the summer we seek cool foods to combat heat - Popsicle, ice cream, cold soups, and fresh salads. This summer, after three blazing days of record heat, the thermometer swung to the other extreme and left me shivering and wondering why on earth I was turning the heater on in August. So what can you do with summer crops that will warm you up? We turned to soup.

Corn Chowder- serves 2-4

I like this recipe because it reminds me of a soup my mom makes in the winter. I found this recipe in Ani Phyo's recipe book.

Ingredients:
3 ears sweet corn
3/4 cup walnuts (I used sunflower seeds)
3/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
2 cups water
Toppings:
I cup corn kernals, set aside
1 avocado, diced
1/3 bunch cilantro, diced
1tsp black pepper

1) Blend first 6 ingredients. I heat the water up on the stove until it feels pleasantly warm to the touch, like a jacuzzi. A good rule of thumb is that if you can't put your fingers in the water and be comfortable for more than 4 seconds, the water is too hot.
2) Pour into bowls and top with corn, avocado, cilantro, and pepper. Enjoy while warm!

Some other yummies that we've been enjoying:
We found a slew of yellow and orange bell peppers for 30 cents apiece at our local natural food stores. So it was "chips" and salsa from our garden (yay, tomatoes are here!) and a guacomole, the most expensive item.



Sandwiches with sprouts and cucumberWatermelon Gazpacho - a beauty and probably my favorite dish so far this summer. I feel so lucky to have a local fruit stand selling watermelons for cheap right across the street from my house! The secret to this dish is a watermelon base, diced tomato, cucumber, and bellpepper, a little pepper and- 1 tablespoon diced ginger!

Hope your summer's sunny!