It’s Hot! Get Out of the Kitchen

Another day over 90 degrees and the last thing you want to do is heat up the kitchen. Beat the heat by serving up light and refreshing meals that don’t require cooking.

Tips for No-Cook Meals:
1. Supermarket Shortcut: Pick up a rotisserie chicken to use in chicken salads and sandwiches.
2. Use Deli lunch meats, canned tuna, salmon or chicken for making cool meals.
3. Grab the shrimp! Cooked shrimp from the freezer/seafood department are ready to use for delicious salads, sandwiches and other light meals.
4. Go Meatless: Use canned beans to increase protein and total nutrition. Canned beans are best when rinsed before use but require no cooking!
5. Bulk up with garden greens: Try a variety of sweet and tender salad greens such as Boston lettuce or the bolder and bitter arugula. Salad greens provide volume to fill you up without filling you out!
6. Chill out with cold soups such as a chilled gazpacho or cucumber soup.
7. Keep it simple. Pre-cut vegetables and fruit can make meal time preparation a breeze. Pick up shredded cabbage for a fast coleslaw or cubed watermelon for a cool dessert.

Keep Cool:
Drinking plenty of fluids is important for proper body temperature regulation. Take advantage of foods that have a high water content to help you stay hydrated.
1. Watermelon is 91% water – Chilled watermelon is perfect for snacking or a mealtime dessert. You can use watermelon as a tasty dessert, chunk it up for salsa, or puree and freeze watermelon to make dessert pops.
2. Nosh on Cucumber-96% water and Celery-95% water to keep you hydrated. Use these vegetables liberally in summer meals.
3. Other foods that provide significant water include:
• Pineapple (97% water)
• Oranges (96% water)
• Iceberg lettuce (96% water)
• Radishes (95% water)
• Zucchini (95% water)
• Tomatoes (94% water)
• Cabbage (92% water)
• Eggplant (92% water)
• Spinach (92% water)
• Cauliflower (92% water)
• Strawberries (91% water)
• Broccoli (91% water)

Cool Summer Menus and Recipes

Shrimp and Avocado Wraps
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
4 oz. light cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. Meijer Ketchup
1 Tbsp. horseradish (prepared or fresh grated root)
2 tsp. fresh dill (1/2 tsp. dried dill)
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. McCormick chili powder
6 Meijer multi-grain tortillas
3 cups flat leaf spinach (baby spinach leaves)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
10 oz. cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined), chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl mash avocado. Add cream cheese and stir until well blended.
2. Stir in ketchup, horseradish, lemon peel, lemon juice, dill and chili powder.
3. Spread avocado mixture on tortillas (leave a 1” boarder around edges of tortilla).
4. Top with spinach, almonds and chopped shrimp.
5. Roll sandwiches and secure with a toothpick. Chill up to 4 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 364, Fat 18g, Cholesterol 113mg, Sodium 610mg, Carbohydrate 30g, Fiber 9g, Protein 20g.
Recipe adapted from better homes and gardens, www.bhg.com

Summer Gazpacho
Serves 8

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups (44 oz.) Reduced sodium Tomato Juice
2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes (peel if desired)
1 Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1 Cup Cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
1 Cup Celery, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Red Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp. Meijer Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Meijer Worcestershire Sauce
To Taste - Hot Sauce
Optional: Sour Cream (topping)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine tomato juice, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery and onion; mix well
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, Worcestershire and hot sauce to taste. Whisk vinegar mixture into gazpacho vegetables.
3. Ladle one-third of gazpacho mixture into a blender. Pulse for 30 seconds. Mixture should be chunky. Pour into large container. Repeat with remaining gazpacho mixture. Cover and chill for several hours. Serve with a dollop of light sour cream.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 74, Fat 2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 369mg, Carbohydrate 12g, Fiber 2.5g, Protein 2g.
Recipe adapted from www.meijermealbox.com

Mediterranean Shrimp Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients:
6-8 cups Romaine lettuce, washed and cut
12 to 16 ounces cooked shrimp (peeled and deveined), cut in half
1 1/2 cups English cucumber, chopped
1 can (15.5 oz.) Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3/4 cup Feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted kalamata or ripe olives (halved)
2 cups pita chips, broken into pieces
3 Tbsp. Meijer olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Greek seasoning
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, toss lettuce, shrimp cucumber, garbanzo beans, onion, feta and pita chips.
2. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Greek seasoning and pepper. Pour over salad and toss well to coat salad. Serve.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 295, Fat 19g, Cholesterol 191mg, Sodium 635mg, Carbohydrate 8g, Fiber 2g, Protein 23g.
Recipe adapted from www.meijermealbox.com

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (Meijer rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely diced sweet white onion
Dash McCormick red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup barbeque sauce
4 Whole wheat hamburger rolls
Directions:
1. Mix together chicken, bell pepper, onion, red pepper flakes and barbeque sauce.
2. Serve on whole wheat rolls with tangy coleslaw.
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories 330, Fat 5g, Cholesterol 81mg, Sodium 620mg, Carbohydrate 37g, Fiber 3.5g, Protein 34g.

Tangy Coleslaw
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (14 ounce) coleslaw or broccoli slaw mix
1/4 cup reduce fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain yogurt or reduced fat sour cream
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/4 tsp. McCormick ground mustard (or 1 heaping tsp. yellow prepared mustard)
1/4 tsp. celery seed
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
1. Make slaw dressing: Combine all ingredients except coleslaw in a mixing bowl and blend well.
2. Add coleslaw and blend well.
3. Optional: Mix in 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Nutrition Information (per serving): Calories: 95, Fat 3g, Cholesterol 12mg, Sodium 355mg, Carbohydrate 16g, Fiber 3g, Protein 2g.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home-Healthy Cooking, www.tasteofhome.com/healthycooking