To my way of thinking, one of the best ways to enjoy summer, while avoiding the heat, is to bring the colors and produce of summer into the kitchen, using them to make dishes that don’t generate a lot of heat in the preparation. Salads come to mind most readily, and I was delighted to see a summery salad featured recently on Instagram.
Whether you hit a nice farmers’ market, or the local supermarket, this salad puts the best of summer on your plate. Zucchini? Check! Yellow squash? Check! Tomato? Check! Basil? Check! Lemon? Check!
Start by slicing your zucchini and yellow squash thinly, and I recommend a mandolin for this. You want the squash to be thin enough that a slice, along with some of the tomato, goat cheese, and basil, equals a bite.
Next, slice the tomato about 1/8 – 1/4″. For this, I didn’t bother to remove the seeds and surroundings.
For presentation, arrange the squash slices to fit the plate (alternating zucchini and yellow looks best), add a layer of tomato, then finish with more squash.
Once you have the squash and tomato arranged, drizzle with some olive oil, Add some fresh lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.
To finish, crumble some goat cheese on top, then add a bit of fresh basil.
And there, you have it! Fresh, cool, and just about as summery as it gets. I paired mine with salmon, and also with a beef filet, and it worked both times.
Oh, and while we’re talking summer –
Omelettes are easy, don’t require a lot of prep time, and cook quickly, so you’re not heating up the place. Pictured is a simple omelette of egg, with red and green bell peppers. Since I had some goat cheese and basil, I finished with those. Goat cheese takes an omelette to the next level. Trust me!
We’ve got more summer ahead of us, so I’ll try to keep it coming. Enjoy the season, and stay cool!!!
never 2 old 2 start cooking 
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