Stick with raw, uncooked foods as mercury climbs

CONCORD, N.H. -- A sweltering summer day can be all it takes to deflate your desire to get cooking in the kitchen. When the mercury climbs, don't add to the misery. Instead, stick with raw and uncooked foods, areas where vegetarians have it all over carnivores.

Eating without heat doesn't doom your warm-weather dining to dull salads. There are plenty of ways to liven up meals without a stove or grill.

Start people off with bread and dips. Cut a sturdy Italian loaf into strips and serve with hummus or tapenade.

Or for a dip with Mexican flair, combine 1 cup soy (or regular) yogurt and 1 avocado (peeled and pitted) in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Stir in a jar of salsa and serve chilled.

Try cool nachos minus the cheese. Cover a platter with nacho chips, then blanket with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and a can of rinsed red kidney beans. Top with Mexican dip or plain salsa.

Try sandwiches with an unusual flair, such as a slather of nut butter (almond and cashew are nice) topped with tomato, sprouts, roasted red peppers (from a jar) and cucumber slices.

If you resort to salads, give them some pizzaz. Rather then serve green and fruit salads, combine them. Thin apple slices and pitted cherries are wonderful compliments to Mesclun mix and red bell peppers with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Don't forget soups, such as a chilly gazpacho. This recipe gives the Spanish dish an Italian makeover.

The recipe makes more pesto than is needed. Use the extra either as a dip for bread, or keep refrigerated until the weather cools enough to boil pasta and toss with that.

Pesto Gazpacho

(Preparation 15 minutes)

2 large cloves garlic

3 cups firmly packed fresh basil

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (or soy alternative)

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 tomatoes, peeled

1 sweet green pepper, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 sprigs parsley

3 cups vegetable broth

Croutons, for garnish

Combine the garlic, basil, cheese and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not smooth. Add the pine nuts and pulse several times to break up pine nuts. Pesto should be chunky, not smooth. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and set aside.

Combine all remaining ingredients except the croutons in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. To serve, transfer soup to bowls. Top the gazpacho with several tablespoons of pesto and a handful of croutons.

Makes 2-4 servings.

For a cool Lebanese grain salad with a bite, try tabbouleh from the inspired "World Food Cafe" by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott.

Tabbouleh

(Preparation 25 minutes)

1 cup fine-grained cracked bulgur wheat

6 medium tomatoes, finely diced, seeds and juices retained

1 small cucumber, seeded and finely diced

4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Soak the bulgur wheat in enough cold water to cover by 1/4 inch and let sit for 15 minutes. The bulgur will double in size and should be light and fluffy when broken up with a fork or fingers. Pour off any excess water. Add tomatoes with juice and seeds, cucumber, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well. Sprinkle with green onions and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Makes 4-6 servings.

For a less traditional dressing, substitute the olive oil and lemon juice above with the follow recipe.

2 teaspoons whole seed mustard

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon honey

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

4 tablespoons olive oil

Mix the mustard, paprika and honey until you have a smooth paste. Slowly add the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Stir into the mixture of bulgur wheat, tomatoes and cucumber.