It’s hot where I live and I want to eat huge bowls of cold, salty, tangy, sweet vegetables and fruit. I’ve got a lot of good recipes in this catagory (if I do say so myself). Here are few that are excellent and that not many people looked at when I originally posted them. They are also all recipes that came from or were created to share with beloved family members. I guess that makes sense, since I really only get to see my family in late summer.

Road Trip Peach and Corn Salsa

This salsa is a simple and delicious way to celebrate summer sweetness. My husband and I made this on our camper road trip honeymoon using all the good produce available from farm stands. I make it every year that the local peaches are good (which is every 3-5 years in New York). If you live somewhere with good local peaches make this immediately! It is good with some corn chips or as a topping for fish. Find the recipe for Road Trip Peach and Corn Salsa here.

Jicama and Corn Slaw with Avocado

This is cold, crunchy, spicy and sweet perfection. This is a recipe from my cousin Gary and his wife Constance, who are amazing cooks. They adapted it from a cooking magazine when they were living in Los Angeles. I seem to recal the the original had green cabbage instead of of the jicama and it occurs to me that I should try that version, since my farmshare sends me such an unreasonable amount of cabbage and it is hard for me to find good Jicama in NYC. You should try either version, because this salad is perfect. Find the recipe for Jicama and Corn Slaw with Avocado here.

Cold Cucumber Soup with Dill and Sesame

This is a very simple and delicious cold soup from a cookbook that my mother sent me to college with. It’s a great way to use up cucumbers if you have an overactive garden or a farmshare that sends too many. The cucumbers are gently sauteed with scallion and then pureed with a just a few other ingredients to make something greater than the sum of it’s parts. The dill and sesame are really special. Find the recipe for Cold Cumcuber Soup with Dill and Sesame here.

Ride your Bike to Coney Island Salad

This salad is the ultimate fuel for Summer adventure! It’s packed with vegetable sugars and wonderful textures. In the summer of 2001, my sister and I ate this salad for breakfast before riding our bikes over 16 miles from Astoria Queens to Coney Island for a day at the beach. I’m still talking about it. Find the recipe for Ride Your Bike to Coney Island Salad here.

Aunty Mona’s Bean Salad

This was one of the first recipes I posted on this blog. I shared the recipe here after including this bean salad on my wedding picnic menu. It comes from my Aunty Mona, who is one of the people who really taught me how to cook and enjoy food. It is an amazing side dish for any summer meal. My favorite is to serve it with Tomato Pie. If you want to read the post about the recipe for bean salad and the handwritten recipe notebooks that I have kept since Junior High follow this link.