We've been having a lot of gazpacho and other chilled veggie soups, plus fruit smoothies.

I'm usually at home on Mondays, which gives me the opportunity to do advance prep for lunches and dinners for the next few days. This morning started off with peach-oat-yogurt smoothies. I poured the leftovers into popsicle molds for later. Next up, a pitcher of gazpacho to chill in the fridge. Then a salad of quinoa (cooked in an electric pressure cooker - 4 minutes!), chicken thighs (cooked in a slow cooker yesterday, cooled and chopped), and loads of chopped veg. Last up, cold peanut sesame noodles with julienned veg - as above, but vegetarian. The noodles were the only thing that required the use of the stove top.

It's a relief to know that I won't have to cook for at least the next few days.

I agua fresca'd all weekend with watermelon and pineapple. It was awesome, and a lot better for me than my most likely alternatives (beer).

Definitely gazpacho! It's so yummy, so healthy, and doesn't require ANY cooking. I also try to cook up lots of things to make, say, pasta salad or potato salad or whatever, a day or two before a heat wave hits, so we have some cool food to eat at home without having to cook at all on the hot days. And smoothies! With yogurt, bananas, frozen strawberries or blueberries or whatever, and skim milk. YUM, plus (again), no cooking!

I always chill my melons and berries/cherries and sometimes peaches. When I do cook there are always extras for a cold salad the following day or tacos.

I make a big batch of tabbouli with several handfuls of whole cherry tomatoes, chopped Persian cucumber, and a can of garbanzo beans thrown in. Very refreshing and nutritious as well.

Watermelon with vanilla ice cream, taco salad w black beans, blackberry anything

Love, love, love grilled pizza, fresh herb salads, and home made frozen yogurt during these hot months.

I wish I wouldn't browse food blogs at breakfast time. I fancy everything in this post and it's not even hot here!