Summer Simplicity

Next to the bright sweet variety of tastes it offers, my favourite thing about summer cooking is the simplicity of the food. After all, on a hot summer day, it's not like we really want to be in a hot kitchen cooking. But if you have the right ingredients on-hand and plan ahead, you can be full and have clean dishes with hours of day light left.

Certainly it helps if you have some pre-cooked chicken on-hand, or meat that cooks quickly like fish or steak. But for me the most important aspect of being prepared for a work week in summer is a fridge stocked with local vegetables. Taking an hour or so once a week can make all the difference and will ensure everything gets eaten.

Right now, I have a local farm that happens to do weekly deliveries, so not only is the veg delicious, bright and nutritious, it's also sustainable. But wherever you get your fresh produce, wash and dry in advance - you'd be amazed how much easier this makes week night meal time.

When you're not interested in spending time in the kitchen or prepping the BBQ, a simple cold or hot salad is always the best way to feed everyone and only have a bowl or a pan to clean. You can even add a simple carb to your salad by mixing together flour, water, oil, herbs, salt and pepper to a dough, roll it out on a floured surface and make little tortillas or naan bread, and either cook it in a dry pan or in the oven on a greased baking sheet (a process that takes 20 minutes from start to finish).

A cold salad is simply a matter of finding your favourite combination of ingredients for a quick dressing (i.e., oil, lemon, salt and pepper), fresh veg and a quick steak, shrimp or some left-over chicken. Personally I love a quick hot salad, for example, a fajita-style salad (sautéed local onions, white peppers, garlic, mushrooms; topped with sprouts with some quick home-made naan bread).

When you have fresh seasonal produce washed and ready to go, it allows for some playfulness and creativity, because you know the veg is that much easier to just toss in.