One important food lesson I learned while living in Spain last year was that cool foods like soup can make a hot day much better.
Cool Tomatoes
In Spain, one of the universally favorite foods to enjoy during summer and early fall is soup and it’s refreshingly cool. Being in Spain was wonderful (pre-novel corona virus) and taste testing cool tomato soup was even better. My favorite, cool tomato soup is called Salmorejo and it’s a specialty of Cordoba in the southern part of Spain where the summer heat is basically unbearable. Guess what? Sipping cool tomato soup makes everything better, including the unbearable heat.
Here’s a fun video of a Spanish chef making salmorejo, in Cordoba. As you’ll see, there are few ingredients and a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil that make a tasty Mediterranean recipe.
Here’s another recipe, called Tomato Basil Soup, and it is delicious when cool, too. Or, go ahead and warm it up.
5 Cool Food Options for Summer
If you think out-of-the-box then you’ll be creatively designing a delicious, cool summer. Many foods that we traditionally eat hot are fine, even great, when chilled and eaten cool. Here are five possibilities:
- Egg salad or deviled eggs – Try making them with yogurt rather than mayo. Recipes here.
- Grilled, baked or broiled salmon – Layer it onto a green salad or eat on a whole grain cracker with a spritz of lemon. Recipe here.
- Pancakes – Try 2 or 3 cooked and chilled pancakes with a dollop of cottage cheese or vanilla yogurt and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or nutmeg. Recipes here.
- Roasted vegetables – Add them to the top of your green salad or eat them as your meal side item with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Recipe here.
- Turkey meatloaf – Make a cold sandwich or have a slice beside your scrambled egg in the morning. Recipe here.
Cool and Nutritious are a Perfect Team
When you make a cool meal to stay away from the swelter of summer, good nutrition comes along in perfect harmony. Be bold and try something from the fridge that you normally eat as it comes from the oven. Think of a meal cooked on the grill as your starting point. Then, add cool sides such as potato salad, deviled eggs or marinated asparagus, and cool watermelon for dessert. Or, make a cool plate of colorful veggies and drizzle on some high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Pick up my Mediterranean Menus download to get in the groove for a healthier life and remember to keep it cool!
What cool foods will make it to your plate this summer?