Cooking and Eating in the Summer

This past week and a half, I've been having lots of fun experimenting with new recipes and drinks.

• Moroccan Grilled Salmon
• Tomato, Corn, Spinach, & Avocado Salad with Red Wine Vinegar, Shallots, and Olive Oil dressing
• Quinoa & Chickpeas with Grilled Zucchini & Red Peppers
• Mango with Lime & Cayenne
• Black Bean Soup
• Tuna, Celery, & Cucumber in Vinaigrette (Martha Stewart Living)
• Cool Tea: Green Tea with Mint, White Tea, and African red Bush with Hibiscus Tea

The most exciting development is that I found a recipe for making yogurt in my slow cooker. Did it Sunday night into Monday, and now have delicious, homemade yogurt. Tastes better than the soup low-fat/plain I usually buy, although this is also plain. Next week I'll do it again using low-fat milk. Soooo easy!

Because my annual medical checkup showed a higher than usual level of LDL cholesterol, I am now working on/committed to lowering that measurement.

The upside is that it is summer, which means lots of fresh produce pouring into the Big D, including at the Farmer's Market downtown. Last week I bought local tomatoes, corn, peppers (jalapenos and small, sweet peppers), and peaches. The prices were a bit steeper than the grocery stores, but it was all local. So everyday I've been eating apples, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe, mangos, tomatoes, corn, peppers, avocados, and spinach. Very little meat--only fish.

I've also been making tea the simple way, by putting two teabags in a pitcher of cold water and letting it brew. Which means I've been drinking lots of tea--rather than coffee or soda or alcohol--everyday. With high antioxidents, as well.

Next week I plan to make Edamame & Avocado Soup, using the bag of edamame I already have in the freezer. And re-make the tuna/celery/cucumber salad. I also found a great recipe for turkey burgers stuffed with goat cheese.