Happy summerzzzzzzzz are here again............................

Hey folks, happy summers. It’s been a while that I haven't written any posts, So here I take the opportunity to write about my favorite season. Most of us associate summers with vacations & Mangoes. Indian summers are mostly hot & humid. Because of these temperature conditions we tend to perspire a lot and thus loose lot of bodily water content. So in summers it is very much advisable to eat loads & loads of fruits. Fruits are full of nutrients & proteins; they also help in restoring the dehydrated water of body. Also you need to understand the temperament of the fruit you are eating.

My fondest memories of summer season are going to my Grandmas’ place & spending my vacations with them. My Granny was an excellent cook and especially in summers she would give us meals always accompanying with fruits or curd. In mid hours she would prepare small salads to keep our stomachs light. Sometimes she would just give us a drink made of raw mango and jaggery. It used to be super cool and we then keep on roaming after Granny for an extra glass of the same.

In summers you really can’t keep someone away from eating a Mango, may it be a Kid or an Adult. But then Mango is hot in temperament, so she would always give a glass of cold milk to accompany the fruit. Even if we are to eat a slice of Mango she would sprinkle a pinch of sugar on it. So today I would give small summary of food items that you can enjoy during these hot & humid days of summer. Eating habits have been evolved a lot from the time we were kids, so I would also include some salads & few dressings in this article. So enjoy your vacations & have a happy summer.

• Watermelon- It is a fruit just meant for the season. It has around 95% of water content. It helps in restoring the dehydrated water of the body. Use some mint with this fruit and you are set for the season. Watermelon is also full of Vitamin C & Beta- Carotene. Both have anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve the symptoms of Arthritis.
• Coconut- It is the purest form of water available on this earth. It is the best remedy for any stomach diseases. It is one of the richest natural sources of electrolytes. Coconut water is also rich in Vitamin C & minerals like Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron & Potassium. It acts as re hydration medium & relives exhaustion by providing natural salts to the body.
• Sweet melon- It is a very good fruit for summer season. It helps to combat the heat in the body thus; helps prevent heat related disorders in summers. It is good for people who want to shed weight since it is less in calories and sugar.

• Ice-apple/palm fruit (tadgola)- This fruit is native to south & south east Asia, it is a jelly like fruit where there is a soft covering of flesh which hold some water in center cavity. It has same cooling effect on our body as of tender coconut.

These fruits can be consumed during entire day as whole or in the form a salad. Fruits are full of nutrients; they are also a very good source of Vitamins and Minerals. They have good source of water in the form of natural juices which helps to keep water content in body balanced.

Also in summer you can incorporate lots of salads and vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers & onions. These veggies have high water contents and they are also full of vitamins and minerals. You can use delicate dressings like vinaigrette, lemon dressing or mayonnaise based dressing. But what I enjoy the most is yoghurt based dressing. So here I am giving few salads with different dressings.

1. Mix greens salad with cucumber, olives & tomatoes in mint vinaigrette.

Ingredients	Quantity
Mix lettuce	100 gms
Tomato	1 no.
Green olives	30 gms
Cucumber	1 no.
Mint leaves	30 gms
Olive oil	60 ml
White wine vinegar	20 ml
Salt & pepper	To taste.

Method:

• In a glass bowl first add vinegar, salt & pepper. Whisk everything till salt dissolves then gradually add olive oil to make an emulsion. Add chopped mint to the vinaigrette and let it be refrigerated till use.
• Now in another glass mixing bowl add the cleaned lettuce, olives, cucumber & tomato cut in dices.
• Drizzle the dressing and serve immediately.
• You can add any cheese if you like to but try and keep the salads as light as possible.

2. Watermelon and kiwi salad with farm greens, pearl onions, asparagus & garlic crouton in honey- balsamic dressing.

Ingredients	Quantity
Mix lettuce	100 gms
Shallots	3-4 no. (cut in half)
Asparagus	2 no. ( blanched)
Garlic crouton	4-5 no.
Watermelon	10 small balls
Kiwi	1 no.
Balsamic vinegar	50 ml
Olive oil	50 ml
Honey	10 ml
Salt & pepper	To taste.

Method:

• In a small glass bowl mix together balsamic vinegar , salt & pepper till salt dissolves. Then add honey and gradually start adding olive oil to make a thick emulsion.
• In another bowl mix together cleaned lettuce, watermelon balls , kiwi fruit cut in cubes, asparagus cut in two and also the croutons.
• Now drizzle the dressing and toss the salad & serve on a cold platter.

3. Duo of melon salad with rocket lettuce, beans sprouts, cherry tomatoes & capers in raspberry-mint yoghurt dressing.

Ingredients	Quantity
Rocket lettuce	80 gms
Beans sprouts	30 gms
Cherry tomatoes	7-8 no.
Capers	4-5 no.
Watermelon	10 small balls
Musk melon	5 small balls
Frozen raspberries	15 gms (thawed)
Mint	10 gms
Yoghurt	80 ml (hanged)
Salt & pepper	To taste.

Method:

• Very first we need to hang the yoghurt in a muslin cloth so that we can remove excess of water from the yoghurt. It takes around 1 hour.
• Then in food processor put raspberries and little water with just a pinch of sugar. Make a fine puree, then to this puree add chopped mint, salt, pepper & hanged yoghurt. Whisk this mixture till it becomes homogeneous.
• Now in a different mixing bowl add together sprouts, cherry tomatoes, capers, both melons and rocket leaves.
• Drizzle the dressing on salad and toss it together. Serve this salad on cold serving plate.

These were few salads that you can try this summer. In my next article I shall give some more salads with some dressings that you can keep handy for this hot season. As well I will give few recipes for drinks which can keep children from dehydrating at the same time they will also enjoy those drinks. Till then you guys keep enjoying this summer………

Amey.