Tropical Gazpacho

2 posts in one day?? Oh my!

I'm telling you, I have been avoiding cooking at all costs. 118 degree weather will do that to a girl. This recipe was a perfect NO COOK, cool, refreshing summer dish. This is good as an appetizer, but we just ate it for dinner. I think the recipe came from Everyday Cooking. I think.

Tropical Gazpacho

Ingredients:

3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, cut into chunks
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp rice vinegar
coarse salt
hot sauce (optional)
mint, basil, or lime for garnish.

Working in batches, place mangoes, cucumbers, buttermilk, lime juice, and vinegar in blender. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and hot sauce (if using) Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hr. Serve with mint leaves, basil, or lime wedges.

Fruity Macaroons

These were good, but I kind of screwed them up. I'm not sure what happened! I only had about 4 salvageable cookies, the rest fell apart. The ones that made it were delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 package sweetened coconut flakes
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped (papaya, pineapple, apricots)

Preheat oven to 325. Whisk together egg whites, sugar, and salt until frothy. Add coconut and dried fruits. Combine. Shape two tbsp of mixture into mounds and placed on greased baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack until cool.

Perfect Summer Salad

Here's a quickie update since I haven't been around lately. Family is gone, I am back in business!

This watermelon salad sounds a little strange, but take my word for it...so good. Really refreshing and savory at the same time. Perfect for summer cook-outs.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup halved, thinly sliced red onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 quarts seeded, cubed watermelon
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup pitted black olive halves
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the onion slices in a small bowl with the lime juice. The acid of the lime will mellow the flavor of the raw onion. Let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the watermelon cubes, feta cheese, black olives, onions with the lime juice, and mint. Drizzle olive oil over it all, and toss to blend

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