Beat the Heat with Salads

On a hot summer day, preparing a nutritious and tasty meal without heating up the kitchen—and sometimes the whole house—can be a challenge. When the temperature outside spikes, our bodies can actually get hotter depending on the food we eat, so incorporating cooling foods can help our metabolism and our digestion. The solution is to create a salad. It must contain some protein to be filling and provide energy to take you to the next meal. But not all proteins are created equal. Meat, for example, requires more energy to digest than legumes or other protein, so summer is an ideal time to turn to alternate sources, either familiar or new:

• legumes—beans, chickpeas, and edamame
• dairy products—yogurt and cheeses
• seeds—chia, hemp, sesame, sunflower, and poppy
• nuts—walnuts, pecans, cashews, and pistachios
• leafy greens
• quinoa
• tempeh
• tofu

Use recipes as a guideline and vary them according to your own preferences; to what is available in your refrigerator, pantry, and at the market; and finally, to the food that makes you happy! And, since we eat with our eyes first, it is important for a salad to be nice to look at—with a variety of shapes, textures, and colours. For a different presentation, use a glass bowl, such as those used to serve trifle, and layer all ingredients, serving the dressing on the side.