For two weeks now, I have been sleeping under a single sheet, watering my potted plants daily, and remaining inside my apartment for most of the day. I’m a rule-follower, so I’ve also kept my thermostat at 78, my blinds drawn, and my water glass full. And I have cooked very little. We’re under a constant threat of power cuts as well, so cooking may not be possible anyway for much of the weekend.

Hot Weather “Cooking”

As my regular readers know, I moved from Santa Cruz to Calabasas, 300 miles south, a year ago. At 11:00 this morning it was 100 degrees in Calabasas and 102 at my son’s house 10 miles away.  The temperatures will continue to rise a degree or two each hour until 3:00 or 4:00 this afternoon.

In Santa Cruz the fog is clearing and the temperature is 77.

On Friday I ventured out to stock up on food for the Labor Day Weekend, which I planned to spend writing. I’ve never been fond of cooking when it’s hot, and I’m not a fan of barbecued ribs or hamburgers even if someone else cooks them. So I was searching for ingredients that would not require the use of gas or electricity, would not heat my kitchen, and were nutritious and tasty.

I thought I’d share my choices with you.

Breakfast

I’m an early riser, and I eat the same breakfast almost every day. During the winter, it’s oatmeal and fruit. During a heatwave, it’s fruit with muesli soaked in almond milk or yogurt.  But on super hot days like this, when it’s already above 80 degrees at 7:00 am, I lean toward smoothies and green juices. And lots of water. Fresh fruit, too – berries, grapes, papaya, mango – I keep a bowl of fruit beside my computer and nibble when the muse takes a break.

Lunch

I’ve become quite a fan of Avocado toast, and have created several variations. This weekend I’m not using my toaster, so I smashed slices of avocado onto Wasa crackers, or pre-cooked tostada or taco shells. Today I added slices of turkey breast. Heirloom tomatoes top the sandwich, sprinkled with dried herbs. 

Cold soups such as borscht, gazpacho, or cucumber are refreshing, and if prepared early in the morning and refrigerated take only a few minutes to serve. In case of power cuts, I keep a jar of borscht in the cupboard. It only needs shaking, opening, and pouring.

Dinner

By dinner time I will be exhausted, and probably not very hungry.  Even with the AC at 78, I feel the heat. Time to open a package of smoked salmon or tin of sardines and pair it with Wasa crackers.  Not only are these open-face sandwiches nutritious, but they are high in fiber and add back some of the salt I’ve been losing all day in my perspiration. If those salty fish don’t appeal to you, try canned tuna or salmon instead. I keep both produce drawers in my fridge stocked with vegetables. This week I shopped for food that I could happily eat raw – celery, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, snow peas, and cauliflower.

Dessert tonight will be yogurt or cottage cheese sweetened with a can of chopped pineapple.

bon appetit!