Summer is a time for swimming, outdoor games, dining alfresco, and soaking up the sun. But on those beastly hot summer days, when the humidity makes your hair curl, your elbows are sweating, and you're tempted to stand in front of the open freezer, no-cook snacks and meals are the way to go! Here are some of our ideas for keeping the kitchen cool during the dog days of summer:

• Eat fruit. Keep summer fruit like peaches, plums, berries, and melon on hand for easy snacks. For an extra cool treat, pop grapes in the freezer in the evening for bite-sized popsicles the next day. Or cut a banana in half and insert a popsicle stick in one end. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, with or without a few teaspoons of smooth peanut butter. Roll the banana in the chocolate and freeze until solid.     
   
• Enjoy salads and sandwiches. Salads, sandwiches on bread or in pitas, and wraps are great ways to incorporate whole grains, fresh vegetables, and legumes into one quick, easy, and oven-free meal. Try using hummus or your favorite bean dip as a sandwich spread in place of mayonnaise. Top a green salad with some creamy white beans and fresh oregano.      
   
• Use your food processor. Bean dips and pesto are super simple to make, taste great, and can be made entirely in the food processor. Variations on both are endless.
  • For bean dips, start with a can of your favorite beans (drained and rinsed), a clove of garlic, one quarter of a chopped onion, and one to two tablespoons of olive oil. Run everything together in the food processor until you have the consistency you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • For pesto, start with a few cups of basil, a quarter cup of olive oil, a clove of garlic, a handful of pine nuts, and a quarter cup of grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. Put everything except the olive oil in the food processor and pulse it a few times until the greens start to shrink in volume. Turn the food processor on and slowly pour in the olive oil until you have the consistency that you want. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Experiment with different flavor combinations: try adding chipotles or smoked paprika to bean dip, mix chopped fresh herbs into a hummus, or replace some of the basil in your pesto with kale, arugula, cilantro, or other greens.   
           
• Embrace Simplicity. A delicious and healthy meal does not need to be complicated.
  • Fresh vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, peas, green beans, radishes, and carrots taste great cut up into crudit�s or mixed together in chopped salads with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
  • Use canned fish and beans in your salads and sandwiches. They are both great lean proteins that require no additional cooking. Just be sure to rinse your canned beans before use to remove excess sodium.
  • Whole grain breads and crackers come in a wide variety of flavors, shapes, and sizes. Try sprouted breads and products made with grains other than wheat (like rye, corn, quinoa, spelt, oats, or brown rice). Serve them in place of cooked grains during summer meals.