I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s hot outside.  Even if you’re a total air conditioned shut-in, you know this from, well, Facebook.  Because everyone felt the need to post the status update, “OMG! It’s, like, rilly hot outside!”

There are a lot of folks out there who don’t like to cook in the summertime.  My step-mother, whose amazing cooking and baking really inspired me to get started in the kitchen myself, is one of those.  I never quite understand it because she lives in central air conditioning.  But who am I to judge?

I never stop cooking.  Mostly because I’ve gotta eat.  I only have an ancient window unit air conditioner in my studio-style living room/kitchen, but that’s not going to stop me from preheating my oven to 350 and baking some cookies.  One must have priorities.  But I do try to pick good summer recipes.

From the book Vegan Brunch, I decided to make Courico Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa.  Personally, I don’t think of tacos as a breakfast food.  I’ve heard tell, though, that throughout South and Central America, it’s common practice to eat leftover dinner for breakfast, so I guess there’s something to it.  Maybe it’s supposed to be breakfast-y because it has pineapples?  Well, to me, that just makes it a great summer dinner food.  So cool and fruity!   I made a side of Viva Vegan!‘s Cilantro-Lime Rice because I had cilantro from the taco recipe, leaving out green onions because I didn’t have them on hand.  Also, confession: it’s Cilantro-Key-Lime Rice because, well, Key limes are what I had.

I never read a vegan blogger with a bad review of this one, have you?  It’s so freaking good.  I ordered soy curls months ago expressly to make this recipe, and I’m glad I did.  Soy curls are amazing.  So… meaty!  I’m going to have to order a lot of them, since they store forever.  Rehydrate, cut ’em up, make some chili.  For some reason, I keep thinking about making chili with them over everything else. 


So, what’s for dessert?  Well, remember I mentioned those Key limes?


I never actually had a Key lime before.  But there they were at Wegman’s, and even though there is nothing local or organic about them, I couldn’t resist.  I wanted to try them!  And, you know, they’re tiny and kind of a pain to squeeze out without getting a ton of seeds in your measuring cup.  And maybe I’m unsophisticated, but I’m not sure they taste very different from regular limes.  Still, I made the Key-Lime Shortbread Cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and they are addictively good.  It’s hard to eat just one.

I didn’t have any bright green decorating sugar, only this light green kind, and it does ok, although its coarseness may be a bit much.  Pretty little electric green crystals would be ideal.  I can’t honestly complain, though.  This is a little delight of a cookie.  Definitely worth baking in the summer for.


Speaking of things that are in no way local or organic, this guy at Wegman’s had samples of a Frankenfruit he called “plumigranates.”  I’ve tried Googling it — no dice.  It’s some kind of hybrid between plums and pomegranates.  I shouldn’t have bought any, I should really stick to the fruits at Phoenixville’s Farmer’s Market.  But for some reason I bought a few.

These things are just ridiculously good.  They taste like the most juicy, sweet plum you ever ate ever.  I wouldn’t mind being the Bride of THIS Frankenfruit — they’re that good.  It’s like that episode of Peewee Herman when he’s going on about how much he loves fruit salad, and someone (Chairy, I think) says, “Well, why don’t you marry it?” so he decides, okay, I WILL marry it!  And they have a wedding with a bowl of fruit.  That’s what I’m looking to do with plumigranates.  Don’t look down on our love!  Our love is pure! You’ll see when you fall in love with a fruit from the wrong side of the tracks!