The last tastes of summer

Elizabeth Templin McCamic

One thing I've enjoyed this summer is how easy it is to eat healthy meals because so much fresh produce is available. I thought I'd share a few meals I've been making lately. I've been trying to keep things pretty simple and as healthy as possible. I'm not a chef or a nutritionist, so I make no promises about what you'll find below. These are just a few ideas I wanted to share before summer fades into fall. I'd love to hear about your favorite summer meals, too.

I always pack a lunch to take to work, and in that lunch the last couple of months I have included carefully sliced nectarines, peaches and strawberries. Sometimes the mix changes - I am particularly fond of blueberries, so when they last long enough in my kitchen they make lunch extra special. I pack fruit year round, but I have found myself really enjoying summer fruits this year. Somehow taking the time to slice a bowl full for my lunch makes the fruit taste even better (and prevents sticky keyboards). Also, a colleague told me she does the same thing but throws on some ricotta cheese or Greek yogurt. Yum.

I have also made about a hundred salads this summer because there have been many days that are too hot for stove-top cooking. I like a mix of salad greens - in particular anything with arugula - and then I just throw whatever we have in the fridge on top. Sometimes that includes cherry tomatoes from my patio garden, walnuts, lightly steamed green beans or asparagus, spinach, avocado and lemon juice. It almost always includes sliced olives, and sometimes I also throw on a little protein like beans, chicken or a poached egg.

Then there is the tomato sandwich. This is pretty much what happens to all the tomatoes I bring home from the farmers market. There was one summer when my husband and I ate tomatoes sandwiches just about every summer Saturday from June to September. For the best sandwich, the tomatoes don't have to be fancy but they should be ripe. I've been baking our bread lately, so I will spread a little light mayonnaise and some grainy mustard on a slice of whole wheat bread. On goes the tomato and pretty soon the tomato juice is running down my arm and I'm licking my plate clean.

When I do feel like a hot meal, I've looked for recipes that use a lot of fresh produce. One favorite is this recipe for scalloped tomatoes that I first came across on the food blog Smitten Kitchen. It is tasty, juicy and reminds me of all the good things that come from summer. I have played with the ingredients a little to keep it light. I use only a third of the olive oil, multigrain bread and less Parmesan cheese. You still get a nice flavor with a little less fat. Last night, I made this for dinner along with some corn on the cob (another favorite summer treat). It was simple but felt like we were living large.

Scalloped tomatoes
From Smitten Kitchen adapted from Ina Garten

1 tablespoons olive oil (I reduced this from 3 tablespoons and it was fine)
2 cups plus a little more bread, cut into cubes (I used a multigrain baguette)
2 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt (I reduced this from 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves, lightly packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (reduced from 1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high. Stir in the bread cubes. Cook cubes until toasted on all sides, about 5 minutes.

When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the basil. Pour into a baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until the cheese is melted and a little browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.