es, I know it’s hot in your kitchen, but you can’t eat out or order in every night. Preparing meals at home is an important key to health since you can control every aspect of what goes into your food, from the type of fat used to prepare it to the amount of vegetables included. Home cooking is also imperative for weight control, since the portions you prepare are smaller and have had less fat and salt added to them than they would have at a restaurant. Furthermore, if you have a nutrition-related health condition such as diabetes, high cholesterol or hypertension, then cooking for yourself is an essential part of disease management. So what is a healthy person to do on these hot August nights? Mix, don’t cook! The following are some of my favorite one-dish meal recipes that mostly involve mixing (and only a little cooking) for when it’s too hot outside to cook dinner inside.

Chopped Basil and Arugula Salad

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
5 teaspoons Napa Valley organic olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces Bon Appetit fresh basil value pack, thick stems discarded, chopped
4 ounces organic baby arugula, chopped
2 ears white corn, kernels cut off the cob
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 package Del Cabo organic sweet 100 tomatoes
9 ounces cooked bay shrimp

1. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the salad.
2. Combine the basil, arugula, corn, red onion, tomatoes and shrimp in a salad bowl. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve.

Low-Calorie Chinese Chicken Salad

1/4 cup Marukan rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Yamasa less sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dynasty hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon mandarin orange juice (from the mandarin oranges)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 pound Rosie Organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 8-ounce bag Ready Pac salad mix of shredded cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots
3 cups Mann’s broccoli cole slaw
1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced into 1-inch matchsticks
1 8-ounce can S&W natural style mandarin orange sections, drained, 1 tablespoon juice reserved for dressing
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
¼ pound fresh China peas, cut into thirds
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons Planter’s dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped
1 tablespoon JFC roasted sesame seeds

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, hoisin sauce, mandarin orange juice, canola oil and ginger in a measuring cup. Reserve 1/3 cup and use the remainder to marinate the chicken for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler. Broil chicken five to six minutes on each side. Cool chicken in refrigerator while you prepare the salad. You can cook the chicken in the morning and use it for dinner.

Gazpacho Soup

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, firmly packed
2 stalks celery, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
8 red cluster tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 5.5-ounce cans V8 low sodium vegetable juice (16.5 ounces total)
1 tablespoon Napa Valley organic olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon Cholula hot sauce
12 ounces cooked shrimp

1. Place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few seconds, until finely chopped, but not pureed. Transfer to a large pot. Repeat process with the onion and cilantro; the celery and green onion; the cucumber and garlic; and the tomatoes.
2. Mix the chopped vegetables well and transfer 2/3 of the mixture back to the food processor. Add the V8 juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and hot sauce. Puree the mixture and add it back to the pot. Mix with the finely chopped vegetables and chill at least 3 hours.
3. Taste and adjust hot sauce, salt, and cilantro. Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with three ounces of shrimp.

Thai Beef Salad

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Thai Kitchen fish sauce
1 tablespoon Nakano rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Hain Organic brown sugar
1 teaspoon Napa Valley organic olive oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
9 ounces organic spring mix
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, loosely packed
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped, tightly packed
1 small cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 avocado, diced
14 ounces peppered beef tenderloin (from our service deli), sliced into thin strips
3 tablespoons Planter’s dry roasted unsalted peanuts

1. To make the dressing, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk together and set aside.
2. In a salad bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage mix, broccoli slaw, bell pepper, mandarins, scallions, snow peas, and cilantro. Shred the chicken using two forks to pull the meat apart or use your fingers. Add the chicken to the salad. Rewhisk the dressing and toss everything together. Sprinkle the top of the salad with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds.

Mediterranean Salad

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons Napa Valley organic olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove Melissa’s organic garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
4 ounces organic baby arugula
1 box Epic Roots mâche
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1 pound heirloom tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced
1 cup fresh cooked and chilled edamame (from our salad bar)
1/2 cup Valbreso Feta cheese, crumbled
9 Garden of Eatin’ baked pita chips sea salt flavor, extra salt brushed off, chips broken into bite-sized pieces

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and cumin. Whisk together and set aside while you prepare the salad.
2. In a salad bowl, combine the arugula, mâche, radishes, tomatoes, mint, parsley, edamame and cheese. Toss with the dressing and top with pita chip pieces just before serving.