Guacamole Stuffed Beet Veggie Burgers

I had never made veggie burgers before, always eating mine frozen out of a box. And while I really enjoy a lot of the frozen varieties, these are definitely worth the effort if you have the time. The're made with beets so they are actually a bit sweet with a crunchy texture on the outside and a creamy inside. Of course, if you don't like beets these aren't for you, but if you do, you're in for a treat!

I also made use of my burger stuffer recently purchased from Sur la Table, but you certainly don't need it. While I will call for it in the recipe below you can easily just put the guacamole on top rather than inside. However, of course, it won't be as fun without an additional fun gadget!

Time: 45 min
Difficulty: medium

Cumin Paiche with Cucumber and Watermelon Salad

I'd never had paiche before, but when it popped up at Whole Foods I couldn't resist trying this new creation. Turns out, it's one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. It comes from South America and is also known as pirarucu or arapaima. It's mild in flavor, fairly firm, and cooks quite quickly. While it may not be particularly different from other white fish, it's still definitely worth trying at least once for the novelty!

I also made a cucumber watermelon salad which is absolutely perfect on a hot summer day. It's fresh, juicy, and tantalizing and the mint adds a spark of freshness that is completely irresistible. You'll find yourself eagerly gobbling it down, with the sweetness broken perfectly by the red onion, so definitely make extra if you're planning on leftovers!

Time: 20 min
Difficulty: medium-easy

King Crab Salad

I don’t get the opportunity to make crab very often due to its price tag, but it’s absolutely delicious and I leap at the opportunity whenever it presents itself. In this case, some very affordable King Crab at Wegman’s gave me the chance to feature it and, in conjunction with my husband, I came up with this delicious summer salad idea. It combines some incredible, fresh, local produce (well… except for avocado…) with the delicious, naturally buttery crab. It’s truly divine.

Of course, customization is highly encouraged. You can sub in or out for your favorite additions- just let us know in the comments if you find an especially delicious variable that we should all make sure to include next time!

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 min

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

It's time for ice cream again! With summer raging on in a heat wave that seems to have been going for at least a decade, there is nothing better than enjoying fresh, homemade ice cream. The effort makes it taste even better! So I dove back in for my second ever attempt at making homemade ice cream, this time gearing up for a low fat mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Heading into this, I also specifically wanted to make this ice cream with fresh mint rather than flavoring. For the first time in 11 years I enjoy a bit of a backyard (a city-sized backyard, of course) and am growing an abundance of herbs. The mint, of course, is utterly thriving and I look for any and all opportunities to include it in meals. Here, it turned out wonderfully. The ice cream has a wonderfully strong but tasty mint flavor and will leave you feeling refreshed even on the hottest of days.

Unfortunately, we gobbled down the ice cream so quickly that I once again forgot to take a picture... I guess I'll just have to make it again!

Difficulty: medium
Time: 4 hrs (1 hr making and 3 hrs chilling)

Mint-Pesto Fettuccine with Cherry Tomatoes

While our tomatoes are very slow to grow and ripen, our mint is truly flooding our small garden out back. Without a real yard we are growing everything in pots, but the mint is really pushing the limits of its home! It grows as fast as we can possibly eat it, or possibly even faster. Yet, it’s delicious and enticing and keeps us playing with new recipes. Here we try a mint pesto, a first for me, and it works out wonderfully.

I also tried out the garden delight pasta as opposed to my typical use of whole wheat pasta. These noodles are made from a variety of vegetables, providing nutrients and protein into a meal that may not have had a ton of them otherwise. With the toppings I can’t say I tasted a stark difference, but the entire meal was delicious so I’m sure that contributed without me directly noticing it.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 min

Mustard-Chives Smashed Potatoes and Apricot-Pluot Salad

This amazing summer menu comes together extremely quickly and provides a burst of fresh, exciting flavors. Mashed potatoes are a typical favorite, but at restaurants they come piled with butter, salt, and cream. Here, I keep on the skin for added nutrients, cut out all butter and salt, and use fat free half and half for a creamy texture without the guilt. Use a food mill if you can to make the potatoes truly perfect in texture. The mustard, meanwhile, adds a wonderful pop that is tantalizing without being spicy (suiting me perfectly!) so you won’t even know they’re healthy until you read the nutrition.

Along with the potatoes, I made use of some in-season local stone fruits for a delicious salad. I chose to use apricots and pluots, but you could substitute other stone fruits if you prefer. If you’re not familiar with pluots, they are part apricot and part plum and 100% juicy and delicious. The recipe is simple but lets the produce truly shine.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 25 min

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ice Cream! And not just any ice cream... homemade, low fat, banana chocolate chip ice cream! That's right, somehow I've never made ice cream before, but with my new toy, an old fashioned ice cream maker, I decided to dive right in and try my hand at it. I decided to use up the quickly-browning bananas on my counter to make one of my favorite and not-readily-available flavors. I also strove to maintain a creamy texture while severely cutting back on the fat content. It was ambitious, but it worked. The ice cream turned out rich, super banana-y, and delicious.

Unfortunately, we ate it so quickly that I forgot to take a picture... But without using any added colors, it came out a creamy off-white, as have my other flavors since. Most of the bright colors you see in store-bought ice cream are from food coloring rather than naturally occurring.

The chocolate chips are optional, so dive right in and try your hand at this delicious recipe!

Time: 4 hrs (1 hr making and 3 hrs chilling)
Difficulty: medium