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)