Eat Well and Share: Easy Meal Ideas for the Summer Months | Local

The less you cook during the summer months, the better! With so many fresh options this time of year, it’s easy to cook meals without worrying too much about a stove.

This month’s recipes include a watermelon slushie with lime and mint and two salads made with celery, which is a very underrated vegetable, in my opinion.

Celery gives everything a delicious crunch, is a great low-calorie way to boost your recipe with extra fiber, is packed with antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, and is actually an ancient folk remedy for heartburn. Above all, it just tastes good and can add surprising texture and subtlety to whatever you add it to.

1 cup Italian parsley, chopped

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced ​​then cut the slices in half

1-2 cups roast chicken, sliced ​​then cut into 1-inch-long pieces

(I roasted a boneless chicken breast, rubbed with a little olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper, ¼ tsp thyme and a pinch of garlic powder in a 350 oven. degrees for 20 minutes.)

3 cooked golden beets, quartered lengthwise then sliced

To cook the beets, cover them with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20-25 minutes until you can pierce them with a fork. Pass under cold water, peel and continue with the recipe

To toast, place on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes

1/3 cup fig balsamic vinegar (or any balsamic vinegar of your choice; raspberry or plain are also delicious)

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Whisk the dressing ingredients together with a fork. Toss with salad ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

This salad is very simple but the combination of textures and flavors elevates it to something elegant.

4 cups extra small potatoes (or diced red potatoes) cooked and halved

To cook, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook until tender, about 8 minutes

2 avocados, peeled, each half halved lengthwise, then sliced ​​horizontally

1 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced ​​on a slight diagonal

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Whisk together the dressing ingredients, then toss with the salad ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

2 cups seedless watermelon, diced

1-2 Tb mint lime simple syrup (recipe below)

To make Lime Mint Simple Syrup:

½ cup lime juice (about 4 limes)

Peel two limes, cut them into long strips avoiding the white skin underneath

Combine lime juice, sugar, lime zest and mint in a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let steep for about 15 minutes. Remove the zest and mint leaves and pour the syrup into a jar. The extra syrup will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Mix the ingredients in a blender or Magic Bullet. Garnish with mint leaves and a slice of watermelon and enjoy.

Looking for the perfect place to pack up your salads and slushies for a fantastic picnic experience? Please join Helena Food Share at the annual Helena Symphony Under the Stars on the Carroll College campus on Saturday July 16 starting at 8 p.m.

This year’s concert will feature the music of Elton John and Billy Joel. Helena Food Share will happily accept canned food donations as part of the event and this year, in 2022, we hope to raise 22,000 pounds of food for our neighbors in need. We were close to that last year and we think we can do it with your help, Helena. We hope to see you there.

Our mission at Helena Food Share: To serve our neighbors in need by providing food in a respectful and dignified manner and working with others to end hunger in the greater Helena area.

If you need food and would like more information, or would like to donate, contact Helena Food Share at: 406-443-3663, or visit our website at www.helenafoodshare.org.