Now that its officially hot outside and you have been out in it all day tooling around in the yard or busting your hump on the job, the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove or super heat your kitchen by cranking up burners and opening hot oven doors. So how exactly are you going to make a satisfying dinner meal without causing the kitchen to feel like a blast furnace? Chinese take-out? Another pizza? ... I don’t think so. You could always pretend its lunch and make a cold sandwich. But that just isn’t going to do it either. The truth is there are tons of hearty meals that are very satisfying that will require little or no use of stove or oven. Here are some satisfying and simple meals that will put your hunger on ice at the end of a hot summer day.

Mediterranean Shrimp Salad (4-6)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup baby artichoke hearts, drained

3 plum tomatoes, cut into thin rounds

1/2 cup sliced and pitted Kalamata olives

1/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Juice of

1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano

16 oz. of shelled and precooked jumbo shrimp

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely minced Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, olives, basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and pepper in a nonreactive bowl and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. In a separate bowl, toss shrimp with extra-virgin olive oil and oregano, then season with salt and pepper; set aside until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature and plate individually. Lay shrimp over each salad and serve.

Gazpacho in a Bell Pepper Bowl (4-6)

INGREDIENTS

28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes

2 scallions

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed

1 celery stalk

1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves (no stems)

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed

1/2 English cucumber, skinned

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup canned tomato juice

4 bell peppers, any color, or assorted colors, tops sliced off, seeds and membranes hollowed out

DIRECTIONS

Dice tomatoes. Roughly chop remaining veggies, then toss in a large bowl along with oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer small batches to a blender or food processor and blend until mixture is a coarse liquid. Transfer to a bowl and add tomato juice. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve in hollowed-out bell peppers.

Carpaccio (4-6) INGREDIENTS

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

1 1/4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons water

1 (2-pound) piece beef tenderloin, chilled in the freezer to near frozen (Just 32 F.)

2 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry (about 3 cups)

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons drained capers, plus more for garnish Mediterranean olives, for garnish

1/4 pound Parmesan, thinly shaved Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS

When tenderloin is almost frozen, remove from freezer and slice paper thin. To make the aioli: On a hard surface crush the garlic. Work the salt into the crushed garlic to make a paste. Place in a medium bowl. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice with the garlic paste to incorporate. Add the cayenne. Slowly whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream. Continue whisking until the mixture is emulsified. Add the water 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time to thin the sauce to drizzling consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Use within 24 hours.) Arrange half of the sliced beef across the bottom of the plate. Toss the arugula with chopped plum tomatoes, aioli, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a mound in the middle of the plate and garnish with black olives and capers, and drizzle with additional sauce, as desired. Sprinkle with hot sauce and top with the cheese.

Chocolate Mint Mousse (4) INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups chilled heavy cream

5 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked), finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

1/2 cup coarsely crushed peppermint hard candies

DIRECTIONS

Heat 1/3 cup cream in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat until hot, then whisk in chocolate with a pinch of salt until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Beat remaining cup cream with extract in another bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed until it just holds soft peaks. Add cooled chocolate mixture and beat until mousse just holds stiff peaks. Fold in 1/4 cup candy and spoon into 4 stemmed glasses, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup candy. Chill until cold, about 1 hour.

SHOPPING LIST

1 can baby artichoke hearts

3 plum tomatoes Kalamata olives

10 basil leaves

4 garlic clove Extra-virgin olive oil Olive oil 2 lemons Red wine vinegar Salt Black pepper Parmesan cheese

16 oz. shelled precooked jumbo shrimp

1 - 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes

2 scallions

1 red bell pepper

1 celery stalk

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno pepper

1 English cucumber Tomato juice

4 bell peppers

2 eggs

2 lbs. well-trimmed beef tenderloin

2 ounces baby arugula

4 Roma tomatoes Capers Mediterranean olives Hot Sauce

1 pint heavy cream

5 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate

Pure peppermint extract Peppermint hard candies

Chef John Strand of Accents – Personal Chef Service specializes in elegant in-home dinners and weekly meal services, “making your home your favorite place to eat.” He can be reached via e-mail from his Web site at www.accentspcs.com.