More Zone Recipes

By Dave Schreck

Who wants to be in a hot kitchen on a hot day? Even if you don’t have central AC, you’ll still enjoy these tasty Zone recipes.

Cold and Spicy Tomato-Avocado Soup with Seafood Pesto
(Approximately three three-block meals)

Ingredients:
Soup
1 28-ounce can roasted diced tomatoes
2 cups V-8 spicy tomato juice
1 cup black beans, rinsed/drained
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, diced
1 English cucumber, diced
½ avocado, cubed
1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper

Seafood Pesto
9 ounces canned seafood, drained – your choice – shrimp, smoked oysters, crab
2 tablespoons pesto, store bought

Instructions:
For the soup: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper. Chill for two hours.
For the Seafood Pesto: In a small bowl add seafood and toss with pesto. Divide soup into two soup bowls. Top with equal amounts of seafood.

Fatoush Salad with Grilled Chicken
(A Mediterranean salad w/baked pita chips)
Three three-block meals

Ingredients:
Salad
1 English cucumber, sliced in half and chopped
2 scallions, sliced (white and greens)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed/drained
¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup mint, chopped
1 head romaine, washed/ chopped
1 pita, tear apart, spray with olive oil, toast in oven, sprinkle with ground cumin. Break into pieces
9 ounces store-bought grilled chicken

Dressing
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
In a large salad bowl whisk together lemon juice, cumin, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Add cucumber, scallions, tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, mint, romaine, and pita chips. Toss and top with gilled chicken.