How do you take a quick summer trip without taking a week off? Cook up a meal that will transport you  during the intense summer heat! Here at COOK we have an extensive library of cookbooks, so I searched through them to bring you some summer getaway food! These books will have you seeing visions of ocean waves and smelling the briny sea. Read on for a drink and popsicle recipe that will keep you cool and hydrated during the heatwaves!

First, off to Puerto Rico, where Von Diaz, author of Coconuts & Collards, experienced her grandmother’s authentic island cuisine. When Diaz moved from Puerto Rico to Atlanta, her Latina-style cooking blended with the Deep South to create some truly unique dishes. The book offers recipes that blend both influences and also serves as a memoir about growing up Latina in the South. Get a taste of island life with recipes like Pinchos de Pollo (grilled chicken skewers), Ceviche Peru-Puerto, Plantain-Crusted Shrimp and more! And for something sweet, you’ll have plenty of Puerto-Rican treats to enjoy in this books, from coconut kisses to rum cake. Check out Von Diaz’s homemade leche de coco (coconut milk) recipe below!

Leche de Coco

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

• 1 large mature coconut
• 3 cups hot water

 

Directions

Carefully crack of drill a hole in the coconut using a hammer and screwdriver or power drill. Pour the coconut water through the a fine mesh sieve into a container. Most yield about a 3/4 cup of water. Spit the coconut in half, remove the outer shell, then peel the dark skin off the coconut meat. Rinse, dry and then grate the coconut. Combine the grated coconut with the hot water and reserved coconut water. Mix well and press the the coconut meat to get the most milk possible. Pour the milk through a fine-mesh sieve again and you should be left with around 4 cups of coconut milk.

Salsa BBQ de Guayaba

*Bonus – Remember those grilled chicken skewers I mentioned? Here’s Diaz’s guava BBQ sauce that she absolutely loves. Try it out next time you’re grilling up some chicken!

Ingredients

• 4 cups guava nectar
• 4 small guavas, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 

Directions

Combine guava, nectar and garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until reduced and thick. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing the guava. Whisk in the mustard, ketchup, and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Next up, we take a boat ride across the Atlantic Ocean and reach the coast of Ghana! Zoe Adjonyoh, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen, may have been born in England but she grew up loving her father’s Ghanian cuisine. After teaching herself how to cook the dishes of her father’s country, Zoe eventually opened up Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen. Enjoy summery seafood dishes including Pan-Fried Prawns in Spiced Baobab Butter, Grilled Sardines in a Spiced Roasted Tomato Sauce, and Kyenam (fried fish with shaved papaya).

Finally, we end our imaginary trip in celestial style. Let’s shoot for the stars and read our horoscopes with Ojas, an Ayurveda cookbook by Nira Kehar. Ojas refers to your body’s life essence, which can be balanced with the right healing dishes. With 99 recipes broken down by horoscope signs, this book has exactly what your body needs to stay in peak form no matter the season. With summer in full swing and the July sun blazing down on us, I felt it was only appropriate to give a recipe from the Cancer section to heal our bodies from the heat (also I’m a Cancer, so I’m biased). These creamsicles are packed with antioxidants and take advantage of the bounty of fresh blueberries now available at your local markets.

Pineapple, Blueberry, and Coconut Creamsicles

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

• 1 four-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 cup plain organic yogurt
• 1 cup organic coconut milk
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
• 8 dates, pitted
• 2 cups fresh blueberries

 

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into molds or an ice tray and freeze for a minimun of 2 hours. Enjoy your heat relief with these sweet treats!

Take a real trip of your own and head to COOK to browse these cookbooks and many more! COOK is open for retail Tuesday – Sunday from 12 – 5 PM, unless class is in session. Happy reading!

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