Make dinner of fruits, veggies, dip

Summertime snacks are easy – just break out the popsicles, yogurt and watermelon. But dinner is another story when a hot kitchen is the last place anyone wants to be. Warm summer evenings – and tired children too – just beg for luscious yet cool, simple meals.

Think in terms of salads made mostly of fresh veggies and fruits, accompanied by good bread and cheese. Get the children to help you with the prep work the night before, or during the day before you all head to the pool or the park or daycamp. On the way home, pick up a fresh French loaf and a few varieties of cheese from the deli case, and dinner is served the minute you walk in the door. (Don’t forget the chilled rosé wine – for you. The kids can drink cold milk or lemonade.)

Some children who won’t eat a salad will eat almost anything if each item is uncontaminated by other food and accompanied by dip. If you’ve got one of those, rework salads into plates of dippable elements for the youngsters. For instance, cut cold cooked white chicken meat into long strips, accompany with some carrot sticks, and serve with a little bowl of sauce. Or try rolling up slices of ham or turkey. Blue cheese, poppy seed, Green Goddess, or honey mustard salad dressing is good; my family also loves French salad dressing for dipping. Our favorite is Seeds of Change French tomato vinaigrette.

Summer Fruits Spinach Salad

Both recipes from www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes

Children might eat spinach when it’s mixed with this much fruit. Let the children mix the dressing and combine the ingredients, and even do some of the fruit dicing if they’re of age to handle a knife (with supervision.)

1 cup cantaloupe chunks, bite-size

1 cup honeydew melon chunks, bite-size

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, bite-size

1 cup loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves (torn into bite-size pieces)

1 cup red grapes, cut in half

2 tablespoons crumbled Maytag blue cheese, optional

1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces, toasted

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Make the dressing by whisking together the honey, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Toss fruit, spinach and blue cheese with the dressing in a large bowl. (If prepping ahead, wait to add dressing until just before serving.) Transfer salad to two individual serving plates and sprinkle with toasted walnut pieces.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 4: 162 calories, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 32 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 3 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 74 milligrams sodium.

Citrus Chicken Salad

Some children really get into arranging food artfully on a plate, if they get to be creative and use their fingers as well. Try NOT mixing up the salad ingredients, letting the children arrange them instead with the chicken on top of the dressed greens. If they’ve done it themselves, they may be more likely to eat it.

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large clove garlic

1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard

2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Sea salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 1 pound)

8 cups mixed salad greens

1 red pepper, chopped

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup purple or red grapes, cut in half

2 navel oranges, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

Purée the orange juice with the olive oil, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice using either a blender of a food processor. Add salt and pepper to taste. Measure out 3/4 cup and set aside. Marinate the chicken breast in the remainder for at least 1/2 an hour, and up to 2 hours. When ready, prepare a grill to medium heat. Grill chicken 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the salad by placing greens in a serving bowl. Add red pepper, avocado, and grapes. Toss with the remaining 3/4 cup marinade. When chicken is done, slice into strips and arrange artfully over the salad greens along with the orange slices. Top with pine nuts and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 451 calories, 29 grams fat (5 grams saturated, 57 percent fat calories), 29 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams dietary fiber, 162 milligrams sodium.