It’s been ridiculously hot in Ottawa the last few weeks (think 35-40C) so Mr. Shuffler and I have been putting our heads together coming with ways not to cook. This week, I’ll showcase some of our efforts, starting with this delicious cold soup. I found the recipe by googling “cantaloupe soup”; it came from a food blog called “Half Baked.”

Cantaloupe soupe

1 large, ripe, cantaloupe

1 c. fresh orange juice (I used orange/grapefruit juice)

1/4 cup  plain yogurt

1 tsp. lime zest (I didn’t have this so I left it out)

2 Tbs. lime juice.

1 Tbs. mint, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

1 Tbs. honey (optional if you’d like your soup a little sweeter)

Cut the cantaloupe in half , remove seeds, scoop out the flesh and place in a blender along with the orange juice, yogurt, lime zest, lime, and honey if using. Blend until smooth. Chill well. Stir in sliced mint leaves and serve. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.

**Do you know any good hot weather recipes? Don’t hesitate – send in your recipes to webeditor@irun.ca. Friends don’t let friends slave over a hot stove in July!**

**Follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite.**

I’m developing a mental collection of recipes that are easy, quick, cheap and call for ingredients that I usually have on hand. That way, when I’m feeling tired and lazy and am tempted to order in, I have options. If I decide to cook, I feel like a total hero. Today’s recipe fits the bill perfectly. It came from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Spicy Red Beans, Indian Style

–          1 pound dried red beans, washed, picked over and soaked (we used a 19oz can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed)

–          ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

–          2 tbsp neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn (we used olive oil)

–          1 tbsp peeled and minced fresh ginger

–          1 tbsp minced garlic

–          1 tsp fennel seeds (these got left out because I don’t like fennel)

–          1 tsp ground cinnamon

–          Pinch ground cloves

–          1 tbsp ground cardamom

–          1 bay leaf

–          1 tsp ground turmeric

–          2 cups chopped tomato (we used a 28oz can)

–          1 tbsp garam masala or curry power

1. Cook the beans in water to cover with the cayenne until they are just about tender; this will take 1 to 2 hours, depending on their freshness and whether you soaked them. (I will freely admit at this juncture that I have never cooked dried beans before in my life. I’m sure they probably taste better and they’re cheaper and more environmental and bla, bla, bla. If I had to do this every time I ate beans, I would probably never eat beans.)
2. Meanwhile, put the oil in deep skillet or large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and turmeric and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the tomato and cook, stirring occasionally, until it breaks up a bit, 5 minutes or so.
3. Drain the beans, reserving a little of their cooking liquid, and add them to the tomato sauce along with a large pinch of salt (I never do this). Continue to cook until the beans are fully tender, adding a little of the bean cooking liquid if necessary. When the beans are done, add the garam masala, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Serves 8

Today’s What’s Cookin’, iRunNation? post comes from Sam in Ottawa. She says that the original recipe came from closetcooking.com.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Filling:

3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced and hulled

2 cups frozen cranberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Mix the strawberries, cranberries, sugar & cinnamom in a bowl. Toss to coat.

2. Mix the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon & butter together in another bowl.

3. Place strawberry mixture in a 8×8 baking dish.

4. Pour the topping on top.

5.  Bake for 45 minutes.

**Are you a closet gourmet cook? Or do you occasionally struggle with the mechanics of PB&J sandwiches? Doesn’t matter! If you ever prepare food, we’d love to hear from you. E-mail your favourite recipe to webeditor@irun.ca. No reasonable recipes refused!**

**Follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite. All your slow food and slow running needs in one easy Twitter feed.**

The following was inspired by marathon-running super-cook, Mark Bittman. You can find the original, unaltered version in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Ingredients

–          2 tablespoons olive oil

–          1 medium onion, chopped

–          1 tablespoon minced garlic

–          450g cremini mushrooms, chopped

–          1 bay leaf

–          19oz can chickpeas

–          1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions

1. In a medium-size pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until softened (5 minutes or so).
2. Add mushrooms and bay leaf. Cook until mushrooms release liquid (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Add chickpeas and sage leaves. Reduce heat to low and cook until warmed through.
4. Serve over rice, pasta, barley, polenta, spaghetti squash, quinoa or whatever.

(Please note that photos show a thicker sauce than the above recipe would produce. That is because Mr. Shuffler forgot he was using canned chickpeas and followed the original Bittman recipe, which called for dry beans and two cups of water. He then had to reduce and thicken the sauce with cornstarch).

**Follow me on Twitter @Shufflersunite.**