Outdoor barbecues are fun ways to enjoy nature and good food.

Heather Little-White, Contributor

With the long, hot summer, the challenge is how to cook without turning your home into an oven. You'll have to think outside the box to find creative ways to cook while beating the heat. You may have to use your back porch, build a barbecue pit and resort to 'running a boat' in the backyard. Who wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when you can be outdoors celebrating the warm months with friends and family?

'Bush cooking'

Some people maintain a wooden range or the good old coal pot. A kerosene stove is versatile, will reduce fuel charges and can be used on a back porch or patio. Don't forget the old-time days of bush cooking when all that was needed was one pan in which all the food, including cartwheel dumplings, was dumped and coco leaves formed the perfect plates.

Select cool summer foods, those that have a good percentage of water - tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber, cho cho , otaheiti apple, to name a few. As you work to beat the heat, you should focus on lighter cooking, rustling up simple snacks and quickly prepared light meals. It's best to reduce the amount of meat consumed as this makes you hot.

Appetising

You may not even feel like eating but you should have something filling and appetising. Vegetable samosas or scrambled tofu on toast or marinated tofu adds extra flavour or smoked tofu can also be used. A mixed bean stir-fry is not only cooling, but slimming. Vegetable jambalaya is a tasty, colourful mixture of rice and vegetables.

For main courses, create exciting meals combining legumes, grains, protein source - tofu or bean curd and vegetables to build balanced, nutritious and flavourful meals. Vegetable lasagna is an all-time favourite, as is baked cheese and tomato macaroni.

Kids' cooking courses

Parents like to get their children into summer cooking courses. Besides eating the dishes prepared, parents have a little less stress so children can help themselves and have their friends over. Each cooking class is built around a theme using everyday foods to make chicken croquettes, cheese-raisin sandwiches or chicken-noodle hearts.

Barbecues are great for keeping the heat out of the kitchen. Try some great marinades for flavour as you toss the shish kebabs, Jamaican jerk, home-made sausage or seafood on the grill. Of course, children will want hot dogs with ketchup and mustard, while the adults will most likely prefer more mature seasonings such as Worcestershire sauce, exotic spice blends or just some simple herbs and spices.

Cool desserts

You will want some cool desserts to go with those recipes. It is hard to turn down ice cream, and gelatine is good, not only as a sweet treat, but also for cool salads.

You can cook ahead of time, say for a month, and freeze different dishes, clearly labelled for easy reheating by any family member. Cooking in bulk saves money. Cooking once a month and stocking your freezer ensures that you control the quality of home-cooked meals and you can feed your family fast.

Juicing down

At 35 degrees Fahrenheit when the sun belts down, you should make large amounts of juices and juice drinks using fruit and vegetable in season. A friend introduced me to this combination some years ago and it never disappoints. The fruits are available in the summer and the drink is suited for all types. No sugar is added and this juice is rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. It also provides appreciable amounts of iron.

Heather Little-White, PhD, is a nutrition and lifestyle consultant in the Corporate Area. Send comments to editor@gleanerjm.com or fax 922-6223.