Skip the Stove with No-Cook Dinners

(CBS)  With summer in full swing, it's getting tough to keep things cool in the kitchen -- but Bon Appetit has the solution: no-cook dinners! Andrew Knowlton, restaurant editor at Bon Appetit magazine, shared some recipes on "The Early Show" Thursday that will give your stove the day off.

No-cook dinners, according to Knowlton, are a perfect way to beat the heat and make a quick and easy meal for the whole family. All of these dishes, he says, are perfect for indoor or outdoor dining and everything can be made in advance.

RECIPES:

Summer Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups tomato juice
1 1/3 cups finely chopped tomatoes (about 11 ounces)
1/2 cup (generous) finely chopped roasted red bell peppers from jar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1 garlic clove, pressed
Generous dash of hot pepper sauce
Fine sea salt
4 1/3-inch-thick rounds soft fresh goat cheese
6 grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Additional extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

Preparation
Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; whisk to blend. Season soup to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled and flavors blend, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top each with 1 goat cheese round and 3 grape tomato halves. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and basil. Drizzle with oil and serve.

Mexican Ceviche Tacos

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds very fresh (sushi-grade) fish fillets (such as tuna, hamachi, barramundi, or mahi-mahi), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons sliced pickled jalapeño chiles from jar plus 1 tablespoon liquid from jar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large head of romaine lettuce, very thinly sliced crosswise (3 to 4 cups)
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
12 purchased crisp taco shells
Purchased salsa

Preparation
Place fish in medium glass dish or bowl; sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add lime juice, lemon juice, and sugar and toss. Cover and chill until fish turns white and no longer looks raw, tossing occasionally, at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. Strain fish, discarding marinade. Place ceviche in large bowl; add tomatoes, red onion, pickled jalapeños, 1 tablespoon liquid from jar, and olive oil and toss to blend. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Add lettuce, avocado, and cilantro to ceviche mixture and toss. Fill taco shells with ceviche mixture. Top each taco with large spoonful of salsa and serve.

For a Meze Platter with Hummus, Shrimp Salad, and Cucumber Salad, go to Page 2.

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[scrabblelady]

The hummus recipe is great! Keep these great recipes coming.