An Easy Cool Summer Meal for Hot Days When You Want to Just Read

Please welcome guest blogger Suzanne Lily

It’s been over 100 degrees here this week, and yesterday we topped out at 106 degrees! It’s too hot to cook anything in that kind of weather. Instead of cooking, we stayed in our cool house watching movies and reading books. If that’s the kind of day you’re having, you might want to try this salad. Even my meat loving husband said I could make it again any time.

Chilled Spinach Tortellini Salad

Ingredients:

·         1 cucumber, seeded, but not peeled

·         1 zucchini

·         1 yellow summer squash

·         1 red or orange bell pepper (Green will do, but I love the flavor of the red and orange ones.)

·         1 bunch of fresh basil

·         1 cup of cherry tomatoes

·         1 small can of sliced black olives

·         Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

·         1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini

·         3 cups of fresh baby spinach

·         ¼ to ½ cup of your favorite Italian dressing (Choose zesty dressing if you like spice.)

Preparation:

Boil water for the tortellini and cook it according to the package directions. When it’s done cooking, rinse it with cold water, three or four times until the tortellini is cold. Place it in a large bowl.

While the tortellini cooks, chop the cucumber, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, and basil into small pieces. Place in the same bowl with the chilled tortellini.

Pour the salad dressing over the vegetables and tortellini. Add the spinach and tomatoes and toss the salad. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over the top.

Serve this with tall glasses of your favorite iced drink.

Optional: If you really, really, want meat, in this salad, you can add some chopped cold chicken breast, or some chopped cold ham. Both will complement the flavors of the dish.

About Suzanne Lilly

Suzanne Lilly is a writer at night and a teacher by day, which is why she’s known online as the TeacherWriter. Her articles and stories have appeared in numerous places online and in print. She writes light romance, young adult, and middle grade novels. When not busy with words, she enjoys swimming, hiking, reading, fine arts, and cooking. She lives in California with her family and furry friends and has yet to feel an earthquake. You can follow her on Twitter as @suzannelilly, visit her TeacherWriter blog, at her Suzanne Lilly Author website, or friend her on Goodreads, and on Facebook.

 Her debut novel, Shades of the Future, published by Turquoise Morning Press, is available July 2012. What would you do if you could see your future? What you think is “the gift” may actually be a curse.