Summer is just around the corner and boy can we feel it. As I write, Sydney is sweltering in 35 deg C, the kids have been coming home with warnings that if the temperature reaches 42 deg C, schools will close (wishful thinking from their part!), even our fitness schedule has been brought forward to 6am to stay out of the heat…

Needless to say that cooking has been non-existent for the past 3 days. I mean, we do eat, just don’t cook. While I am still to embrace the raw food movement, I must admit to getting pretty close: green salads have never tasted so good and fresh juices are daily staples. Not only does the meal need to be cold but the time spent in the kitchen minimal ( no slaving over a hot stove or washing an army of dishes!)

For example, here is yesterday’s lunch : green juice with kale, oranges, lemons, carrots and cucumber…yes, I have succumbed to the kale craze, hoping that all this talk of super anti-oxidant/anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial powers will prove true ( in the meantime, I drink it because it tastes great!). And a salad of crab meat (technically it is cooked, but not by me!), avocado and cherry tomatoes… Add a few herbs and a splash of lemon juice, serve on a rice cake (for sustenance) or on lettuce leave ( for these of you on a carb-free diet) and you have a refreshing and delicious lunch. Preparation time: 10 minutes (mostly peeling the fruits for the juice) which is the longest I want to spend in the kitchen on a hot day!

High C Green Juice

Kale because it is the latest superfood (so I read), oranges and lemons for vitamin C hit, carrots for vitamin A helping to see in the dark and cucumber for extra juice so I don’t have to add water. Serve with ice cubes for a super cool anytime of the day drink.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 kale leaves, stems removed

2 oranges, peeled

1 lemon, peeled

2 carrots, peeled

1 small cucumber, peeled

Crab  Salad

Serves 1 as a light lunch

Ingredients:

70g crab claw meat

2 cherry tomatoes, quartered

½ avocado, cubed

1 tsp green shallots

A handful of coriander

2 tbsp garlic flavoured olive oil

A squeeze of lemon juice

2 rice cakes (or lettuce cups) to serve

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
2. Serve over the rice cakes or in lettuce cups. Best eaten with fingers!