Chill recipes for these hot, hot Midwest days
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Watermelon salad with mint and feta. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
As near record-high temperatures continue to broil the Midwest, many are turning to pools, lakes and cooling centers for relief. But don't sleep on using food to beat the heat.
Why it matters: Chilled soups, salads and other cold delicacies offer a way to turn down your body temperature without heating your kitchen.
Dig in: Axios reporters have compiled some of our favorite hot weather recipes featuring a variety of cooling foods.
Monica Eng in Chicago travels to Spain in her mind by whizzing a peeled and seeded cucumber with two cloves of garlic, half an onion, a sweet pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and jug of tomato juice in a blender for cold gazpacho.
🍉 Monica also turns to her mint garden to make an ultra-easy watermelon salad topped with olive oil, mint, and crumbled feta.
- And she blends watermelon chunks, mint, lime juice and ice for a healthy slurpy.
Up in the Twin Cities, Geoff Ziezulewicz avoids his dad's cold beet borscht, known as chlodnik, but Monica loves making this Polish-Lithuanian blend of beets, yogurt, dill, cucumbers and more.
- Looks like Pepto Bismol but tastes like a dream.
Delano Massey, our Midwest managing editor, swears by the cooling power of a mint julep, essentially a "cold front in a glass."
In Cleveland, Troy Smith's kids are all about the old school freeze pops. Yes, the same ones we all had as kids.
- However, they only eat the good colors — red, purple, blue — leaving Troy with a fridge full of green and orange no one wants.
🍋 Troy's Cleveland compatriot, Sam Allard, opts for the original Lemon Chill — not only a tart and refreshing summer treat but historically one of the best bargains at Progressive Field.
🧊 Arika Herron in Indianapolis switches to cold brew when temps climb above 90 (and swears by these Trader Joe's coffee bags to make it at home).
- Consider adding a hint of cinnamon or cardamom to boost the cooling effect.
Out in Pittsburgh, Chrissy Suttles cools down with vegan ceviche made with hearts of palm instead of fish.
🍌 Alissa Widman Neese in Columbus offers a popsicle alternative:
- She used to freeze half a banana on a popsicle stick when working at an ice cream shop in her hometown. (Those were dipped in a chocolate shell, but they're good on their own!)
- It's a perfect use for those just-a-little-too-ripe bananas when you can't turn on the oven to make banana bread.
🥒 Justin Mack is a sucker for pickle-flavored everything when the hottest months of the year roll around in Indianapolis.
- Justin used to drive out of his way for Sonic's Pickle Juice Slush before it was discontinued, and he still stocks his pantry with pickle- flavored chips from Trader Joe's.
- He holds out hope that Indy's Sun King Brewery brings back the limited edition pickle beer they crafted for the 2024 Indiana State Fair.
Got a favorite way to beat the heat with food? Email us and let us know!
