by Caroline Fynn

Created on: May 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 14, 2010

Nobody wishes to spend their time sweating over a hot stove during the warm weather, and, more often than not, we don't feel like eating hot meals. There is no stove top cooking involved in the following recipes and they are quick and easy to prepare, and as an added bonus they have versatility.

Prawn and Avocado Peacock

You will need approximately 15g of prawns to each half of avocado.

Mix the prawns with a seafood sauce. Cut the avocados in half and take out the stones, then fill the indentations with the prawn mixture and pile as high as possible. Sprinkle the prawns with a dash of ground paprika, and then cut a slice of cucumber and make an incision from the centre to outer edge. Twist the cucumber slice and place on top of the prawn filling. Take a bunch of watercress and tuck the stems between the avocado and the filling towards the wider end of the avocado. Fan out the watercress into a plume, this gives a peacock tail impression and makes an attractive and delicious snack. It can be adapted to your preference. For example, the seafood sauce can be exchanged for low fat mayonnaise, black pepper can take the place of the paprika, and a slice of lemon may be used instead of the cucumber.

Ham and Brie Garlic Toasty

Peel a segment of raw garlic and rub it into a slice of toast. Spread a small amount of olive oil onto the toast and then lay some slices of fresh tomatoes on top. Place some slices of lean ham on top of the tomatoes and then lay on some wedges of brie cheese. This is an extremely tasty and filling snack, and it is also open to experiment; it can be adapted with a variety of cold meats and cheeses. The key ingredient to this dish is the raw garlic scratched into the toast; it is this that gives this snack its distinct and exquisite flavor.

Summer Salad

Chop some cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes and spring onions, slice an avocado and place in a large bowl. Add in a good measure of pitted or stuffed olives. Pour in 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar, the juice of half a lemon, half a teaspoon of salt (just to give the salad an edge) half a tablespoon of black pepper and drench with olive oil. Stir well and you have a delicious salad within minutes. Other ingredients can be included if required, for example, grated carrot, chopped peppers, celery and just about any salad ingredient that you require.

Melon Medley with Creme Fraiche

Chop the melon flesh into bite size chunks, then place in a bowl. Stir in approximately 250g of creme fraiche and mix together, and that's it. Simple and delicious and yet again versatile as all types of melon can be included, and the creme fraiche can be substituted with yogurt, either natural or your favorite flavor. Pineapple yogurt in particular, is a delicious accompaniment to any melon.

One final tip: If you can find one, there exists a delicious melon that's not well known. It's called a pineapple melon, and this is a pineapple crossed with a water melon, it is the same size as the watermelon, it looks like a watermelon on the outside, but the flesh is yellow and it is immensely sweet and refreshing.

Each of these dishes take approximately ten minutes to prepare, therefore no slaving over a hot stove is necessary, and you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors this summer.

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