Helix House's Favorite Summer Recipes

I bet you didn’t know that we have a couple of amateur (emphasis on that) chefs here at Helix House! Or rather, we have people who really enjoy cooking and sharing summer recipes, and people will grill you on checking ingredients so you know what’s in your body (looking at you, Nathan Rea). Jokes aside, we decided to throw some water on the stove and get our brains boiling to come up with a few recipes you’ll enjoy this summer. So from the Helix House table to yours, enjoy!

Peach Panzanella with Burrata

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Courtesy of Delish.[/caption]Peach Panzanella with burrata is a sweet and light lunch that goes perfectly with a warm day. We found it years ago on Delish and it’s become a summer staple. Never heard of a Panzanella or burrata? We don’t blame you. Panzanella or panmolle is a Tuscan chopped salad of soaked bread, onions, and tomatoes that is popular in the summer. It often includes cucumbers, sometimes basil, and is dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Delish substituted the tomatoes for peaches to give it an amazing summery sweet flavor. Putting a twist on this recipe by adding a scoop of burrata cheese to bring the flavor palette together. The best part? It only takes about 30 minutes to make, from prep to serving. This recipe serves about 4 people. You’ll need...

Ingredients

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. white balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 loaf ciabatta, cut in 1 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 small (or 4 large) ripe peaches, sliced 1/2"-thick
• 1/2 c. torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
• 1 8-oz. ball burrata

How to Make it

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Combine red onion and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Take your ciabatta and cut it up into cubes 1.5” cubes.
3. On a baking sheet, toss bread cubes in 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Bake until crisp, but not brown. This takes about 5 minutes. Let cool.
4. Peel your peaches. You can peel the skin or boil them for 1 minute and then put them in an ice bath. The skin will fall right off!
5. Gently toss peaches with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Working in batches, heat your peaches on a grill or in a grill pan over medium-high heat until they’re slightly charred (2-3 minutes). Flip them and repeat.
6. Transfer to a large baking sheet to cool.
7. Pour ¼ cup balsamic vinegar from marinated onions into a large bowl and whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
8. Strain onions, discarding remaining vinegar, and add onions, bread cubes, peaches, and basil to a large bowl. Gently toss with vinaigrette.
9. Divide Panzanella onto 4 plates and top each with burrata. Garnish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Eat!

Classic Gazpacho

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Courtesy of Foodie Crush.[/caption]If you don’t have gazpacho in the summer, you’re missing out. Classic gazpacho can run the gamut from smooth-as-silk to “bring out the chips and let me eat this like salsa.” It all depends on your preferences. That’s the beauty of gazpacho — it’s almost impossible to make it wrong! Well, not impossible. You don’t want to add too much garlic to this recipe. Trust us, stick with the recommended amount this time. Oh, and fresh snipped chives are always a must! We also garnished this soup with a simple mix of sour cream thinned down with a little water. You can eat it alone or serve it with grilled shrimp and avocado. This recipe is courtesy of FoodieCrush. Try it for yourself! Or if you're not feeling classic gazpacho, they have alternatives too, like beet cilantro, sweet corn, tomato watermelon, zucchini, and Thai Spicy Tom Yum Goong tomato gazpacho!

Ingredients

• 3 stalks celery diced
• 1 seedless hot-house cucumber with skin on diced
• 1 zucchini diced
• 3/4 whole medium red onion diced
• 4 cups tomato juice such as V-8
• 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons Chohula hot sauce or other hot sauce to taste
• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 6 cocktail or Campari tomatoes diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Fresh chives for garnish

How to Make it

1. In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine half of the celery, cucumber, zucchini, red onion, 2 cups of the tomato juice with the pressed or minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, hot sauce, celery salt, and garlic salt.
2. Pulse all of the ingredients until well blended. Add the rest of the tomato juice and pulse to mix. Add the
3. celery, cucumber, zucchini, and the diced tomatoes and pulse once or twice. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and adjust the hot sauce to taste.
4. Chill the soup for at least 1 hour before serving.
5. Serve the soup with a drizzle of the sour cream that has been thinned with water. Top with fresh chopped chives.

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

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Courtesy of Love and Lemons.[/caption]If you love easy summer recipes that pack a huge punch of flavor, these roasted cauliflower tacos are for you. They’re jam-packed with flavor from the roasted cauliflower, aromatic spices, and a zingy avocado sauce — trust us, you’ll LOVE these. This recipe is courtesy of Love and Lemons.

Ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower, outer leaves, and core discarded, cut into small florets
• 1 pound red cabbage, thinly sliced (about 1/2 small red cabbage or 6 cups sliced)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

For Serving

• 1 recipe Avocado Sauce
• 12 corn tortillas, warmed
• Thinly sliced radishes, optional
• Sliced serrano peppers, optional
• Avocado slices, optional
• Cilantro, optional

How to Make it

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the cauliflower and cabbage on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin, coriander, and salt. Use your hands to mix everything together and spread it out into an even layer. Roast, stirring every 15 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and browned in spots, about 45 minutes. (I roasted my cabbage and cauliflower on two separate sheet pans. I cooked the cauliflower for 25 minutes and the cabbage for 10 minutes. Both ways work!)
3. Evenly divide the Avocado Sauce and roasted vegetables among the tortillas. Serve immediately with the radishes, serranos, avocado slices, and cilantro, if using.

Drink - Raspberry Limoncello Prosecco

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Courtesy of Damn Delicious.[/caption]This drink is Damn Delicious and only takes 5 minutes to make. So if you’re in the mood for an amazingly refreshing, bubbly, and sweet, this is the perfect summer cocktail for you.

Ingredients

• 3 cups prosecco, chilled
• 1 cup limoncello liqueur, chilled
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 6 sprigs of fresh mint

How to Make it:

1. In a large pitcher, whisk together prosecco and limoncello.
2. Serve over raspberries, garnished with mint, if desired.

That’s it! Let us know if you tried any of these four recipes and send us pictures of how they turned out!