Foods That Cool You Down In The Hot Summer - Cool Off With Tabouli With Sweet Corn

Record Breaking Temperatures Throughout the U.S.

Although it's been an unusually cool summer here in Northern California, the rest of the country seems to be enduring extreme heat. This weekend, a number of cities reached triple digits. This kind of heat can be dangerous and it's important to do everything you can to cool off. One method people sometimes miss is their diet.

The heating and cooling properties of food are very important qualities used in Chinese medicine. The type of food as well as the method it is cooked, or not cooked, all contribute to these properties.

Foods that Cool You

You've probably heard the expression, "cool as a cucumber". Cucumbers are one of the vegetables that can cool the body. Here are some others:

Fruits: Apples, bananas, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, watermelon and tomatoes

Beans and bean products: Alfalfa sprouts, soy milk, tofu, tempeh

Grains: Amaranth, barley, millet and wheat

Herbs: Cilantro, dandelion, lemon balm, mint and marjoram

Vegetables: Asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, radish, sweet corn, Swiss chard, summer squash and zucchini

Cooking Methods

Foods eaten raw are more cooling that those that are cooked. Cooking foods over a long period of time at high temperatures will add warming qualities to your food. To protect the cooling nature of the food during cooking, it is better to steam or sauté and avoid deep frying and baking.

Avoid Warming Foods:

To stay cool, avoid foods such as butter, ginger root, anchovies and oats, to name a few, as they all have warming qualities.

Try this "Cool" Recipe

Looking at the list of cooling foods, I thought that tabouli would incorporate quite a few of them like; wheat, tomato, cucumber, mint and lemon juice (citrus). I even added sweet corn to the recipe which is not in traditional tabouli but is an additional cooling food that goes well with the other ingredients. Except for the cracked wheat which is just soaked in hot water, the rest of the ingredients are raw which also optimizes their cooling nature. For a completely raw recipe, check out my Raw Tabouli recipe.

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Tabouli With Sweet Corn

[8 servings]

For the salad:

1 1/4 cups cracked wheat (bulgur)

1 1/4 cups very hot water

1 1/2 cups diced cucumber, (1 medium)

2 cups diced fresh tomato, (2 medium)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, both white and green parts

2 cups sweet corn kernels, (2 ears)

1 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

For the dressing;

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, (or to taste)

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, (or to taste)

Mix hot water and cracked wheat (bulgur) in a bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Stir occasionally. After it has absorbed all it's going to, drain any excess water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients then add cucumber, tomato, green onions, corn, mint and parsley and toss together. Add the soaked bulgur and combine.

(For an easy method of cutting corn kernels from the cob, check out my post, Fresh Corn Salad.)

Adjust the salt and pepper and refrigerate covered for an hour so all of the flavors combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Per serving: 191.4 calories, 7.8 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5.0 g protein, 29.3 g carbohydrates and 7.1 g of fiber.

Raw Tabouli—Full Of Nutrient Rich Herbs

Day 21 of our “One Month Raw Food Cleanse”
When we search for foods rich in vitamins and minerals, we generally focus on basic food groups like fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, etc., but did you know that herbs like parsley and mint are very good sources of vitamins A, C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper and potassium? In addition, parsley is loaded with vitamin K.

Nutritionists usually don’t highlight this because most recipes use insignificant amounts of herbs not to overpower the dish. Tabouli, however, is an exception and is known for its generous use of both mint and parsley.

This quick and easy raw recipe uses jicama and pine nuts instead of the traditional cooked bulgar. Each serving will have a generous 4 tablespoons of these nutrient packed herbs!

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Raw Tabouli [serves 8]
4 cups jicama, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 medium yellow heirloom tomato, diced
1 medium red heirloom tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)

Dice the heirloom tomatoes and put in a colander to drain. Place jicama and pine nuts in a food processor and process briefly until it resembles large grain. Place mixture on paper towels to remove some of the moisture and then place in a large bowl. Add red onion, cucumber, parsley, mint and the drained tomatoes. Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently mix this dressing into the salad and serve.

Per serving: 132 calories, 10 g fat, 1.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 2.1 g protein, 9.7 g carbohydrates and 3.9 g of fiber.

Menu for Day 21
Breakfast is a bowl of watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries. Lunch is tabouli salad with raw crackers and guacamole. I will make faux “tuna fish salad” stuffed heirloom tomatoes for dinner (see April 25, 2009 post) and some tropical chocolate truffles for dessert (see February 12, 2009 post). I feel like juicing today so I’ll make a big pitcher of fresh vegetable juice and snack on it during the day.