The middle of summer represents such a cornucopia of fresh vegetables and fruits coming from the farms of southwestern Ontario that I have to restrain myself from buying everything I see at the local market. I always find at this time of year that I can't keep up with all the possibilities these wonderfully fresh flavors present, but this week I found myself particularly attracted to some large, beautiful and perfectly unblemished heads of local cauliflower. Since I haven't used cauliflower for some time now, I decided to dress it up in this simple and colorful cauliflower & olive salad that's one of my summer favorites. Considering it's sweltering hot here in London, this no cook salad was a perfect compliment to a light summer meal.

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Inspired by one of the staple ingredients of her native Indian kitchens, Nandita at Saffron Trail is hosting a round-up of recipes featuring chillies this August. While anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm equally inspired by Indian cuisine, I decided to make this remarkably simple and fast jalapeño pie for the round-up, not only because it showcases these hot and juicy chillies so prominently, but also because my jalapeño pepper plants are raging out of control just right now and I need to find ways to use them in quantity!

Two cups of jalapeños might sound overwhelming, but the eggs and extra-old Cheddar cheese temper the heat enough that not only will most people be comfortable with it but they'll be coming back for more. I like to serve this pie as part of a light dinner on a hot, sweltering summer day with some fresh bread and a salad with vinaigrette to cut the dairy a bit. Roughly chopped mushrooms and a dash of cayenne can be added if desired.

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It's been a while since I've cooked a dish with black-eyed peas, so the other day I flipped through some recipes for a curry dish featuring this delicate bean which originated in Africa. I couldn't find anything that quite captured the taste I was looking for, but my determination inspired me to make up my own recipe. I've used dried wild mushrooms here, but fresh mushrooms can be used instead of or in addition to the dried ones — just put them in when you add the cooked beans.

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I'm simply a huge fan of Indian paneer cheese, a dry-textured whey cheese that holds its shape when cooked and beautifully absorbs the flavors of curry spices. I add it all kinds of curry sauces, such as this fragrant and creamy spicy tomato gravy that serves as a vehicle for some fresh crunchy vegetables as well. Feel free to use any combination of vegetables — just use about 2 to 3 cups worth. Adjust the amount of yogurt to obtain the desired consistency of the gravy.

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