No-cook zone: keep your kitchen cool and your taste buds hot with these four easy-to-assemble dishes.(methods of cooking)

Fall may be right around the corner, but the hot days of late summer are still upon us! Appetites are smaller, and the thought of turning on an oven can make you cringe--or worse yet, sweat. Cool, easy-to-prepare foods beckon like the simple dishes on these pages, which require no--no--cooking. So enjoy the last of the warm weather--it will be gone before you know it.

 
smoked salmon 
pita pizza 
 
Serves 4 
 
There are many types of smoked 
salmon on the market today, each 
with a somewhat different flavor. My 
preference for this pita pizza is the 
Scottish variety. 
 
4 whole wheat pita breads 
8 oz. whipped low-fat cream cheese 
8 oz. smoked salmon, divided into 
  4 portions 
4 oz. red onions, sliced 
1 Tbs. chopped chives 
1/2 tsp. black pepper 
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges for garnish 
 
1. Spread top of each pita with 1/4 of 
the cream cheese. 
 
2. Place salmon portions in thin layers 
over the cream cheese so it looks like a 
tomato sauce spread. 
 
3. Sprinkle a few onions and chives 
over salmon. Top with black pepper. 
 
4. Cut each pita into four pieces, and 
place on plate with lemon wedge. 

PER SERVING: 382 CAL; 23G PROT; 14G TOTAL FAT (7G SAT. FAT); 42G CARB; 45MG CHOL; 1,643MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 1G SUGARS

 
mexican chicken 
torta sandwich 
 
Serves 4 
 
Buy a precooked rotisserie chicken 
from your local market for this easy 
version of a torta. Enjoy this sandwich 
with an ice-cold Mexican beer. 
 
4 bolillos (torpedo-shaped rolls with a 
  thin crust and soft interior) or other 
  type of roll 
8 oz. salsa 
1 lb. cooked chicken, diced 
4 oz. jalapeno cheese, sliced 
8 oz. Roma tomatoes, sliced 
1 medium-sized avocado, sliced 
 
1. Slice each roll in half, and spread 
each bottom with 2 oz. of salsa. 
 
2. Divide chicken into 4 portions and 
place on salsa. 
 
3. Put 1 slice of jalapeno cheese over 
chicken, and top with several slices of 
tomato and avocado. Place roll top on 
avocado, and press down on torta. 

PER SERVING: 395 CAL; 15G PROT; 17G TOTAL FAT (0G SAT FAT); 50G CARB; 21MG CHOL; 851MG SOD; 7G FIBER; 5G SUGARS

 
edamame & black 
bean mache salad 
 
Serves 4 
 
For simplicity, buy cooked edamame 
and canned beets and black beans. 
 
Raspberry Vinaigrette 
 
8 oz. frozen raspberries 
3 oz. virgin olive oil 
1 oz. raspberry vinegar 
2 Tbs. orange juice 
2 Tbs. chopped basil 
1/2 tsp. salt 
1/4 tsp. black pepper 
1/4 tsp. celery seed 
 
Salad 
 
12 oz. mache lettuce 
8 oz. beets, sliced 
8 oz. cooked black beans, rinsed 
8 oz. edamame, shelled and cooked 
8 oz. yellow pear tomatoes (cherry-sized 
and pear-shaped), ...