No need to sweat over a hot stove this summer. Check out these dishes designed to cool you off.

You don’t need us to tell you it’s hot. With temperatures reaching well into the 90s every day – even 100s — Central Texas is definitely feeling the heat.

So who wants to heat up the house making dinner?

Check out these dishes designed to keep you cool when it’s hot outside.

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a vegetable soup designed to be served cold. Gazpacho originates from the southern part of Andalucía. It’s a common dish in Spanish cuisine, and recipes can vary greatly by region and family.

Many recipes include tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt.

Recipe ideas

• Spanish Gazpacho from ADC’s Weight & Health Risk Management
• Alton Brown’s Gazpacho

Cold Noodles

If you want to expand your palette, Korean cuisine includes a number of traditional cold noodle soups. Soups are a common part of Korean meals, and cold soups are eaten during the summer to help keep diners cool.

Recipe ideas

• Korean cold buckwheat noodle soup
• Cold soba noodles
• Chapchae

Lettuce wraps

Lettuce can be crisp and refreshing, and it’s also healthy!

Anything you can put in a sandwich can go in a lettuce wrap, but why limit yourself? You can fill lettuce with cold chicken salad or fajita vegetables – the possibilities are nearly endless.

Recipe ideas

• Asian Lettuce Wraps
• Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Spicy Foods

Have you ever noticed that many cuisines from hot weather regions include a lot of spicy foods? Spicy food can make you sweat more, and perspiration is how your body cools itself.

Plus, eating spicy food might also make you reach for water, which cools off your entire body.

Recipe ideas

• Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
• Spicy Tomato, Pepper, Cumber, Mint and Parsley Salad

Salads

Salads can play more than a supporting role at dinner – they can also be the main course. Cool vegetables are a great way to keep cool, and you’ll also be getting extra fiber and vitamins.

Recipe ideas

• Tomatoes stuffed with couscous salad
• Spinach salad with chutney dressing
• Fruit salad with yogurt and granola