Holy cow it's been hot this summer-all over the country. This intense heat makes it hard to want to mess around in the kitchen and fix dinner. Who's in the mood to turn on the oven in this weather? In fact, it's been hard to muster the wherewithal to even care about eating much. I could eat a bowl of oatmeal every night and be OK with that.

But since good health depends on good eating habits (and my husband wouldn't be OK with eating a bowl of oatmeal every night), I've been looking for some healthy ways to deal with supper. And I found this delicious recipe (courtesy of Stephanie Romine) on one of our favorite fitness websites, www.dailyspark.com.

It starts with a classic salad-the Cobb. It's filled with plenty of tasty ingredients: hearty romaine lettuce, avocado, chicken, bacon, hard-boiled eggs and more. Then you take it a step further and wrap the whole thing in whole-wheat tortillas (for added fiber and hearty staying power).

This salad was originally made famous at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, and is easy to customize. It's open to interpretation; you can add or omit ingredients to suit your tastes and depending on what you have on hand. For instance, you can:

• add extra lettuce and ditch the wraps for a traditional salad.
• swap out the chicken and turkey bacon for hard-boiled eggs if you don't eat meat.
• skip the bacon if you're watching your sodium.
• add shredded carrots, cucumber slices, diced raw zucchini, or cauliflower pieces for an extra servings of vegetables.
• substitute your favorite low-calorie dressing.
• use turkey in place of chicken.
• Ideas are limited only by your imagination.

I know wraps are a common sandwich alternative today. But going the wrap route makes "sandwich for dinner" a little more special. And the idea of stuffing your daily salad into one just seems so clever and easy. Here's the Brown Derby Cobb Salad if you're interested in this easy supper:

Cobb Salad Wraps

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 104

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounces each) chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1/2 cup chopped avocado
4 strips turkey bacon cooked and crumbled
1 rib celery thinly sliced
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 leaves Romaine lettuce torn
4 8 inchs whole wheat flour tortillas warmed
1 medium tomato chopped


Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the chicken, avocado, bacon, celery, onion, olives and cheese. In another small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, dill weed, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the oil. Pour over the chicken mixture; toss to coat. Place romaine on each tortilla; top with 2/3 c chicken mixture, then with tomatoes. Roll up each tortilla.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.

Here's one last summer supper idea for coping with our summer heat. You still look to tuna, but instead of a wrap, this uses English muffins. It's a tuna salad based on green goddess dressing, but you make your own. You'll like how this dressing brings out some bright herbaceous flavors to an otherwise one-note meal. (Note: You can make the dressing in a food processor if you like, but it won't be as smooth or have that bright green hue you get when you do it in a blender.)

Green Goddess Tuna Salad Sandwich

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 1,019

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh sweet sweet basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley with tender stems
1/4 cup fresh tarragon
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 (5-ounce) can tuna in water, drained
1 stalk celery
1 small shallot finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely grated
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mixed tender fresh herbs (such as celery leaves, basil, parsley, and/or dill)
2 English muffins split, lightly toasted


Directions:

Puree basil, parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons oil in a blender until very smooth and pale green. Transfer dressing to a medium bowl and add tuna. Using a fork, break up tuna and incorporate into dressing. Mix in celery, shallot, and garlic; season with salt and lots of pepper.

Toss chopped mixed herbs with remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle with a little oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss again.

Build sandwiches with English muffins, tuna salad (you may have a bit extra), and herb mixture.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.