I don't know about you, but when it's hot as hell the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen and cook (and then eat) something hot. I'm all about salads in the summer, but they can get boring really fast (luckily for you I have a cookbook coming out in September with lots of exciting recipes!), so I whipped up these raw cucumber noodles with a Paleo sesame vinaigrette. 

I love cucumber noodles because you don't have to cook them and they're a great alternative to zucchini noodles (which you can also eat raw but I usually don't). These are great on their own as a quick snack or in lieu of greens as the base to almost any salad--I'd love it with some chicken or shrimp on top.

Ingredients: 

• 2 large cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons rice or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai garlic chili paste
• 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions: 

1. Wash and spiralize the cucumber (I use a hand-held one like this but I really want one like this) and place the noodles in a bowl.
2. In a small dish, combine sesame oil, vinegar, and garlic chili paste. Mix well and dress the noodles with it. Top with sesame seeds and enjoy.

You can add some extra red pepper flakes if you like it hotter (I certainly do).

Lately I've been buying these huge bags of carrots from my local wholesale market and I can never seem to use them all before they start getting wilty. Ender's a big carrot fan, so they double as dog treats, but I still always end up throwing a lot of them away, so I thought I'd come up with some different recipes that use a lot of them at a time. I decided to start with roasting, because they're super easy and delicious and you can make huge pan of them (bonus points because they keep well as leftovers).

Ingredients: 

• One large bunch of carrots
• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. On a large baking sheet, cover carrots with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20 minutes.

I probably eat Paleo about 85-90% of the time, and lately I've added rice and potatoes to my diet (partly because I've been working out a lot harder but also because I love carbs--who doesn't?).

If you've ever been to a Chipotle then you probably know how amazing their rice is. It's citrus-y and savory all at the same time and it pops with the amazing freshness of cilantro--I just love it so much. I used to make a copycat recipe seven or eight years ago but I haven't made it in a while, so when I had all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry the other day, I had to make a big pot of it.

It's seriously delicious, either topped with meat or just on its own, and the next day I actually added chopped cucumber, julienned carrots, and some avocado to make a gorgeous veggie rice bowl for lunch.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/3 cup white rice
• 2 2/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• A generous pile of fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
• The juice of 1-2 limes, plus more for garnish

Instructions: 

1. Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Add rice and stir around, toasting the grains for about two minutes. Add the lime juice and stir.
2. Pour the water in and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook on low for 15-20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the water. Fluff it with a fork and add the cilantro.
4. Serve warm and garnish with extra cilantro and some fresh lime wedges.