Salads, Dressings and Cool Food for a Long Hot Summer

California has a dire surplus of lemons and lemon trees. Californians frantically exchange lemons and desperately leave bags and boxes and baskets of lemons on the doorsteps of family, friends and strangers (the latter activity may be fined, soon). Here is the best use for them - though it will hardly make a dent in the supply - and, of course, limes are better.

2 parts olive oil
1 part lime or lemon juice
crushed garlic or garlic powder to taste
crushed basil (and other herbs if you want) to taste
salt and coarse (of course) pepper to taste

Whip with a fork or small egg whip till blended and serve over any green salad or on soaked bulgar salad.

Bulgar Salad

I'm avoiding calling this "tabbouli" because the seasonings - and so the flavor - are quite different. In the hottest days of summer, this is the main dish.

Soak two cups of bulgar in about twice the volume of water for at least half an hour. (If you soak more than you need, you can keep some in the fridge and add fresh salad ingredients whenever you like.) Chop small and add any or all of the following:

• Marinated tofu, or plain tofu, cubed
  
• cubed mozzarella, cheddar, jack or other cheese - or crumbled feta
  
• finely chopped onion or green onion
  
• radishes, black or green olives, chopped tomato (or canned)
  
• chopped green pepper and mushrooms - raw or sauteed in a little olive oil
  
• luxurious extras, if desired: jicama, baby corn, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, canned asparagus spears, etc.
  
• Lemonette
  
• cubed avocado - if you use this, just mix it in gently or use it for garnish after you've thoroughly mixed everything else.

Synchronicity Fruit Salad Dressing

Once, after a long discussion of synchronicity, I was called upon to make dinner. Some of the ingredients for this dressing literally fell into my hands, and I named it for Carl Jung's theory.

• A cup and a half of yogurt, OR, one and a quarter cup of yogurt mixed into a small package of cream cheese or yogurt cream cheese - a good idea if this salad will be sitting out on a buffet, as the yogurt tends to liquefy.
  
• one or two tablespoons of honey
• two tablespoons of grapefruit juice - preferably pink or red
• one teaspoon orange flower water or one half teaspoon almond extract
• finely grated fresh ginger root or dried ground ginger to taste.