It’s summer in Virginia. Hot, muggy, sweaty, humid. The last thing on your minds is turning on the oven or stove.

Well, Bev Sell of the 5 Points Farm Market has got you covered, honey. When we asked her to share a recipe with us incorporating great local products, her salad and gazpacho dishes were exactly what we didn’t even realize we were craving.

Bev’s offerings are a bright blend of colorful, fresh veggies. After a muggy afternoon of intermittent sun and storms, what’s better than a cool summer salad drizzled in organic olive oil and soft goat cheese, or a chilled yellow- and red-tomato gazpacho topped with thin slivers of cucumber? Paired with a citrusy Virginia chardonnay, this soup-and-salad combo will pretty much shut it down for the day.

We’ve got a couple of favorite recipes for this time of year. One is the

Summer Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

Bev Sell, manager of the 5 Points Farm Market

Dressing:
1/2 cup organic olive oil
1/2 cup goat cheese (soft or crumbled)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbl fresh oregano
1 Tbl ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Salad:
2 cups of fresh spinach
1 cup bell pepper
1 cup zucchini
1 cup yellow squash
1 cup tomatoes
1/2 cup onions

This is a great summer salad that is easy to make and will last a while in the fridge.

The other recipe for this time of year–when the fresh tomatoes start coming in–is

Gazpacho

This is also terrific with yellow tomatoes.

Garnish with thin cucumber slices and some chopped red onion.

2 pounds large tomatoes, halved

In the 5 Points Farm Market. Local, seasonal, fresh produce and foods.

1/2 pound bread, crust removed, cut into 1/2″ pieces (4 cups)
1 red bell pepper
1 cup chopped peeled cucumber
1 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup water

Working over bowl, gently squeeze tomato halves to release seeds and juices. Strain juices, pressing on solids to extract as much juice as possible (about 1/2 cup). Discard seeds. Chop tomatoes. Transfer chopped tomatoes and tomato juices to large glass bowl. Add all ingredients except water. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Working in batches, puree gazpacho with 1 cup water in blender until smooth. Pour gazpacho into coarse strainer set over large bowl. Press on solids to extract as much soup as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Serve cold.

Makes 6 servings.