It's been a minute, or several, since I wrote one of these columns about cooking with my brother-in-law, Conor. As a refresher, Con had been trying to learn how to cook for his expectant wife, Julia, my youngest sister, throughout lockdown.

I have been trying to help by cooking with him over video calls.  Overall, I'd say we've made some progress, as judged by Julia's grades of the resulting meals.

Since the last episode of Cooking with Conor, as we call it, the very good news is that they have welcomed their daughter into the world. She is small but mighty and everyone is doing well, if a little tired.

As any parent will tell you, adding a newborn to your life leaves little room for other activities. Recalling my own experience years ago, I remember sometimes feeling like there was no time to eat, let alone cook.

We did, however, manage to squeak in a cooking session a few weeks ago. The recipe, a chopped taco salad, had been planned pre-birth but was bumped out a couple weeks when the baby decided to arrive a week or so early.

It was inspired by one of Julia's favorite food items — tacos — and by the desire for minimal heat in the kitchen during very hot weather.

The only effort? A fair bit of chopping, some frying of ground beef and whisking of dressing.

The recipe from thekitchn.com, upon which I loosely based this taco salad, calls for frying strips of corn tortillas. That seemed completely unnecessary, what with babies and heat waves.  Crumbled tortilla chips for Conor, and Fritos in my case, did just fine.

Obviously, you can make this with whatever mix of vegetables you have on hand. Cucumber, radishes and shredded red cabbage would be great. Leftover shredded chicken, sliced steak or even cooked diced shrimp tossed with a little taco seasoning could sub for the ground beef.

While not the prettiest dish I've ever served, it was fresh, crunchy and just-right spicy. My new niece, via her mama, gave it a B+. I can't wait to start cooking with her in a few years.

Chopped Taco Salad

Serves about 4

Ingredients
For the dressing:

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (not Greek) plus olive oil to taste, or 1 cup sour cream plus freshly squeezed lime juice to taste
  
• ½ cup tomato salsa
  
• 1 teaspoon taco seasoning or for a homemade version: combine 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (you'll have more than you need for this recipe but use amounts as specified and save the rest for another use)
  
• Salt to taste
  

For the salad:

• 6 medium scallions, thinly sliced, or 1 diced small red onion
  
• 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels, or 1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels, drained
  
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  
• 1 bell pepper, any color, cored and diced
  
• 1 pint halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  
• 1 small head romaine, chopped into thin ribbons
  

For the beef:

• 1 pound lean ground beef, or ground turkey
  
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, or use homemade version made from recipe above
  
• ¼ cup tomato salsa
  

 For serving:

• Crumbled tortilla chips
  
• Crumbled feta or queso fresco, or shredded cheese, such as cheddar
  
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  

Directions
Make the dressing:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, salsa and 1 teaspoon taco seasoning. Add salt to taste.
   
2. Set dressing aside.
   

Make the salad:

1. In a large bowl, combine the scallions, corn kernels, black beans, bell pepper and tomatoes. Add about half of the dressing and toss to coat.
   
2. In a serving bowl, place the ribboned romaine and top with the corn-bean mixture.
   

Make the beef:

1. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the taco seasoning, breaking up any clumps.
   
2. When beef is well cooked, about 8-10 minutes, stir in salsa and cook another minute or two.
   

Finish and serve:

1. Top greens and corn-bean mixture with warm ground beef and top with crumbled tortilla chips, cheese and cilantro.
   
2. Serve remaining dressing on the side.
   

Got cooking questions? Feel free to email them to pasanen@sevendaysvt.com.

When the weather gets steamy and local produce is abundantly in season, the blender is your friend.

A bit of chopping, a few buzzes in the blender and you can have two cold soups made within 10 minutes each: cool as a cucumber-yogurt with your choice of herb (mint, dill or cilantro) and a classic tomato and bell pepper gazpacho spiked with sherry or balsamic vinegar.

They do each benefit from a bit of time in the fridge but are also delicious sipped right out of the blender. (Not that anyone would do that.)

Packed in mason jars, these soups travel well in a cooler to kick off an elegant holiday weekend picnic menu.  Don't forget a few herb springs wrapped in a damp dish towel, or cherry tomatoes to gild the lily (aka garnish the soup).

No one needs to know they took you so little time and effort. Cheers to drinking your vegetables!

Herbed Cucumber-Yogurt Soup

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
  
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh herb leaves, such as mint, cilantro or dill
  
• 1½-2 teaspoons coarse salt
  
• 3 medium cucumbers (about 1½ pounds), peeled if desired and cut into chunks
  
• 2 cups plain yogurt (if Greek, you might need to add a little water)
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• extra herb sprigs for garnish

Directions

1. Using a blender or food processor, pulse the garlic, herbs and 1½ teaspoons salt.
   
2. Add the cucumber chunks and process until finely chopped. Add the yogurt, olive oil, lime juice and cumin and blend until smooth.
   
3. Taste and add salt or more lime juice as desired. Thin with a little water if desired.
   
4. Chill and serve garnished with herbs.
   

Gazpacho

Makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic
  
• ½ sweet white onion or red onion, cut into chunks
  
• 1½-2 teaspoons coarse salt
  
• 1 large bell pepper, any color, cored, seeded and cut into chunks
  
• 1 large cucumber, cut into chunks
  
• 4 large tomatoes (about 3 pounds, to yield about 4 cups), cored and cut into chunks
  
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  
• several dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Directions

1. Using a blender or food processor, pulse the garlic and onion with 1½ teaspoons salt until finely minced.
   
2. Add the bell pepper, cucumber and tomatoes and pulse a few times until relatively smooth.
   
3. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce and pulse to blend.
   
4. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as desired. Thin with a little water if needed.
   
5. Chill and serve garnished with cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices.
   

Source: adapted from a recipe by Jim Lamberti, former owner of Inn on the Common in Craftsbury

Got cooking questions? Feel free to email them to pasanen@sevendaysvt.com.