Summer Double Whammy Recipes

Here in Southern California where we live, we do a lot of seasonal cooking - roasts in the winter - or cooler months - because our climate is (generally) so mild that older houses don't have heat or air conditioning.

Thus in summer we stove top or crock pot.  But Food & Wine promotes this recipe as No-Cook. 

GOLDEN GAZPACHO SOUP
2 lbs. golden or orange cherry tomatoes.
1 small garlic clove, crushed - I'd use three or four
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced - I'd use two
pepper to taste
1 avocado diced and tortilla chips for garnish

Put everything but the garnish in a blender and whir.

Then under a tag line "Genius Idea" they say to use this soup as a cocktail base with 1 cup soup, 3 T vodka and 2 T lemon juice.  This does not appeal to me.  Have a drink AND something to eat.  Do not mix them up; you'll only confuse your stomach.

This - Fried Shrimp Toasts - reminded me of eating them in what was probably Kansas City, Missouri's only Asian restaurant.  Kansas City at that time more or less had AN Italian restaurant or THE fried chicken restaurant ...  I still remember the "crisp" and "greasy" (two of my favorites) taste.

But this is an updated version with a Thai slant and for that reason it appeals...

FRIED SHRIMP TOASTS
1 lb. shelled and deveined shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 large egg
1 T tapioca flour
3 small Thai chilies, stemmed and chopped
2 teas. Asian fish sauce (would omit)
1 T sliced scallions
2 teas. minced garlic
2 teas. finely grated fresh ginger
24 baguette slices 
6 T canola oil for frying these now-loaded bread slices FACE DOWN and flipping to  lightly brown the backside of the bread.
Garnish with cilantro