Easy No Cook and No Stove Cooking

Avoid using a hot stove in summer's last dog days! Sarah Kagan, food editor at Epicurious.com stopped by with "no cook" meals!

RECIPES, VIDEO AND PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP...

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:
1 (4-lb) piece watermelon, rind discarded and flesh cut into large chunks (7 cups)
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
8 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded and bread torn into pieces
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
1. Seed 1 cup watermelon chunks and cut into small dice. Purée remaining watermelon in a blender (in batches if necessary). Pour purée through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, and discard seeds.

2. Return juice to blender and blend together with ice, almonds, and garlic (in batches if necessary) until smooth. Add bread, vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste and blend, adding oil in a slow stream, until smooth.

3. Top with diced watermelon. Serve it with extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling.

Vietnamese-Style Beef Salad

Ingredients
1/2 seedless cucumber
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh pineapple chunks (about 4 cups)
3/4 pound deli sliced roast beef
12 long sprigs fresh mint

Preparation
1. Halve cucumber lengthwise, then slice diagonally 1/4 inch thick.

2. Stir together lime juice, water, fish sauce, sugar, red-pepper flakes, and shallot in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

3. Arrange pineapple and cucumber on a platter and drizzle with some of dressing. Drape roast beef slices on top and arrange mint alongside. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

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