This tasty side dish comes from Real Simple magazine and uses seasonal vegetables and flavors with minimal prep work and cooking time. Perfect for lunch or dinner on a hot day.

1/4 lb green beans, trimmed
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cucumber

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Cook green beans for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Whisk together mustard, lemon juice, salt, oil and zest in a large bowl. Halve and seed cucumber length-wise. Combine green beans and cucumbers in bowl with mustard mixture and toss well. Can be served immediately or chilled for 1 hour.

In general, I am against peeling or seeding fruits and vegetables if the skin and seeds are edible. It wastes time and food. I did not peel or seed the cucumber, but you certainly could. I also cut the green beans into 1 inch pieces, which makes them easier to eat.

There were several recipes for this type of beverage online, but this one is most based on one featured by AOL Food. This drink is interestingly refreshing and quirky, definitely something different but tasty. If you are feeling daring, try some Cucumberade!

2 large cucumbers, peeled
2-3 large lemons
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
cucumber slices and/or lemon wedges, for garnish

There are several different ways to get juice from a cucumber, the easiest being a juicer or food processor. Another way is to grate the cucumber with a cheese grater and puree the pulp in a blender until smooth. Strain the puree well. 2 large cucumbers should yield 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of juice.

Juice the lemons to yield 1/2 or 3/4 cup juice. Make sure to have 2 full cups juice between the cucumbers and lemons.

Stir sugar into water until dissolved. Combine 2 cups cucumber-lemon juice with sugar water in a large pitcher and stir well. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Serve over ice and garnish with cucumber slices and lemon wedges. Adjust sugar and lemon juice to taste. Recipe can be doubled.

Here is the third iced tea recipe from Real Simple magazine. A fun twist on an old favorite, the mint sprig refreshes this peachy iced tea.

8 cups boiling water
8 tea bags
4 ripe peaches 
1 bunch mint 

Pour boiling water into a heat resistant pitcher over tea bags. Seep tea for 10 minutes and remove tea bags. Allow tea to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Chill 2-3 hours.

Cut peaches into slices and place in glasses. Pour tea over peach slices and ice. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint and enjoy!

This is actually a recipe I first discovered years ago, and it is still one of my favorites. It combines fresh cucumbers with bright Asian flavors. Use low-sodium soy sauce to cut salt content. This version of the recipe comes from Southern Living magazine.

3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Stir together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add thinly sliced cucumbers, tossing to coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. Add sesame seeds and toss. Serve immediately.

If you have plain sesame seeds, you can toast them in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes.

1 cup of this salad only has 52 calories!

Try serving this salad with Cashew Chicken, Asian Chicken and Cabbage, or Beef with Ginger.

I cooked my first meal from my new cookbook “Everyday Food,” from the makers of Everyday Food Magazine and the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living. These bright veggies are quick and easy to make and taste great!

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound sugar snap peas, strings removed
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
salt and pepper, to taste

In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sugar snaps and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally (true to their name, the peas will start to snap – don’t panic!), until snaps begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup water and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring and scraping up the ginger from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon, until snaps are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired.