Eats For No-Sweat Summer Entertaining

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - It's summertime and the living should be easy! Chef Julie Hartigan of Cooking w/Julie shares super-simple no-cook and no-bake summer appetizers and treats. No need to heat up the kitchen this summer!

Speedy Summer Gazpacho

This recipe takes advantage of summer produce at its peak and can be made ahead of time. Use a food processor to quickly chop the veggies, slashing prep time.

Serve guests in small, plastic cups for easy serving and cleanup. You can also mix up the flavors by topping with avocado, goat cheese, crab, or fresh herbs, etc.

Ingredients
1 English cucumber peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded
1 large red bell pepper cored and seeded
2 large heirloom tomatoes cored
16 oz tomato or vegetable juice such as V-8
1 shallot minced
2 tbsp high quality olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar

Garnish options: poached shrimp, diced avocado, feta or goat cheese, crab meat, croutons or fresh herbs like minced mint, torn basil, dill, or parsley

Servings: 8 (in small cups for single-serve appetizers)

Instructions

Cut cucumber, bell pepper and tomato into chunks. Pulse each (individually) in food processor to a small dice. Combine with remaining gazpacho ingredients and chill thoroughly. When ready to serve, spoon gazpacho into serving glasses and top with your choice of garnishes.

No-Bake Mini Blueberry Lemon Tartlets

Use pre-made mini phyllo cups for both sweet and savory party bites. Just a few ingredients are needed to make pretty little tarts topped with fresh summer berries.

Ingredients
1/3 cup lemon curd (found near the jam)
1/2 cup light whipped topping

1 package of 15 mini filo shells (found in the freezer section)

1/3 cup fresh blueberries or mixed berries

Instructions

Whisk together lemon curd and whipped topping in a small bowl. Spoon about 2 tsp lemon mixture into each shell. When ready to serve, garnish with berries and optional fresh mint

Serving size: 1 tartlet