We have a heatwave going on and I’m going to get right to it: I hate cooking when it’s a sauna outside.

There’s something agitating about having the air on with the oven.

When I know the temperature is going to spike, I start planning out what’s easy to make with few ingredients.

I usually lean heavily on salads, but that can quickly get old. It’s nice to add side dishes or snacks that if you have to use heat, you can just turn on the stove for a few minutes.

I didn’t plan on cutting back on gluten and dairy before 2023. During a string of hot days a couple of summers before, I came across, for lack of a better term, a food influencer.

Many of the recipes are Mediterranean, which is right up my alley.

Coincidentally I was scrolling through videos and recipes when a friend called, wanting to know if I was available.

Hot Saturday afternoon and I was parked in front of a fan. I ran my errands before it started heating up outside.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Want to come over and we can grill something?” she asked.

Sure, why not? Her house beat the top-floor dwelling I was roasting in. Plus, there was a plastic wading pool I’d be able to dunk my feet into as I melted into a lawn chair.

While I don’t like extreme temperatures, it doesn’t mean I’m going to skip out on experiencing summer, especially when I’ll be bundled up and miserable in six months, wishing for the heat to return.

Slowly I made my way to the kitchen to look for what I could take over so I wouldn’t be empty-handed. It’s hard trying to keep movements to a minimum when you have to, you know, move.

With it being so hot, I started with the fridge, really letting the cool air settle around me.

Somehow, I found I had random ingredients for a recipe from that Mediterranean food influencer: asparagus, cherry tomatoes, a lemon and feta cheese.

Luck was on my side.

I made the recipe, which is a good side dish for the burgers we grilled. The only heat involved was doing a quick cook of the asparagus.

Really making the recipe was the lemon zest.

I like trying different recipes where normally the ingredients shouldn’t go together, but mixed and cooked or seasoned, it’s magic.

Besides flavor and ease, the dish isn’t heavy. We didn’t feel bogged down or bloated after eating, even if it was as hot as Dante’s first inferno layer outside.

A pro tip: this goes great with grilled chicken that’s lightly drizzled with a balsamic glaze. Have fun with it and add diced shallot or other seasonings like za’atar or a pinch of sumac.

While you’re munching on this tasty, summery delight, enjoy any reprieve we have coming up in the forecast, friends.

Zesty Asparagus

Extra virgin olive oil

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 2 or 3-inch pieces

1 lemon

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Salt

Black pepper

Fresh garlic, minced

Pour enough olive oil into a cast iron or sautee pan to coat it, then leave on medium-high heat.

Zest the lemon, set aside. Then juice the lemon.

When the oil is hot, add asparagus, salt and pepper. Toss for about 2 minutes while asparagus cooks.

While the asparagus is still bright green, add garlic.

Remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and tomatoes.

Top with feta cheese and serve.

Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.