Whoever made the statement, “It’s summertime and the living’s easy,” must have been referring to putting dinner on the table during this produce laden time of the year.

Right about now you are wondering what to do with all that extra produce your neighbors have given you. Or if you are really lucky, the produce is from your own few plants in the back yard.

The best part about cooking fresh vegetables is that they all respond well to being cooked on the grill so you don’t have to heat up your kitchen. And if you cook them inside you can choose a quick method because fresh vegetables are better when cooked until tender-crisp, not squishy.

This first recipe makes the perfect salad for summer. You can easily add smoked or grilled chicken or grill some steak while you have the vegetables cooling and make a complete meal from this. Sometimes I grill a Portobello mushroom cap to slice up in this salad.

Chopped Grilled Vegetable Salad

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound of asparagus, trimmed

2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/2 thick slices

1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into 3/4 inch thick slices

2 medium bell peppers, tops and bottoms trimmed off, opened so that it is on large piece, and seeded

1 red onion, peeled and cut into rings

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups assorted salad greens, my favorite are arugula, bibb, spinach and romaine

2 cups of cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Prepare your grill. If using charcoal light your charcoal and let burn until your coals are covered with a fine ash. If using a gas grill, preheat on high. Lightly oil your grate. Prep all of your vegetables and lightly brush them with oil.

Grill your vegetables in batches and remove to a chopping board as they are cooked. Lay the asparagus crossways on the grill so it won’t fall through and roll it to grill each side and cook until just barely tender. Grill the zucchini, squash, eggplant and onion slices, turning once, just until tender. Grill the peppers until the skin is charred and blistered, about 8 to 10 minutes, cool and then peel.

When all the vegetables are cool, chop them into bite-size pieces, mix together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange your greens on a large platter and mound the vegetables up in the middle. Add the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve.

When it comes to old-fashioned yellow crook-neck squash I can promise you that I had no intention of ever eating it when I was child. My grandmother always cooked it with a little bacon fat and lots of onions until is was a limp pale yellow mélange. While everyone else would rave about it I always managed to completely avoid it. I just don’t like my vegetables that soft. Or so I thought. In this next recipe you cook the squash until very tender, but there is something almost soufflé-like about this combination of cheese, crackers and eggs.

Summer Squash Casserole

2 pounds of yellow squash

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 1/4 cup Ritz crackers

1/2 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

Tabasco sauce to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and butter a medium size baking dish. Slice the squash lengthwise into quarters and then cut into 1 / 2 inch wedges. Place the squash in a saucepan, add just enough water to cover it, sprinkle in some salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and stir in the onion and cook until soft. Then add the garlic and cook until it is soft, but not browned. Scrape this mixture into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet, place it back on medium heat and add the remaining butter. Then stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook briefly until the crumbs are golden then scrape them into a bowl and set aside. Drain the squash and add to the onion-garlic mixture. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of crumbs, the cheese and a couple of dashes of Tabasco. Add salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs and spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the toasted crumbs over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.

In this recipe try and use young beans that are long and thin, and only cook them unitl they are tender, not till limp. You can swap out blue cheese for the feta, and I very often add a just a touch of balsamic vinegar. This recipe originally called for the salad to be served at room temperature but I prefer to refrigerate it and serve it cold.

Green Bean Salad

1 1/2 pounds of green beans, washed and trimmed (use young thin beans for this)

1 cup Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 small shallot, thinly sliced or 1 / 4 of a white onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped gresh mint

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Lightly salt. Add the green beans and cook until barely tender, about 4 to 5 minutes, depending on their size. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Pat the beans dry with paper towels.

Toss the green beans, tomatoes, feta, shallot and herbs together in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with the salt and pepper.