It’s too hot to cook.

As we head into the hottest time of the year in Fresno you might be tempted to not turn that oven on at all.

So I figured, let’s ask some local chefs and foodies what they make when the forecast calls for an endless string of 100+ degree days.

Fresno’s favorite popsicle maker, Ooh De Lolli, and the owner/chef of Trelio Food & Wine in Clovis weighed in with some desserts designed to cool you down. And we got summertime meal options from the vegans behind local website Eat Figs, Not Pigs and an easy make-at-home version of a sushi roll you won’t even notice is gluten free from Madera-based G-Free Foodie.

G-FREE FOODIE’S EASY CALIFORNIA ROLL SALAD WITH DYNAMITE DRESSING

For the Salad:

1/2 cup cooked sushi rice

6 oz. fresh crab meat (Dungeness is best)

1/2 medium avocado, sliced

3-5 slices cucumber

1 sheet dried seaweed, nori, sliced

1 tablespoon pickled ginger

sesame seeds and minced chives, for garnish

3-4 tablespoons Dynamite dressing, recipe below

Dynamite Dressing:

1 teaspoon wasabi powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari soy sauce

2 ½ tablespoons sriracha, or less, to taste

5-7 chives, minced

½ cup mayonnaise

Place the rice on the center of a plate. Top the rice with the crab meat, and arrange avocado, cucumber, seaweed and ginger around the rice. Top the salad with sesame seeds and chives, serve with Dynamite dressing. Enjoy.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add more sriracha or wasabi if you prefer a spicier dressing.

– KC Cornwell, G-Free Foodie

SUMMER ROLLS WITH PINEAPPLE GLAZED CRISPY TOFU

Pineapple glaze:

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced finely

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup pineapple juice

½ cup water + 3 tablespoons cornstarch, whisked to combine and make a “slurry”

⅓ cup soy sauce

Juice of 1 fresh lime, about 3 tablespoons

2 tablespoons coconut sugar or light brown sugar

Crispy tofu:

16 oz extra firm tofu, drained and thoroughly pressed

⅓ cup cornstarch

8 TBS avocado oil, divided

½ cup pineapple glaze

Summer rolls:

3 cups julienned vegetables such as carrots, red bell pepper, jalapeño, and avocado

1 large bunch fresh cilantro

1 bunch fresh green onion

4 ounces rice vermicelli noodles

16-20 whole spring roll rice papers

For the glaze: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat with avocado oil. Add jalapeño, ginger, and garlic. Sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add pineapple juice, cornstarch slurry, soy sauce, fresh lime juice, and coconut sugar. Whisk to combine. Increase heat to high. Once the sauce reaches a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered until it thickens and reduces about ⅓, about 10 minutes. Make sure you’re whisking every 3-4 minutes so you don’t burn the bottom of the glaze. Remove from heat and set aside

Meanwhile, prepare the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

For the tofu: Cut the tofu into 16 rectangles. Gently toss the rectangles in cornstarch and flash fry tofu in batched in a large skillet over medium-high heat, starting with 4 tablespoons of avocado oil and adding more as the pan needs it. Flip the tofu on all sides to ensure even browning, about 3-5 minutes per side. Once all the tofu pieces are golden brown and crispy, add them all into the skillet with ½ cup reserved pineapple glaze, stirring to coat. Cook for several minutes, or until all of the sauce is absorbed and the tofu looks glazed. Remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble summer rolls, fill a large bowl with cool water. Submerge your rice paper into the bowl, rotating if you need to, until it’s just softened and pliable, about 7-10 seconds. Place the rice paper roll on a lightly dampened, clean work surface.

Place a lettuce leaf towards the bottom middle of the rice paper, followed by a small handful of noodles, a couple pieces of bell pepper, carrots, jalapeño, avocado, fresh herbs, and 1 piece of glazed tofu on top.

Gently fold over once, tuck in both sides, then continue to gently roll until the seam is sealed. If the paper breaks, simply roll in another piece. Repeat until you have about 16 rolls.

Cut in half and serve with remaining pineapple glaze. Serve fresh.

– Ashley Hankins-Marchetti, Eat Figs Not Pigs

OOH DE LOLLI PEACH BASIL POPS

Four cups fresh peaches, chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoons salt

4 basil leaves, chopped fine

Put all ingredients in blender and blend. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight.

– Donna Mott, Ooh De Lolli

COCONUT-LIME GRANITA WITH STRAWBERRIES

4 cups coconut water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 lime, juiced and zested

sliced strawberries

Combine coconut water, sugar and lime in a bowl. Mix until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Transfer liquid to a baking dish and place in the freezer. Every hour using the tines of a fork scrape the ice crystals to keep it from becoming a large ice cube. Once completely frozen, cover and keep frozen for up to a month.

To serve, using the tines of a fork scrape the surface to create a snow-like texture. Transfer to a chilled bowl and garnish with sliced strawberries.

– Chris Shackelford, Trelio

Bethany Clough

The Fresno Bee

(559) 441-6431

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers’ questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.