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The intense heat of summer so far in the Metro Moncton area means nobody wants to spend any longer than necessary cooking over a hot stove.

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A new twist on deviled eggs is just one way to beat the heat and still enjoy delicious food.

Couple that with a dizzying round of invitations to spontaneous barbecues and pot-lucks, and the demand for simple, tasty bites adds up.

That's what we're offering to community cooks this week, foods that can be served as appetizers, some as main hot dare fare, and some as healthy snacks.

Don't forget if you have a recipe you are willing to swap to send it to thisweek@brunswicknews.com.

I'll feature them in this column, which runs regularly in This Week. Don't hesitate to send in requests for specific recipes either.

Here are this week's recipes:

Confetti Summer Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 slices (1 cup; 250
ml)
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 medium green onions, sliced
1 15 to 16-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained 500 g
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 1/2 cups, 375
ml)
1/2 cup bottle reduced-calorie Italian salad dressing 125 ml
1/2 cut bottled hot salsa 125 ml
Radicchio leaves or purple flowering kale (optional)
Method:
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, sweet peppers, onions, corn, tomatoes,
salad dressing and salsa. Cover and chill for four to 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
If desired, serve salad on radicchio leaves or garnish with purple
flowering kale.

Fresh Fruit dip

Ingredients:
1 8 oz carton vanilla low-fat yogurt 250 g
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 60 ml
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger 0.5 ml
Fresh fruit dippers (such as pineapple chunks, strawberries, apple slices,
and/or peach slices)
Method:
In a small bowl stir together yogurt, applesauce and cinnamon. To serve,
spear fruit with decorative toothpicks and dip into yogurt mixture.

Deviled Eggs with Spicy Crab

Ingredients:
8 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing 60 ml
1 tbsp finely chopped green onion 15 ml
1 to 2 tbsp flavoured mustard, such as Dijon-style mustard or horseradish
mustard 15 - 30 ml
1/4 tsp salt 1 ml
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1 ml
1 to 2 tbsp mango chutney 15 - 30 ml
3 tbsp mayonnaise or salad dressing 45 ml
1/2 tsp curry powder 2 ml
1/2 cup cooked crabmeat 125 ml
Method:
Halve the hard-cooked eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Set whites
aside. In a quart-size, self-sealing plastic bag, place egg yolks, the 1/4
cup mayonnaise, the green onion, mustard, 1/8 tsp of the salt, and 1/8
tsp of the cayenne pepper. Seal bag. Gently squeeze the bag to combine
ingredients. Snip one corner of the bag and pipe mixture into egg white
halves. Cut up any large pieces of chutney. In a bowl, combine the chutney,
the 3 tbsp mayonnaise, curry powder, remaining 1/8 tsp salt, and remain
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Gently fold in crabmeat. Top each deviled egg with
a spoonful of the crab mixture. Cover and chill for one to two hours.

Roasted Summer Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
12 oz cherry and/or pear-shaped tomatoes 375 g
2 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil 30 ml
1/4 tsp snipped fresh basil 1 ml
1/4 tsp salt 1 ml
1/8 tsp black pepper .5 ml
1 tbsp minced garlic 15 ml
Method:
Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with foil. Wash tomatoes, remove and
discard stems. Pat tomatoes dry with paper towels. Pour the olive oil into
prepared pan. Roll tomatoes in oil to coat. Sprinkle with snipped basil,
salt and pepper and garlic. Bake in a 425 degree oven about five minutes
or just until skins begin to split, stirring once. If desired, sprinkle with additional
snipped fresh basil and garnish with basil sprigs.