MemberMost of the recipes in my arsenal are winter meals like casseroles, soups, and pastas. I always struggle in the summer to come up with meals and I’m trying to work on a meal plan for June. What are your favorite summer meals? Bonus if they’re quick and easy, because I work FT and so does my Fiance, and double bonus if my 3 year old will eat them 🙂
MemberI like baked chicken thighs with green beans and roasted garlic potatoes! Such a good meal. I’m also a fan of stuffed peppers – super easy and quick to make, and you can make them pretty much however you want. We like taco-inspired stuffed peppers with ground beef, brown rice, cheese, salsa and sour cream, and we’ve also had philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers with steak, cheese, peppers/onions.
MemberI do a pasta salad that can have different proteins added. I usually use those tri-colored swirly pasta.
To the cooked pasta I add: can of corn, drained, can of diced tomaotes not drained, can of black olives drained, various spices like onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt and pepper. For protein, I most often add chopped up pepperoni. However, you can use cooked diced chicken, or put hard boiled eggs on top.
In the past, I used to try to add a touch of oil and then vinegar, but it was too much salad I guess. Now we dress our salad one bowl at a time. I love seasoned rice vinegar the best on mine.
Triscuit Pizza!!!!!!!! I cannot have triscuits now due to the whole wheat, but if you can, oh my………these are fun and good. Done in the microwave so no oven heat.
Simply put a dollop of pizza sauce on each cracker, then go to town! Pepperoni, olives, whichever cheese you like, chopped up mushroom, cooked sausage crumbles. Each person can make their own. Micro about 30 seconds for a plate of them!
MemberSummer veg like asparagus, topped with some fish, drizzle with olive oil, lemon and pepper. Wrap in tinfoil. Pop in the oven for 20 min.
Or
Chickpea, feta, tomato, avocado salad with some pan cooked chicken.
MemberI microwave some grits (I like the cheese ones) and add salt, pepper, and chopped herbs (my favorite combo at the moment is green onion and cilantro). In a pan, I sautee some summer greens like baby spinach or swiss chard with fresh garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper in olive oil. It only takes a minute to lightly brown the garlic and wilt the greens. Then I dump all of that on top of the grits I added the herbs too and shave some fresh parmesean cheese over the top. If I’m feeling extra hungry, I will fry an egg and put that on top.
For a colder meal: I mix plain greek yogurt with dill, lemon juice/zest, salt, and garlic. Then I brown some butter, add a little olive oil and some chili flakes and paprika, after that I poach an egg. Once the egg is poached, I put the egg on top of the yogurt mixture, add on the butter and spice mixture, and then eat the whole thing with thick sourdough toast.
I can’t claim either of these recipes as my own. The first one is Carla’s from Bon Apetit, and the second one is a modified version of Nigella Lawson’s Turkish eggs recipe. But I’ve tried both, and and both are AMAZING and don’t heat up my kitchen during the hot summer months. Both are also incredibly customizeable with summer greens/veggies/proteins/spices. I just like eating eggs in the summer in lieu of steak, chicken, or pork because they are filling, but don’t feel as “heavy” to me.
Member
MemberFor summer, I try to turn on my oven as little as possible and I like dishes that can be served cold/room temp or things that are good with a cold beer. I also associate anything grilled with summertime — foods like corn on the cob, grilled veggies, portobello burgers, etc. — and lots of fresh fruit salads and raw sliced veggies with hummus for snacking. Also a great time to experiment with salads.
I like pasta salad with tons of finely chopped vegggies (cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olives), garbanzo beans, and Italian dressing (either store bought or a simple EVOO/red wine vinegar dressing with some powdered garlic & spices mixed in).
Whole grain salads — similar idea as above, but there are endless variations with quinoa/bulgur/wheat berries as the main grain and then whatever good veggies you have on hand (raw chopped veggies are always good, but you can also use pre-coooked veggies like marinated roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, or roast a pan of sweet potatoes and carrots in advance to toss in) and a light dressing or marinade. Throw in some canned beans/frozen peas or a cheese or meat to make it a satisfying one-dish meal.
Caprese – just basil, tomato, and cheese. I don’t eat cheese anymore so I sometimes make avocado-tomato-basil salads instead and find them to be quite satisfying and delicious.
Veggie fajitas or tacos – grill some vegetables (you can use a broiler or a stove top grill if you don’t have an outdoor one), sautee a can of pinto or black beans with some EVOO, fresh garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, any other desired seasonings, heat some tortillas on a grill or in the oven, and top with salsa (fresh or jarred), avocado, cilantro, green onions, & cheese/sour cream if desired. Endless variations here (Spanish rice, roasted veggies, potatoes, corn, meats, etc.) and I always find Mexican to be good summer food.
Potato salad – For a lighter one, you can use an EVOO/red wine vinegar dressing instead of the typical mayo one. Also use fresh herbs like dill for more flavor. I personally love this recipe for jalapeno-dill potato salad and have gotten rave reviews at potlucks (just use regular mayo if you’re not vegan): http://lesliedurso.com/2014/07/jalapeno-dill-potato-salad/
Salads — summer is a great time to make a meal out of a big salad. Just stock the fridge with whatever you like on salad – I love mixed greens, garbanzos, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, sunflower seeds, and Goddess dressing, so I try to keep ingredients like that on hand so there’s something easy to throw together for dinners/lunches.
Tartines – for a light lunch, a tartine (open-faced sandwich) with a side salad is a good option. Along the same lines, bruschetta is a great summer appetizer, which can turn into a light meal served with a salad with some protein in it.
MemberThank you everyone! So many good ideas. We don’t currently have a grill…Sniff…but I think I need to get one for the summer ASAP!
MemberWe make big fruit and nut salads with grilled chicken a lot, it’s super easy and fast and healthy! We also eat a lot of grilled zuchinni in the summer. Grilled skewers of pineapple, pepper, and onion with teriyaki sauce and either chicken or shrimp. (I know you said you don’t have a grill…you need to get one! We would die without ours haha)
I have been making lots of zoodle recipes. Zoodles with roasted red pepper sauce and goat cheese, or an easy alfredo sauce, or just olive oil and garlic/herbs is good.
I found a really yummy summer sweet corn chowder recipe on pinterest, with potatoes and bacon. Yum!
Fajita bowls- we grill up a flat iron steak (you could do that on a skillet, too, or could do chicken instead of steak) with sauteed onions and peppers, with beans and rice, lime, corn, salsa… whatever you like. Eat it in a bowl instead of tortilla, makes lots of leftovers.
Bake salmon in a tinfoil pouch with some veggies, like asparagus and seasoning. It all cooks together so it’s pretty easy.
