Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

any idea? I have alot of fall recipes but the kitchen always ends up hot and the recipes seem to heavy for summer....

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Some stuff that has showed couple of times..

fish tacos (steam the fish) and then cut up tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro, squeeze some lime juice and add some shredded cheese..

grilled veggie sandwiches.. i just pan fry them really quick and smear some cheese..

left over bbq, i shred it up and put in a wrap..

and if DH is not home, I stick with cereal

Message edited 6/9/2011 10:05:16 AM.

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Summer sauce is a nice light recipe that I use instead of heavy red sauce for pasta.. its fresh tomato, wine, garlic, olive oil, parm and salt/pepper. Serve it with a bowl of pasta and some grilled chicken sausage.. delicious.

I will often just do some quick skewers - chicken marinated in lemon, garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt & pepper - then skewered and grilled. Easy to make and you can serve it on a pita with some tzaziki and a light greek salad.

You can also do quick sauteed summer squash and mushrooms tossed with pasta and sliced grilled sausage. Or a tabouleh stuffed tomato with a side of sliced grilled flank steak.

Tacos and fajitas are summertime staples for us - and don't underestimate the good old fashioned hamburger. We like them on sandwich thins with thick slices of summer ripe tomatoes and served with a refreshing cucumber salad and some store bought kettle chips.

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Summer Pasta

1 lb pasta (any kind is fine -rigatoni, penne, even linguini)
5-7 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 large red or vidallia onion, sliced thin
1 fresh mozzarella ball, cubed (or you can use Polly-O)
Fresh Basil, sliced 'Chiffonade' style (in long thin strips)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

use your judgement on tomatoes, onions, basil and garlic ... everyone likes it differently - my family are garlic and basil lovers so we tend to overdo it.

In a bowl, combine tomato, onion, mozzarella, garlic, salt & pepper and olive oil. Let sit for a few hours or overnight.
Boil Pasta according to directions and taste.
Pour mixture over pasta
Serve immediately

The warm pasta helps to melt the cheese a bit, yet it's not a supper 'hot' heavy pasta dish.

Serve with Crusty Bread to dip in the 'sauce' afterwards

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

looking for ideas too!

to add, i'd say shrimp scampi over linguini, salmon cakes, chicken sliders,
ground turkey tacos with corn and black bean salad on the side

my bbq grill is not working so ive been heating up the kitchen unfortunately

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

We've been doing lots of Salads.

With Green Salads- I add a lot of things to make a meal. Examples: Grilled chicken, avocado, sliced madarins, mangos, marinated artichoke hearts, cheeses, olives.

We do different pasta salads- sundried tomatoes, mozz cheese and marinated artichoke hearts. Or broccolli, sundried tomoatoes & cheese Or black olives, tomatoes and cheese. You can add grilled chicken to any of them.

Or a bread salad- day old italian loaf bread torn into peices, tomatoes, black olives, cheese.

I make my own dressings depending on the ingredients and my mood. Add different seasonsings.

We try to keep it light and cool in the summer.

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Here's something that worked really well for us last week.

I bought 2 pounds of skirt steak at the butcher and left it marinating. Then we grilled all the meat and ate 1/2 of it with some Quinoa and grilled asparagus (i just put a little olive oil, grilled them and then sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper and squeezed some lemon juice over them).

The best part thought was that later in the week I took the remaining cooked skirt and sliced it. I sauteed red, green and orange peppers then added back the sliced steak to warm it all through and blend the flavors. Then i just took some corn tortillas and topped them with steak, shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa. Delicious and so easy!!!

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

I made this salad tonight as a side dish and it was awesome...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/black-bean-and-corn-salad-recipe/index.html

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

BTW, it's a black bean and corn salad...I left out the cumin and added some chopped cilantro. Very good and light.

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

we grill a ton when its to warm to cook... we grill the meat and the veggies, sometime baked potatoes, etc and then I make a side dish on the stove. I try my best not to use the oven!
But I also make tacos, pasta and different sauces, etc. on the stove so we don't get sick of BBQ!

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

Marinated salmon steaks in honey mustard. Throw them on the BBQ and grill some veg with it. I've been using Cardini's honey mustard, marinate for half hour and serve with grilled asparagus. It's my easy meal at the moment.

Re: Summer recipes that don't require a whole lot of cooking on hot days?

We mostly BBQ in the summertime.

DH and I often eat late too, after DS is in bed, and when it's not so hot.

I also take an evening yoga class during the week, so a lot of times DH will wait for me to get home to start the BBQ.

Then we eat outside on the deck.

There's also a lady in my office who cracks me up........on really hot days she stops at a local deli and just picks up coldcuts and rolls on her break to serve for her and her DH for dinner.

I also like to make a quick salad or some kind of rice or pasta dish that doesn't take a lot of effort.