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Today’s guest post comes from Maris at In Good Taste. I discovered her blog a few months ago and was instantly hooked on her fresh meals, easy to follow recipes and gorgeous pictures! Maris knows how to prepare everything from a quick and delicious weeknight meal to an elaborate spread perfect for entertaining. She also has some great ideas to share about ways to eat well in the heat!…
Six No-Cook Dinners for Summer:
Two years ago, my oven broke, right around the end of July. For one reason or another my landlord wasn’t able to get the correct part to fix the oven until the end of August. At the time, I thought that my world was falling apart – what was a food-obsessed blogger supposed to do without an oven to bake late-summer fruit pies, homemade pizza crust and the occasional chocolate chip cookie?
In retrospect, if my oven had to break, August was the perfect time for it to happen. No one really wants to stand over a hot oven in August and if you have a tiny kitchen like mine, even the open flame it takes to boil water for pasta will heat your kitchen to the point where you won’t even want to eat your meal unless you can take it into the swimming pool or a cold shower.
In short, August is the perfect time of year for cold main-dish salads, inventive sandwiches and simple fresh vegetable dishes that don’t require a lot of indoor heat.
Cold Soba Noodle Salad from Simply Life: When some people hear the word “salad” they think lettuce. When you hear “cold soba noodle salad” think of dense, crunchy cabbage and healthy soba noodles laced with a flavorful dressing and the fresh taste of cilantro. Perfect to pair with a crisp glass of white wine and evening on the patio.
No-Cook Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce from In Good Taste: If you are craving pasta but you’re not in the mood to cook your favorite sauce over an open flame, opt for a sauce that requires no cooking whatsoever. If you don’t even want to heat your stove, serve over fresh veggies or atop crusty bread a la bruschetta.
Easy Balsamic Napa Cabbage Salad from Sarah’s Cucina Bella: A lot of people think of cabbage as a boring, bland, soggy vegetable. What many people forget is that there are a lot of different cabbage varieties – such as this fresh, crunchy version that is filling enough to stand on its own when you’re looking for a lighter dinner.
Greek Panzanella from Simply Life: Panzanella, an Italian bread salad, is one of the best salads out there for carbohydrate addicts like myself. Not only is it filling and satisfying but also nutritious – depending on the ingredients you add. This Greek version would be a perfect summer meal and doesn’t require a laundry list of ingredients.
Shrimp Salad with Dill & Cucumber from In Good Taste: Shrimp is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer. I enjoy it all-year round but because shrimp is relatively light and low-calorie, it’s a great source of protein when you’re facing swimsuit season. Instead of heating up the kitchen with a stir-fry, turn it into an inventive salad with your favorite summer herbs and vegetables.
Tangerine, Almond & Avocado Salad from The Spicy RD: While anything with avocado in it calls out to me, this salad has all of the elements of a great meal in one dish: crunchy almonds, creamy avocado and zesty citrus for a big burst of flavor.
*All photos have come from respective blog mentioned.
~What are your favorite no-cook summer meals?
