As much as I love the California sun, I don’t really enjoy weather over 90 degrees (I know, I’m spoiled). On a sweltering 100 degree day, standing over a hot stove or baking simply makes the house hotter. Plus, sometimes, I just don’t want to cook. Luckily, there are plenty of recipes that don’t require an oven. Thus, when it’s too hot to cook, try these five no-cook meals for summer.
Blueberry Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
A salad does not have to be boring. First take big carton of spring mix. Then add one cup of each: shaved carrots and zucchini (use a potato peeler to make pretty curls). Next, sprinkle on some sunflower seeds or another favorite chopped nut. Finally, top with fresh blueberries (five to six ounces worth). For the vinaigrette, I take the juice from half of an orange and a lemon. Then, I mix it with three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. If desired, add a ½ teaspoon of salt and whisk together. Right before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and top with a little freshly ground pepper. This recipe, along with the others, serves four people.
Sweet Corn, Cilantro and Black Bean Salad
For this salad, I often make corn on the cob. However, you can also defrost a bag of frozen sweet corn to use with this. Put it in the refrigerator overnight and it will be ready for your recipe in the morning. For this recipe, use two cans of black beans (drained and rinsed) and one bag of sweet corn. Chop up one of each: red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and an avocado. De-stem one bunch of cilantro and chop. Finally, gently mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle with olive oil and the juice of one lime. This tastes even better if you put it in the fridge and let the flavors marinate together.
TAB Sandwich (Turkey, Avocado and Bacon)
I get some delicious nitrate-free bacon bits from Whole Foods. To make this sandwich great, it’s important to get real bacon and not the fake bacon bits. Ciabatta bread is really good with this too but you can use any bread. First, I like to drizzle the bread with olive oil (some roasted pepper aioli would be good too). Then, fill your sandwich with slices of avocado and oven roasted turkey. Finally, sprinkle the turkey with bacon bits, cover it with the second piece of bread and slice in half.
Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad
Tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil are three of my favorite things. Purchase two balls of fresh mozzarella, a package of fresh basil and four heirloom tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes, drain the mozzarella and wash/ roughly chop the basil. On each slice of tomato, place a leaf of fresh basil and then top with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Finally, drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil. Use salt and pepper to taste.
Rotisserie Taco Bar
I think the hot rotisserie chickens at the store are delicious and can be used in so many recipes. I know, technically, this is cheating. But hey, I’m not doing the cooking so it’s still a “no-cook” meal for me. First, shred the chicken. Then, put out the chicken with several different types of tortillas, salsas, shredded lettuce and guacamole. Easy peasy!
Don’t let the summer heat prevent you from eating a delicious no-cook meal.
More from Melissa:
How to Involve Your Kids in Making Dinner
Eating Whole Foods Completes Me
Kid-Friendly Meals for Meatless Mondays
