Easy and Fun Recipes to Enjoy Your Summer
With the end of August fast approaching, many people don’t want to spend their time indoors cooking over a hot stove. When it’s cold outside, working in a kitchen can be cozy. However, with warmer weather here, priorities change. Activities like gardening, visiting family, or going to the beach have your full attention. And no one really wants to heat up the house by running the oven when it’s 90 degrees out!
Thankfully, there are lots of easy summer recipes that are tasty and healthy. They’ll leave you with plenty of time to enjoy what’s left of the summer.
Quick And Easy Kabobs
Kabobs look delicious, they’re easy to make, and your options are only limited by your imagination. Cut up your meat of choice, marinate, thread on skewers with your favorite seasonal veggies, and pop them on the grill. If you don’t have a grill, you can bake them in the oven at 400˚F for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
Another option would be to cook only the meat on skewers, wrap a mixture of chopped veggies in heavy-duty foil, season with salt, pepper, and olive oil, and throw the foil packet on the grill to cook along with the meat.
If you use wooden skewers, you may want to soak them in cold water for 30 minutes so that the heat from the grill doesn’t burn them.
If you’ve never tried kabobs before, any of these recipes would be a great starting point.
Pesto grilled shrimp. While this recipe calls for homemade pesto, you could save some time and effort by substituting a prepared version from the grocery store.
Summer steak kabobs. This recipe features a marinade made with soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and spices. For a healthier twist, substitute low-sodium soy sauce.
Chicken satay with peanut sauce. This Asian-inspired dish is served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce.
Simple But Delicious Salads
Any salad can easily serve as a meal in itself with the right ingredients. Adding grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or another protein to your favorite garden or pasta salad turns it from a side into a complete, balanced meal. And because salads are usually best cold, it’s the perfect choice for when those scorching summer days make you dread a piping hot meal. Salads are also easy to prepare ahead of time and assemble just before eating. If you have meat leftover from a previous meal, it makes preparation even easier.
Here are a couple of simple salad recipes for inspiration.
Caprese grilled chicken salad. This salad is especially perfect for late summer when garden fresh tomatoes are easy to come by. If you prefer not to make your own dressing, a simple balsamic dressing is an excellent substitute for the pesto dressing in the recipe.
Southwest chicken quinoa bean salad. This delicious salad will leave you feeling full.
Mediterranean pasta salad. This recipe includes healthy ingredients such as whole wheat pasta, tuna fish, and a hummus based dressing.
Effortless Slow Cooker Recipes
Although many traditional slow cooker recipes, like stews and roasts, might be a little heavy for summer cooking, there are lots of lighter recipes that are perfect for the season. Here are a few.
Slow cooker chicken tacos. It doesn’t get much easier than this. Simply add chicken, salsa, and a little seasoning to your slow cooker, cook all day, shred, and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
Pulled pork. This is a fun alternative to burgers. The pork cooks all day in the slow cooker. Once it’s done, just shred and serve on your choice of buns.
Chicken taco chili. This is an easy recipe to prepare. Just dump everything in the slow cooker, and forget about it!
Since these recipes produce a large number of servings, they are great for when family comes to visit. But, if you aren’t cooking for a crowd, simply freeze the leftovers in meal-sized portions to enjoy at a future time.
These easy summer recipes are a great way to eat healthy without spending what’s left of the summer slaving away in your kitchen.
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