NWMR: Your go-to summer dishes

Re: NWMR: Your go-to summer dishes

• vvvvvfee member

  July 2014

  
  Gazpacho Toledano- makes a lot and keeps well, great for an appetizer
  
  corn salad- cut leftover corn off the cobs. add chopped up vidalia onion, red pepper, and cucumber. mix with dressing to taste (i use olive oil/red wine vinegar/sugar/salt/pepper).
  
  tomato sauce with grilled vegetables- i often grill extra vegetables (onions, peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini), then chop them up and mix them with a jar of trader joe's organic marinara. great with whole wheat pasta for a quick weeknight meal. serve with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. add chopped fresh basil if you have it.
  
  minty marinated beans- briefly steam green beans. while still warm, mix with olive oil, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and chopped mint. refrigerate and serve as a cold side.
  
  caprese salad- great when tomatoes are in season- layer fresh mozzarella, sliced heirloom tomatoes, and basil slices, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  
  cilantro-lime cole slaw: dump 2 bags of cole slaw mix in a bowl, mix with a bunch of chopped cilantro, juice of 2 limes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.
  
  tomato, cucumber, and onion salad: chop heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, and vidalia onions. dress with salt, sugar, black pepper, and ground ancho chili powder.
  
  pesto- great on pasta or grilled chicken breasts. use a blender or food processor to blend: a big bunch of herbs (any mixture of mint, basil, parsley), a handful of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, or pine nuts), a handful of grated parmesan cheese, a couple of cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. store leftovers in fridge covered with a layer of olive oil, or freeze in an ice cube tray.
  
  any leftover grilled meat is great on a salad. get fresh lettuce at the farmer's market or use a big bag of spring mix from the supermarket. add grilled corn, cut off the cob, or any leftover grilled veggies.
  
  pizza on the grill-- grill the toppings, then oil your dough and grill (or just warm up a flatbread). (here's a full recipe)
  
  if there's a farmer's market nearby, it's great to go there for inspiration. anything you get there will be at the peak of freshness and will be tasty pretty much however you prepare it.
  

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• Meeshe member

  July 2014

  tomato, basil, and feta salad-super easy and healthy
  
  a pasta salad with tomatoes, arugula, mozz, and parm, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
  
  "healthy" taco salad-spinach, black beans, chicken strips. baked tortilla chips, salsa, cheese and whatever other appropriate veggies (usually peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes) I have, sometimes guac and light sour cream
  

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• ss+el member

  July 2014

  Rinse 1 can corn, 1 can black beans, chop up tomatoes, onions, green and/or red peppers to about the size & quantity of the corn & beans. Add a clove or two of minced garlic and a bunch of chopped cilantro (I put in the whole bundle from the store) and about half a bottle of fat free zesty italian dressing and mix it all together. I usually make it and let it sit overnight and decide in the morning if it needs more dressing or more of a veggie or two. Eat it with corn chips or as a salad.
  

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• emberlee3 member

  July 2014

  Watermelon salsa: a few cups of watermelon, 1 cucumber seeded and chopped, 1/2-1 jalapeño seeded and finely chopped, green onions finely chopped, juice of 1 lime, handful of cilantro, salt and pepper. Tastes great with grilled chicken or fish.
  
  Hummus and veggie sandwich on whole wheat bread with whatever veggies you have, thinly sliced.
  
  Greek yogurt with fresh fruit

  DS born 8/8/09 and DD born 6/12/12.
  

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• MommyAtty member

  July 2014

  This sounds odd, but in a Texas summer, we use the crockpot a ton! It doesn't heat up the house. We've been making black bean, corn, and salsa chicken a lot. And lots of things that become sandwiches, like pulled pork and buffalo chicken.

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