Summer cooking........
 

What are some of your favorite recipes for summertime dinners? I tend to change up my menu a lot in the hotter months. Like I will eat fresher veggies/fruit, lighter meals and not "hot" (as in temperature) meals. Like, I will never make a soup/stew in the summer months.

SO, I am planning my menu and would love some great new finds. What do you do that you would be willing to share?

does throwing meat onto the bbq count? LOL!

Well, this isn't really a "summer" meal, but it's not super heavy. It's something we're hooked on right now though, so I thought I'd share.

Basically, it's little individual hummus pizzas.

I sautee a bunch of veggies (last night I did zucchini, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and onion). Then we use little flat breads (I like the Flat Out brand) and i put them in the oven to crisp them up. Spread them with some homemade hummus (instead of pizza sauce), top with the veggies and a little mozzarella. My crew also likes to add pineapple, black olives, and/or artichoke hearts. Then bake for just a few minutes to get the cheese melty.

Served with a big green salad!

That sounds yummy Libby! And yes, KCB.......that totally counts. I really need to learn how to use my hubby's grill. He is never home to do it. I need to add that skill to my resume. LOL

you totally do need to! i love baked potatoes on the grill! You can either leave them unwrapped or wrap with foil but coat them with olive oil and then rub coarse salt. YUM

Corn on the cob on the grill. Having that tonight I think. :)

We do wraps a lot.

This is as close as I get to recipes. :p I'm trying to decide if I cook differently during the summer. I think I just shove more things in the crockpot.

LA's CHIX SALAD

cooked diced/shredded chix
equal parts mayo (REAL, not MW) + sour cream (REAL with ALL the fat)
fresh or dried dill
s&p
diced green pepper and/or onion (optional)
(pita pockets, bread, topping, etc.)

Mix. Chill. Eat.

&

LA's 'FANCY' TUNA SALAD

3 cans drained white albacore tuna
2 parts mayo (REAL, not MW) + 1 part Italian salad dressing
diced squash, cucumber, & tomato
s&p
(pita pockets, lettuce, other toppings of choice)

Mix. Chill. Eat.

&

CHICKEN ENCHILADA-Y TACOS

cooked shredded chicken
cooked rice
diced onion
taco seasoning packet OR your preferred combo of cumin + chili powder + garlic powder
1 sm can tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained
(taco shells, toppings, etc.)

Cook chix in crockpot. Shred and set aside.

Cook rice. Set aside.

Saute onion in tomato sauce, black beans, & taco seasoning until well blended and hot. Dump in chix & rice. Stir well.

Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings.

We do a LOT of salads in the summer. Just don't want to stand over a hot stove or turn on the oven. It's a good thing we have no summer birthdays because this mama doesn't do any baking in the summertime.

I like to make cold pasta salads in the summer. Today though, I'm having stew... LOL We had steak on the grill yesterday and roast the day before. I plan to make some asparagus soup later this week. These days I don't change my menu for summer. However, years ago we worked in an non air-conditioned cabinet factory where temperatures inside would get to 115 or higher because of all of the machinery. We ate nothing but cold meals during the summer when we worked there. The thought of something hot was nauseating.

We do a lot of cold pasta or quinoa salads and leafy green salads during the summer. We typically eat more raw veggies during the summer, too, paired with some type of hummus. We eat light dinners and lunch is our largest meal of the day all year round. This helps during the summer especially because we're so worn out from the sun and heat by the end of the day.

Tonight's dinner was easy. Meatballs and sauce in the crockpot, then we made meatball subs and had some watermelon with it. yummy!

We do a lot of something wrapped up in a tortilla - no oven, use up the veggies, and I make use of the cast iron on top to turn it into a quesadilla if we want them. I do not turn on my oven unless absolutely necessary as it's right in the middle of our living space and heats us up miserably. However, I neglected to get my summer baking done before it was summer ( I freeze a lot of muffins and such for quick breakfasts), so I'm going to have to suck it up one week and bake early mornings every day.

I discovered this & have made it several times since school got out.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/04/e...e-chicken.html



Totally easy & yummy in taco shells with taco toppings - win, win! Tastes good reheated or cold too. My son ate it over salad & really liked it. Also made Italian beef in the CP by putting a thawed top round roast in the CP & pouring a full glass jar of whole pepperocines over it and cooking on low all day. Shred beef & discard pepperocines if you don't want the extra spicyness or keep if you like it. Put on cut-in-half rolls, top with provolone & broil 2-3 minutes to melt cheese - also delicious and easy. Oven on very little... Beef freezes well.

Stephanie

Since we only average 70-80 degrees in the winter, I don't really need to change up my menu much. But, when I lived in Texas, we grilled a lot in the summer and then had yummy salads to go with it.