“This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of HamptonCreek.”
Summer is here, and so is the heat. Today I am sharing with you a few delicious no-cook meals you can turn to on those days you just can’t stand to turn on the oven. So pour yourself a cold drink and take a peek at these these Six no-cook summer meal ideas to inspire your summer meal planning. Some use prepared ingredients, you can find in your local supermarket.
Up first is the Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken, Green Salad, Rolls
That supermarket staple, the rotisserie chicken, is the champion of quick, delicious weeknight dinners all year long, and is particularly appreciated in the heat of summer. The meat is tender and juicy with amazing flavor you can’t achieve any other way, and is perfectly complemented with a big fresh green salad and some of your favorite rolls with butter. In the case of leftovers, there are entire blogs and Pinterest boards devoted to ways to use up an entire bird before it spoils, but usually, the chicken disappears before that becomes a concern.
Salade Niçoise
This restaurant staple is kind of like a salad bar on your plate. The salade niçoise is a composed salad that traditionally includes tomatoes, tuna, hard boiled eggs, olives, green beans, and anchovies served on top of a bed of lettuce, all dressed with a nice vinaigrette. Some recipes include potatoes for extra staying power, capers for added salt, and red peppers for a pop of color. The hard boiled eggs and green beans can be prepared ahead of time and stored in your refrigerator to have ready and on hand.
Bean Salad, Crackpot Bread
The three-bean, or five-bean salad is a picnic favorite and is a great hot summer night meal option. Packed with protein and fiber, this salad is filling and nutritious. Canned green, wax, garbanzo, kidney, and black beans are combined with some celery for crunch and chopped onion for flavor, then doused with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to create an acidic, refreshing meal. Serve with rolls or with bread made in your crock pot, which while not technically a no-cook option still won’t heat up your kitchen very much, and is another hero of hot summer night meal prep.
Ceviche, Tortilla Chips, Guacamole
Ceviche is a South American dish based on marinated raw fish served mixed with fresh vegetables and a citrus dressing to create a dish that is bright, light, and healthy, perfect for summer. Fresh raw fish is marinated in lime juice for several hours to “cook” it, and then drained and combined with chopped onion, tomatoes, chiles like jalapeños or serranos, olives, cilantro, and olive oil. Some recipes also call for cucumbers or avocado. The mixture is seasoned with salt and pepper and served with something salty and crunchy like tortilla chips with guacamole.
Smoked Salmon Open-Faced Sandwiches
Nothing says quick and easy like a sandwich. The backbone of this sandwich is the smoked salmon, so make sure you use the good stuff or even try making your own. Besides the salmon, you just need some good bread and creative toppings to compliment the salty, smoky fish. Key components to a good sandwich are hearty whole-grain bread or a bagel, a crunchy vegetable element, and something smooth and creamy to hold it all together. A popular variation is one you can find in the New York Times recipe, using rye bread, goat cheese, smoked salmon, and cucumbers for crunch.
Buddha Bowl
A Buddha Bowl is a vegetarian or vegan meal in a bowl. Many variations exist, but they usually include grains, beans, fresh or roasted vegetables, greens, dressing like the vegan dressings from HamptonCreek, and sometimes seeds, nuts, or dried fruit for added interest. Since these bowls are mostly filled with vegetables, they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, are high in fiber, and are extremely low in saturated fats, making them an extremely healthy meal option. Since most of the ingredients are served raw, these bowls make excellent meals during the height of summer when fresh, local summer produce is at peak flavor.
You can feed your family this summer without heating up your kitchen by being creative. Most of us prefer to eat cool, light meals in the heat, so think about serving cold soups, sandwiches, and vegetable-heavy meals. I love to keep meals fresh and focused on summer produce I like to use what is in season. With these Six No-Cook Summer Meal Ideas you should be able to keep your cool in the kitchen.
Do you have a favorite no cook meal to keep you out of the kitchen and out of the heat? Leave me a comment I would love to know what your meal is!
