If the thought of spending time in the kitchen making a hot meal on a hot night makes you want to dial for pizza delivery then check out these seven easy summer”recipes” for when it’s too hot too cook. I’ve put recipes in quotes because none of these recipes actually require a measuring device and they’re all endlessly variable. So here goes ..
Braised Artichokes
Whenever I make these artichokes I always make enough to have the next day. They’re nice for lunch, a snack, or another easy dinner. After two days though they tend to get grainy and while not spoiled, don’t taste as nice.
Trim artichokes and cut in half so that each side mirrors the other. Trim the end off the stems and peel off the tough outer layer. Cut out the choke or wait until after it’s cooked, like I do.
Pour some broth and/or wine (red or white) a little less than halfway up the sides of a large saute pan with high sides. Turn heat to low.
Season broth with black pepper and salt, then add any or all of the following:
- garlic
- cayenne pepper
- balsamic vinegar
- Italian seasoning
- Herbes de Provence
Tip: this is not a dish to experiment with curry or Asian spices. Although if any of you have success with this, please let us know in the comments.
Place artichoke halves and stems in seasoned broth. Cover pan and leave it alone for at least an hour. If you need to add more broth or wine, do so, although just enough to keep the artichokes from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When a leaf pulls out easily and I mean like butta’, there should be no resistance at all, then your artichokes are done.
Remove from heat and let artichokes cool in the broth. Remove the choke if you didn’t do so earlier. Serve, hot, warm, room temp, or cold.
Slow Cooker Version
Place two cups seasoned broth/wine in a slow cooker with the artichokes. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours,or on low for 4 to 7 hours (depending on the size of your artichokes). Since you won’t be serving these artichokes hot, the one hour variable isn’t a problem. You can make these earlier in the day then set them aside until dinner.
Deli Plate
This is a meal that will please everyone. If someone doesn’t like something they can just ignore it. Half the fun of this meal is experimenting with different combinations and laughing at someone else’s strange concoction.
Leftovers like steak, chicken, fish, bacon, meat balls, sausage links, or hot dogs can be served cold with this meal or just serve up the deli plate for a light dinner or appetizer.
Get out a big platter and arrange a mix of the following on it:
Proteins
- thinly sliced meats
- smoked sausage
- hard boiled eggs, whole or halved
Veggies
- dill pickles
- roasted bell peppers
- sliced cucumbers
- jicama
- lettuce leaves
- sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil and drained (save the oil to make a salad dressing for another meal)
- kimchi http://www.healthygreenkitchen.com/homemade-kimchi.html)
Dips & Spreads
Place any or all of the following in little bowls:
- hummus
- ranch dressing (link to UD recipe)
- sugar-free creamy salad dressing
- mayo thinned with lemon or lime juice, seasoned with your choice of cayenne pepper, garlic, dill, Herbs de Provence, or thyme
- mustard
- barbecue sauce
- ketchup
Taco Bowl
This meal is so easy to prepare you can pretty much tell your eight year old twins the title of this recipe and nothing else, let them loose in the kitchen and end up with a delish dinner.
Layer in a bowl or on a platter roughly in this order:
- shredded lettuce
- tomatoes
- black beans or kidney beans
- precooked taco meat or chili (can be warm or cold)
- salsa
- avocado
- sour cream or yogurt
Chili Bowl
You can of course substitute dressed lettuce for the coleslaw.
Layer in a bowl or on a platter roughly in this order:
- dressed coleslaw
- cold pre-cooked chili
- sour cream or yogurt
- cream cheese or mascarpone cheese with pesto mixed in
Chicken Waldorf Salad
You can use pretty much any protein in place of the chicken, tuna or any white fish, turkey, ham, pork, bacon (better as a garnich rather than mixed into the salad), smoked or pre-cooked sausage.
I sometimes cut the mayonaisse 1:1 with Greek yogurt.
Place in a large bowl and toss together:
- chopped apples
- chopped celery
- raisins or halved grapes
- toasted walnuts, pecans, or pumpkin seeds
- your choice of meat
- mayonaisse thinned with fresh lemon or lime juice or your favorite sugar-free creamy salad dressing
- sliced green or red onion (optional)
- chopped fresh parsley, mint, oregeno, sage, or thyme (optional but don’t use dried herbs in place of fresh in this recipe)
The following can go into this salad but aren’t necessary to its success. I will add these just to use up items that I are hanging out in my fridge.
- chickpeas
- Great Northern beans
- lima beans
- spinach, chopped or thinly sliced
- kale, thinly sliced and rubbed with lemon or lime juice until it softens
- feta cheese (use sparingly)
- blue cheese (use sparingly)
BLT Avocado Salad
The title of this recipe is pretty much the recipe for this dish.
Toss together:
- cooked bacon, don’t crumble it, chop it into bite size pieces
- lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
- chopped tomato
- chopped avocado
- mayo thinned with fresh lemon or lime juice or your favorite sugar-free salad dressing
Corn Salad
When it’s too hot to even look at my grill I like to steam my corn in the microwave right in the husk.
Trim the top inch off each ear of corn and microwave 3 minutes per cob. Remove from microwave, let cool and peel off the husks and silk. Bonus, the silk comes off super easy with this method.
Use a knife to seperate the kernals from the cob.
Toss together in a bowl:
- corn kernels
- chopped tomato
- fresh basil, mint, or cilantro, roughly chopped
- sugar-free oil and vinegar dressing
You can of course add a rotisserie chicken from the market, grilled burgers, hot dogs, or sausages to any of these meals. Many of these meals are easily to transport and so ideal for a picnic or a potluck.
