I'm out of ideas today. It's hot and I don't feel like putting in a lot of effort. What do you cook, or throw together, for dinner on hot summer nights? (We don't have a BBQ grill).
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I like to cook salads: lentil salad, quinoa salad, pesto pasta salad, tomato mozzarella cucumber salad, etc. Would you invest in a small grill? If you can avoid using your oven on those hot days it helps so much!
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@Alba4: apartment living here, so no outdoor space at all for a grill (no A/C either!!!). I love salads, but my kids won't eat them. They will eat salad toppings, but not leafy greens.
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My go to is Guatamalan black bean salad over rice. My kids will eat the beans and the rice.
Also- egg salad sandwiches, pasta salad, lots of fruit and bread, taco salad. I try to do the cooking parts in the morning while it is cool.
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Bread, cheese, grape tomatoes or berries. Black beans and corn with salt, pepper, olive oil, splash of vinegar and a squeeze of lime juice. Greek yogurt with honey is always good for protein.
Frozen grilled strips of chicken are my favorite to throw in a skillet for 5-10 minutes if I want to add meat to their dinner without much effort
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We've been in the 100s here, so I avoid turning on the oven.
Some quick meals we do are:
crockpot: pulled chicken/pork sandwiches, salsa chicken, Hawaiian chicken, sloppy joes, taco meat (any kind)tuna/egg/chicken salad sandwiches (or wraps/pitas), turkey & cheese wraps, hot ham and cheese/grilled cheese (this is a skillet but only takes a few minutes), rotisserie chicken (buy from store).
I go for convenience in the summer, so a lot of our meals are grilled, but you can definitely make it work without a BBQ, if you don't have a crockpot I highly suggest in investing in one! The house stays cool and the works is done for you
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@LuLu Mom: I go back and forth with wanting a crockpot. I kind of imagine more hearty winter dishes and soups in it, but maybe I should give it more thought for summer!
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@lamariniere: they are great for winter dishes too, however I think I use mine just as much in the summer! Over the weekends is a great time to make "big patches" of things like pulled chicken and then i'll use it throughout the week for lunches too (in wraps, salad toppings for me, chicken salad sandwiches, ect.)
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My favorite that I always forget about is a caprese salad.
I also like to do baked fish which only take 10-15 minutes in the oven so it doesn't heat up the place too much, with a side of mango or pineapple salsa.
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I like tomato/ bean salad, chicken salad, quinoa salad (with kale, garbanzo, cranberries, feta in a vinaigrette) and CROCK POT meals bc they let off heat and are so easy! I am having a hard time finding good vegetarian crock pot meals tho, if anyone has suggestions!
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@lamariniere: If you make your own bread, you can make it in the crockpot which is a lifesaver in the summer!
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@brownepiano: what? How do you make bread in the slow cooker??
I do use it in the summer for things like pulled chicken (BBQ, salsa) and out that in sandwiches or wraps or salads. But I use it more in cool weather. Need more recipes for summery meals.
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Cold meat platters, cheese, bread, mustard and fig jam. I could eat it every night.
Otherwise, eggs. I like them because they're easy to cook and don't take a ton of time.
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Chicken salads, pizza, and boring sandwiches!
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Muffuletta sandwiches. I bet your deli counters are on point
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Grilled cheese which you still have to cook but not terribly hot.
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@Foodnerd81: I just tried it out of desperation last week and it works! I found instructions on the kitchn blog but these directions are clearer. I just used my normal sandwich bread recipe.
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Cheese/olive/pickle/cracker plates
Bean and cheese burritos
Salad
Go out to eat
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Eggs are always my go to quick dinner.
When I was a kid, we didn't have air conditioning so we rarely cooked with the oven when it was hot. I remember a lot of BLT sandwiches (with bacon made in the microwave)
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18 comments