I’m in such a food rut mostly because I’ve realized I’m more of a winter cook. I can crush a stew, a soup, a casserole. Anything that can be doused with melted cheese is my go-to. Last night I made pasta with a ground turkey red sauce in fucking 900 degree humidity and I can’t say it was IDEAL ha. I get a little blah about summer stuff because it always seems to involve more chopping, more grilling, more pan searing, more LABOR.
We riff on a Niçoise salad/platter a lot--Tuna, romaine, cherry toms, green beans, baby new potatoes, little mozzarella, vinaigrette and herbs over it all. Or sliced grilled chicken over spinach with roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts (jarred), a mound of rice or maybe bowtie pasta, mozzarella, Italian dressing. Add some warm bread or pita to either and...done!
I think I lose my appetite in this level of mugginess. Dew points over 65… I dunno. I wish I could morph into a jungle tree frog and just eat ants and flower juice. But I love what Peggy wrote. When there’s a lot of fresh produce easily available, dinner does almost make itself.
Recipes from Asia/parts of the world where summer is INSANE is a great source of inspo for weekday lunches and dinners! Cold, filling foods that mostly require assembly vs. cooking. Think: cold noodles (peanut sesame noodles from NYT/Smitten Kitchen? Cold noodles with tomatoes from Eric Joon Ho? Any variant of soy, miso, etc.?). Assorted banchan (homemade or store-bought) with steamed rice. Poke bowls. Most things you put into bentos, actually. Fresh spring rolls. Papaya and mango salads. How about a handroll night instead of taco night (just buy kani or fresh fish, or do a veg one)? Lots of pickles. And a HUUUGE pitcher of cold barley tea in the fridge at all times!
This summer I've been making this slow-cooker recipe on repeat! It's so tasty. I double the recipe and freeze the second half so that we have an even easier dinner the next week. Highly recommend!
Yes! I love that recipe too & it is on regular rotation in my house. Since you like that one, here’s another great one by Sarah DiGregorio that could be accompanied nicely by summer produce.
Ok, so making the fried cheese isn’t exactly labor free, but I dream about this salad all winter. I love it so much. Using fresh goat cheese is also good if you don’t want to cook anything.
i'm very much not an inventive cook and summer really kills my appetite for anything but smoothies and popsicles, but this week i made my mom's gazpacho recipe and it's been lovely. i did cucumber, tomato, onion, tomatillos, tomato juice, garlic, vinegar, a little sugar, blend half of it then combine the rest, and you can certainly throw in whatever other veggies sound good
I love an easy taco salad (we usually do ground turkey, chopped tomatoes, romaine, red bell peppers, green onions, shredded cheese, and crumbled Doritos) and if I can stand boiling the water, a pasta salad is nice for dinner and then left overs the next day.
I'm also very happy to just grab a rotisserie chicken from the store, slice up some fruit and raw veggies and call it a day. It's too damn hot.
I love summer cooking so much—I’m the opposite of you, winter is hard for me!—because the produce is so good the meal kind of makes itself. Our standby is chicken on the grill, plus whatever local produce we have prepared so simply: farm tomatoes sliced next to a bowl of flaky salt, zucchini rounds in olive oil and salt next to the chicken on the grill, local corn boiled for a minute or two. Then served with corn tortillas and whatever condiments (hot sauce, aioli, tahini) are in the fridge. We eat this at least 3-4x week, haha!
Caprese sandwiches! Cut open a roll (love me some mini ciabatta), brush the insides with pesto, pile on sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella. Serve with your favorite side.
There is a tomato toast recipe on Bon Appetit from a few years ago that I adore. It’s a bit fussy/complicated but at its heart it’s toast, mayo, good tomato slice, lemon zest salt and an herb. Can’t go wrong in peak tomato season with that.
I'm a sucker for a spinach salad, which is fairly low prep and delicious. The last one I did I is about the most labour I'd do - I fried some sliced pears in a little oil, salt, and honey, toasted some pecans, and then let them cool and tossed them in with some spinach, radishes, crumbly blue cheese (goat's cheese also good), green onions - just whatever was in the fridge that I thought would be good with it. Then a quick balsamic vinaigrette (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, DONE), maybe slice up some nice bread, BAM, done.
Tbc my kids just eat garbage while my partner and I eat this, but whatever that is not my problem. I usually set aside some of the individual ingredients for them (nuts, pears, cucumber if I used that, whatever veg they might eat).
Good bread. Duke's mayonnaise. Thick slice of heirloom tomato. Good salt. Can be made into a sandwich or served as open-face toast. Toast feels fancier to me somehow so then I'll add basil and good vinegar.
Alternatively, a South Carolina peach warm from the windowsill eaten over the kitchen sink. That's summer!
In a similar vein as Lilly's tomato sandwich, I've been loving sardine toasts. It's toast, mayo, thick tomato slice, tinned sardines (I like the chili ones), any soft fresh herb (mint's really good), and black pepper and a lemon wedge to top. Sooo simple and FAST--only cooking is a toasty-toasty for the bread, slicey-slicey for the tomato.
I'm all about making pesto this time of year, whether it's a classic herby one or pesto Trapanese, which is Sicilian and has tomatoes, almonds, and mint in it. Pesto sauces are obviously great in pastas, but I'm a fan of making them to go with grilled meat, fish, or seafood too. Gazpacho is also a lifesaver for me because I can go either sweet or savory, and I'm also a big fan of making a stone fruit and tomato salad, with or without fresh mozzarella.
Recently made a Mediterranean plate that was great for the whole family, and can be a choose your own adventure of store bought ease or homemade stretch. Hummus (storebought or made), baba ganoush (shockingly easy to make), Costco falafel (or could make), tabbouleh (a cinch to make), fresh cut veggies for dipping, pita. Add or subtract as you wish.
non-summer chef, too. In morning , take 1 bag organic trader joe frozen multi-grain and veg mix partially thawed, 1 can chickpeas, a few tablespoons finely chopped red onion and a garlic/lemon vinaigrette. toss. meld on counter a bit, stick in fridge for rest of day. Done. TJ also now has grilled organic chick breast all ready to go and that can be added to stuff for the week without much effort. Sometimes make this with chicken and beans.
Ok I'm late but the best thing to cook in the summer if you have a lot of zucchini is riffs on the zucchini butter spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen. The key is to use a box grater to grate up the zucchini, and then to saute it with oil and butter until melty. You can go in an Italian direction with garlic and herbs, or more of a Chinese-inspired direction with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. It's the perfect veg supplement for a box of mac and cheese, packaged ramen, or something frozen.
I love to cook. All year. Summer is better on the grill so the house doesn’t get as hot as it is outside, but I’ve been addicted to broccoli salad and that viral tiktok grinder salad when I don’t feel like using heat at all.
But grilled zucchini, sautéed peppers and onions for fajitas on the grill, hot dogs and bratwurst are basically a weekly staple complete with tater salad and baked beans 🫘. Can’t beat it, if you ask me!
SAME. My husband and I both work from home and usually eat leftovers for lunch, and summer leftovers (if there are any?) just don't hit the same. I do love this pasta recipe since it feels like I'm doing something with summer produce (all those tomatoes!) but also gives me my leftover fix.
Instant Pot frittatas (you need the air fryer lid but it is completely worth it).
Toss 2-3 veggies in on the “sauté” setting for 30 minutes w/ butter or olive oil. I use a couple of potholders to literally pull out the instant pot and shake it around a few times to make sure that everything gets cooked/coated completely. Meanwhile crack a dozen eggs into a bowl and stir those up. Yes, literally a dozen, but the leftovers are A++. Once the veggies are done, take the pot out again, dump the eggs in, and add cheese across the top if you want. Put the pot back in and use the air fryer lid to bake 15 minutes at 360. Pull the pot back out and let it cool a bit before cutting
We riff on a Niçoise salad/platter a lot--Tuna, romaine, cherry toms, green beans, baby new potatoes, little mozzarella, vinaigrette and herbs over it all. Or sliced grilled chicken over spinach with roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts (jarred), a mound of rice or maybe bowtie pasta, mozzarella, Italian dressing. Add some warm bread or pita to either and...done!
oooooh this is good!
I think I lose my appetite in this level of mugginess. Dew points over 65… I dunno. I wish I could morph into a jungle tree frog and just eat ants and flower juice. But I love what Peggy wrote. When there’s a lot of fresh produce easily available, dinner does almost make itself.
FLOWER JUICE i'm with you hahaha
Almost.
Recipes from Asia/parts of the world where summer is INSANE is a great source of inspo for weekday lunches and dinners! Cold, filling foods that mostly require assembly vs. cooking. Think: cold noodles (peanut sesame noodles from NYT/Smitten Kitchen? Cold noodles with tomatoes from Eric Joon Ho? Any variant of soy, miso, etc.?). Assorted banchan (homemade or store-bought) with steamed rice. Poke bowls. Most things you put into bentos, actually. Fresh spring rolls. Papaya and mango salads. How about a handroll night instead of taco night (just buy kani or fresh fish, or do a veg one)? Lots of pickles. And a HUUUGE pitcher of cold barley tea in the fridge at all times!
This summer I've been making this slow-cooker recipe on repeat! It's so tasty. I double the recipe and freeze the second half so that we have an even easier dinner the next week. Highly recommend!
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019693-slow-cooker-chipotle-honey-chicken-tacos?unlocked_article_code=1.700.00CQ.1yK6zeegXzgz&smid=share-url
Also we just do a lot of super simple tomato/cucumber/corn salads and an easy protein. I'm with you that I'm more of a winter cook than a summer cook!
you instantly had me at SLOW COOKER!
Yes! I love that recipe too & it is on regular rotation in my house. Since you like that one, here’s another great one by Sarah DiGregorio that could be accompanied nicely by summer produce.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022407-slow-cooker-hot-honey-chicken-sandwiches?unlocked_article_code=1.700.Xgc4.S5TziIrk4pa_&smid=share-url
Have bookmarked this for next week!
Ok, so making the fried cheese isn’t exactly labor free, but I dream about this salad all winter. I love it so much. Using fresh goat cheese is also good if you don’t want to cook anything.
https://food52.com/recipes/85938-summer-fruit-salad-with-fried-goat-cheese-recipe
i'm very much not an inventive cook and summer really kills my appetite for anything but smoothies and popsicles, but this week i made my mom's gazpacho recipe and it's been lovely. i did cucumber, tomato, onion, tomatillos, tomato juice, garlic, vinegar, a little sugar, blend half of it then combine the rest, and you can certainly throw in whatever other veggies sound good
I love an easy taco salad (we usually do ground turkey, chopped tomatoes, romaine, red bell peppers, green onions, shredded cheese, and crumbled Doritos) and if I can stand boiling the water, a pasta salad is nice for dinner and then left overs the next day.
I'm also very happy to just grab a rotisserie chicken from the store, slice up some fruit and raw veggies and call it a day. It's too damn hot.
Rotisserie chickens are on heavy rotation in our house. If there was a rotisserie chicken subscription I’d sign up 😂
I love summer cooking so much—I’m the opposite of you, winter is hard for me!—because the produce is so good the meal kind of makes itself. Our standby is chicken on the grill, plus whatever local produce we have prepared so simply: farm tomatoes sliced next to a bowl of flaky salt, zucchini rounds in olive oil and salt next to the chicken on the grill, local corn boiled for a minute or two. Then served with corn tortillas and whatever condiments (hot sauce, aioli, tahini) are in the fridge. We eat this at least 3-4x week, haha!
YES this is what I aspire to do! Real farmer's market/grocery store inertia happening over here.
For a summer pasta, I love the linguine alla cecca from Nora Ephron’s Heartburn— here’s a Guardian link with the recipe
https://www.theguardian.com/books/little-library-cafe/2017/sep/29/novel-recipes-linguine-alla-cecca-from-heartburn-by-nora-ephron
I like it with angel hair pasta, too.
Caprese sandwiches! Cut open a roll (love me some mini ciabatta), brush the insides with pesto, pile on sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella. Serve with your favorite side.
There is a tomato toast recipe on Bon Appetit from a few years ago that I adore. It’s a bit fussy/complicated but at its heart it’s toast, mayo, good tomato slice, lemon zest salt and an herb. Can’t go wrong in peak tomato season with that.
I'm a sucker for a spinach salad, which is fairly low prep and delicious. The last one I did I is about the most labour I'd do - I fried some sliced pears in a little oil, salt, and honey, toasted some pecans, and then let them cool and tossed them in with some spinach, radishes, crumbly blue cheese (goat's cheese also good), green onions - just whatever was in the fridge that I thought would be good with it. Then a quick balsamic vinaigrette (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, DONE), maybe slice up some nice bread, BAM, done.
um that sounds DELISH
Tbc my kids just eat garbage while my partner and I eat this, but whatever that is not my problem. I usually set aside some of the individual ingredients for them (nuts, pears, cucumber if I used that, whatever veg they might eat).
lol totally
Good bread. Duke's mayonnaise. Thick slice of heirloom tomato. Good salt. Can be made into a sandwich or served as open-face toast. Toast feels fancier to me somehow so then I'll add basil and good vinegar.
Alternatively, a South Carolina peach warm from the windowsill eaten over the kitchen sink. That's summer!
tomato sandwiches are the fucking BEST - many of these comments are simply making me realize i need to go to grocery store lol
In a similar vein as Lilly's tomato sandwich, I've been loving sardine toasts. It's toast, mayo, thick tomato slice, tinned sardines (I like the chili ones), any soft fresh herb (mint's really good), and black pepper and a lemon wedge to top. Sooo simple and FAST--only cooking is a toasty-toasty for the bread, slicey-slicey for the tomato.
oooooh I just tried the famed fishwife canned fish and holy shit it was GOOD
and really this thread is making me realize i mostly need more good bread and more good tomatoes in my life and I'll be set lol
Have not tried those, but I'm looking out for them from now on!
BLT’s! Best dinner when it’s hot and the tomatoes are divine. We air fry the bacon which keeps the kitchen cool and the stovetop clean.
I'm all about making pesto this time of year, whether it's a classic herby one or pesto Trapanese, which is Sicilian and has tomatoes, almonds, and mint in it. Pesto sauces are obviously great in pastas, but I'm a fan of making them to go with grilled meat, fish, or seafood too. Gazpacho is also a lifesaver for me because I can go either sweet or savory, and I'm also a big fan of making a stone fruit and tomato salad, with or without fresh mozzarella.
Recently made a Mediterranean plate that was great for the whole family, and can be a choose your own adventure of store bought ease or homemade stretch. Hummus (storebought or made), baba ganoush (shockingly easy to make), Costco falafel (or could make), tabbouleh (a cinch to make), fresh cut veggies for dipping, pita. Add or subtract as you wish.
Also, fajitas.
Also, lettuce wraps, on repeat.
https://minimalistbaker.com/crispy-tofu-lettuce-wraps-with-peanut-sauce/
non-summer chef, too. In morning , take 1 bag organic trader joe frozen multi-grain and veg mix partially thawed, 1 can chickpeas, a few tablespoons finely chopped red onion and a garlic/lemon vinaigrette. toss. meld on counter a bit, stick in fridge for rest of day. Done. TJ also now has grilled organic chick breast all ready to go and that can be added to stuff for the week without much effort. Sometimes make this with chicken and beans.
I make a version of this frequently: https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/cherry-tomato-couscous-recipe.html It's flexible to add various herbs, goat cheese, snap peas, tons of pepper, extra chickpeas.
Ok I'm late but the best thing to cook in the summer if you have a lot of zucchini is riffs on the zucchini butter spaghetti from Smitten Kitchen. The key is to use a box grater to grate up the zucchini, and then to saute it with oil and butter until melty. You can go in an Italian direction with garlic and herbs, or more of a Chinese-inspired direction with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. It's the perfect veg supplement for a box of mac and cheese, packaged ramen, or something frozen.
oh YUM YUM
This is sooooo good. https://whattocook.substack.com/p/esquites-chicken-salad
Pasta salads! Especially ones with fresh mozzarella.
I love to cook. All year. Summer is better on the grill so the house doesn’t get as hot as it is outside, but I’ve been addicted to broccoli salad and that viral tiktok grinder salad when I don’t feel like using heat at all.
But grilled zucchini, sautéed peppers and onions for fajitas on the grill, hot dogs and bratwurst are basically a weekly staple complete with tater salad and baked beans 🫘. Can’t beat it, if you ask me!
SAME. My husband and I both work from home and usually eat leftovers for lunch, and summer leftovers (if there are any?) just don't hit the same. I do love this pasta recipe since it feels like I'm doing something with summer produce (all those tomatoes!) but also gives me my leftover fix.
https://alexandracooks.com/2020/09/16/pasta-with-simple-cherry-tomato-sauce/
Instant Pot frittatas (you need the air fryer lid but it is completely worth it).
Toss 2-3 veggies in on the “sauté” setting for 30 minutes w/ butter or olive oil. I use a couple of potholders to literally pull out the instant pot and shake it around a few times to make sure that everything gets cooked/coated completely. Meanwhile crack a dozen eggs into a bowl and stir those up. Yes, literally a dozen, but the leftovers are A++. Once the veggies are done, take the pot out again, dump the eggs in, and add cheese across the top if you want. Put the pot back in and use the air fryer lid to bake 15 minutes at 360. Pull the pot back out and let it cool a bit before cutting
um YES PLEASE
The NYT taverna salad recipe on repeatttttt: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025202-taverna-salad?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share