Disease-busting summertime meal ideas

Too hot to fire up the oven these days?  It’s mid-July in Washington, DC, so...YUP.

For the majority of the year, I really love cooking chilis, soups, and stews for numerous reasons - they make it simple to get a ton of nutrition in one meal, generally create less dishes/pots/pans to clean up, and are easy to make a huge batch of for freezing of leftovers purposes.  But when the dog days of summer come along, the idea of heating up my kitchen and my insides with a hot meal becomes much less appealing.

Fortunately there are many summer meal ideas that I love, that are lighter yet still filling, are also extremely nutritious, and don’t require an oven.  

Here are a few ideas:

Raw Salads!  They’re not just your bland bowl of iceberg lettuce anymore. You can make salad part of your meal or your whole meal (think of Seinfeld and Elaine’s “Big Salad”).

Summertime is the right time to take advantage of nature’s bounty in raw form - try mixing it up regularly with different types of lettuce and raw greens and a WIDE variety of veggies and fruits.  I love including powerhouses such as kale, carrots, radish, peppers, walnuts, pecans, seeds, avocado, red onion, blueberries, etc.  And here is my secret for a successful salad - include chopped fresh dates.  Dates, in my opinion are one of nature's little known secrets - they aren’t super common in American diets yet they are DELICIOUS and have amazing health benefits.  It’s no surprise then that adding them to a salad makes the whole darn thing ten times tastier.  I have converted numerous non-salad lovers by including dates in my salads served to company!

For the dressing, it’s easier, healthier, and way cheaper to make your own rather than buy a bottled version.  I make a balsamic vinaigrette that is balsamic, olive oil, garlic, honey, dijon mustard, and salt & pepper, and it’s delicious.  Use Google to search recipes for fresh dressings that appeal to you.

“Other” cold salads!  This category can include things like pasta/veggie salads (with homemade italian dressing), a chickpea, cherry tomato, and quinoa salad, a black bean and corn salad, or a classic three bean salad with apple cider vinegar.  

Again, google is your friend here - look up recipes that sound good to you and don’t require an oven, just be sure to look for the healthiest versions and make alterations as necessary.

Dips!  Who doesn’t love a good “dip buffet”?!  Freshly made Guacamole (with extra garlic) is easy to make and is like heaven to me, and I also enjoy homemade black bean dip, spinach and/or artichoke dip (can be made vegan if desired), and hummus.  

Pair a variety of dips with a variety of chopped raw veggies and you are good to go!  This meal travels easily and is a good one for taking to the pool or on a picnic.

Food Boards!  Rest assured, there is nothing “boring” about Food Boards -- bahahaha! I like to call them, “charcuterie-style, hold the charcuterie” Boards.  Take a big wooden cutting board and load it up in an artistic fashion with things like raw veggies & hummus, whole grain crackers and organic cheese or cashew cheese, a variety of nuts, berries, dried fruits, etc.).  You can totally wing it and mix it up each time.  

True disease-busting Boards are not only on-trend, they are totally packed with nutrition and are a super fun way to spice up a summer night.

Fruit!  Summer is the time for ripe berries, peaches, watermelon, cherries, plums, nectarines….and now I’m drooling.…  

I love to occasionally have just a light dinner and then load up on nature’s candy (that’s fruit!) for dessert.  This could involve something as simple as a good old fashioned Fruit Salad - get your hands on a variety of fresh, delicious summer fruits, then get to slicing and dicing and mix them all together in a big ‘ol bowl.

Another idea is a side dish of a chic Watermelon/Mint/Lime salad or a classic Waldorf salad.  Yet again, Google is your friend for finding amazing summer fruit recipe ideas that are sure to be a big hit at pool parties. 

No matter the temperature or time of year, we should keep our healthy and healing diets a high priority.  With a little imagination and thinking outside of the box, summer meals can be delicious AND disease-busting, all while keeping the kitchen cool. 

Definitely take advantage of the Farmer’s Markets this time of year as they are sure to be bursting with colorful inspiration.  Happy summer!