Happy 4th of July everyone!! 🇺🇸
How’re yall doing out there in this heat wave?! Have the summer doldrums hit yet? (summer doldrums = that period of time in Arkansas when we no longer get that lingering glorious springlike day but are also too far away from fall to look forward to the temps dropping anytime soon.) It can feel a bit….suffocating? Anyone else feel slightly….irritable?
But, saying that, even though physically I feel like I am trapped in a plastic bag in a microwave every time I step outside, there is also something about this time of year that I deeply love. It’s complicated. It’s a love-hate relationship.
The cicadas are loud (we don’t have an overabundance here so I can still appreciate them). The evenings never seem to end. My hair is dried out because of long pool days. The lightening bugs are plentiful. Teddy survives mainly off of popsicles. My skin is always slightly sunburnt. I love all of that.
And, most importantly, the mid-summer produce that grows in abundance this time of year is in full swing: tomatoes, peaches, watermelon, zucchini, and the plethora of herbs growing in your neighbors garden that she has given you free access to.
Thank the good Lord for the above because without this bounty, we would have likely perished this week. Our AC devastatingly went out this week on the first excessive heat warning day of the year, and so ain’t no way in hell Mama is cookin’!
Which brings me to the topic of this newsletter: I present to you 4 meals that you don’t have to turn on any hot kitchen appliance for. Because even if your AC is functioning optimally, there is something about standing over a burner or opening a hot oven that sounds completely terrible when the temps get above 90.
So, welcome. We ain’t cookin’ this week, but let me tell you what: we are still eating WELL.
As always, thanks for being here. If you’ve found this page but are not yet subscribed and want 4 recipes a week sent right to your inbox, let me help you with that.
For this week’s recipe lineup, we’ve got:
smoked salmon egg salad
summer caprese board
dressed up Thai salad kit
black bean and corn salad
This week’s meals not it? See archive of past meal plans here.
What I’m thinking about this week (keep reading):
How to survive when the temps get consistently above 95 and your AC breaks.
Even though we are without AC during one of the hottest weeks of the year to date and have 4 borrowed window units running nonstop and thus cannot use any kitchen appliances or else the breaker will trip, we are doing more than fine on the food front.
Sometimes it’s really helpful to have to think outside the box. And in this scenario whilst not being able to use an oven or stove, it’s forced me to have to think more creatively about our meals this week. But, tbh, I have discovered that during these months when summer produce is wildly available and highly delicious, it’s not much of a challenge.
It’s actually made me think to myself, why do I EVER cook (and by cook I mean use a hot kitchen appliance) during these blazing hot months?? I’ve created meals this week that are equally as satisfying as something I might sauté or simmer or roast, but in half the time. In addition, I simply don’t feel like having a large hot plate of lasagna or a pot roast, so something fresh, cooling, and crisp fits the bill better anyways.
So I’ve decided that even once our AC is back up and running, imma continue to lean a lot more into what summer has available in terms of foods that don’t necessarily need to be cooked, which will hopefully cut down on our energy bill, allow me to spend less time in the kitchen, conserve my own body temperature, and maybe make me more pleasant to be around overall. 🙃
So, here are your four (no-cook) recipes this week!
1. smoked salmon egg salad
Adapted from Taste of Home: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/smoked-salmon-egg-salad/
Essentially egg salad but better because of the addition of smoked salmon. Buy your hard boiled eggs in the deli section at the grocery store and you don’t have to cook a thing. You can always hard boil them yourself at home if you want, but please don’t forget about them and let them burn to a crisp like I just did 30 seconds ago. True story. 🤭
Ingredients
3/4 cup mayo
~1 Tbsp fresh dill
squeeze of lemon juice
salt & pepp to taste
6 hard-boiled large eggs, chopped
4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
6 croissants, split
1-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach or other leafy green
Directions
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add in the salmon and eggs and mix well. Taste and adjust flavor to your liking (ie, I usually add more lemon and salt here 🙃).
Scoop the salad on top of the bottom of the croissant, add some spinach leaves or whatever other kind of edible green leaf you have on hand, and enjoy.
Totally optional side ideas
watermelon, chips
2. summer caprese board
Nothing is more disappointing than a tomato during off-season, but nothing will exceed your expectations more than a ripe tomato during peak season. I stand by what I said. Serve with mozzarella or burrata, some fresh picked basil leaves, prosciutto, a pile of sliced stone fruit (peaches taste like magic rn), crusty bread, finish with good olive oil and salt & pepp and you have the most unbelievably perfect meal ready in 10 minutes with no cooking required.
PS I didn’t add measurements here because this is a build-your-own kind of situation.
Ingredients
sliced mozzarella or torn up burrata
fresh basil leaves
perfectly ripe local tomatoes
sliced fruit like peaches, berries, watermelon, cherries, etc
sliced crusty bread
prosciutto
olive oil
salt & pepp to taste
Directions
Arrange all ingredients on a charcuterie board, plate, or any other serving apparatus of your choosing. Drizzle with a healthy amount of good olive oil and a solid sprinkling of salt & pepp. Eat outside with a glass of wine while you watch the lightening bugs come out.
Totally optional side ideas
a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio
3. dressed up Thai salad kit
Adapted from Robin Dagg Nutrition: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8pKCidOktf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
My best friend from grade school just started her own dietitian business and it is SO COOl to see how our lives have crossed paths as time goes on. 🥲 It brings a tear to my eye to think about us as pre-teen girls in 6th grade, obsessing about boys and laughing for hours on end (she was my funniest friend and I could never stop laughing around her), and now we get to talk about our kids, our businesses, and life in general together and that is really something special. To reunite with old friends is such a gift!
In addition, she is an incredible chef 👩🍳 and mother to 2 young children (she fully understands the plight of feeding young ones). She launched her business Robin Dagg Nutrition, earlier this year, and yall need to go follow her on IG right now because the recipes she comes up with are 1) always beautiful and delicious 2) kid-friendly, and 3) extremely creative and easy. I urge you to go make these pina colada power balls right now.
Right on cue when our AC broke, Robin posted about dressing up salad kits as an easy, satisfying, nutritious, no-cook meal ready in 10 minutes and I was like *duh*. We eat a lot of salad kits over here, but why have I never thought to make it into a meal?
I don’t have a good answer for you, but I can tell you that this was our dinner last night and it was all I thought it would be and more.
As Robin states, “a salad kit + extra produce + protein = dinner 🍽️”.
I 100% agree.
This specific “recipe” is for the Thai salad kit, but the same formula with different ingredients will lend you the same quick and satisfying results.
Ingredients
Thai salad kit
rotisserie chicken (I bought mine pre-shredded from the deli section)
shelled cooked edamame
Directions
Dump salad kit into a bowl, save crunchy things and dressing for the end.
Add chicken and edamame.
Add dressing and whatever kind of crunchy toppers that came in your kit.
Toss and enjoy for dinner tonight and hopefully lunch tomorrow (at least this was the case for me).
Totally optional side ideas
Pita bread, fruit, your child’s leftover Easy Mac you microwaved for them
4. (bonus recipe) black bean and corn salad
Adapted from Love and Lemons: https://www.loveandlemons.com/black-bean-and-corn-salad/
I obviously like that you don’t have to cook this meal, and I also really like the versatility of it. You can serve it with chips, in a taco bowl with lettuce and call it a taco salad, heck even stuffed into a tortilla and call it a burrito. This recipe has an abundance of protein, fat, and carbs to give it some solid staying power and call it a meal. Add an egg, seasoned ground beef, or shredded rotisserie chicken if ya want a little more oomph, but you’ll get plenty of protein from the beans so only do this if you or someone in your home doesn’t view a vegetarian meal as a real meal. 🙂
Ingredients
for the dressing:
¼ cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
1 small garlic clove, grated or jarred
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 cups frozen corn, or 1 can corn, OR 2 ears of cooked corn if you live in a place with good corn (I see you my Nebraska people!!)
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
⅓ cup diced red onion
~3 tablespoons cotija or queso fresco cheese
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons toasted pepitas, optional
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice, avocado oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
Add the black beans, corn, red pepper, cilantro, jalapeño, and red onion and toss to coat.
Fold in the cheese, avocado, and additional protein source (if using) and season to taste. Sprinkle with more cilantro leaves and toasted pepitas, if ya feel like it. Missing something? Add more lime and taste again.
Until next time……happy planning and happy cooking! 🍳
As always, reach out with questions or thoughts about how this meal plan can be improved, or anything else that is on your mind at all really.
Have someone in your life who is always stressing about meal time and what to cook?
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