Too Hot To Cook

Keeping It Cool - Summertime Cooking Tips

The last thing we want to do in the hot summer is heat up the kitchen cooking dinner. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to feed your family and still beat the heat. Breakfast is fairly easy since fresh fruit, yogurt, granola, cereals and smoothies are delicious in the A.M. any time of year. Dinnertime is a little more challenging.

Here are some ideas:

Sandwich Night
Every family should adopt a weekly sandwich night, if for no other reason than to give Mom a break! But another great reason to have sandwich night is to avoid turning on the oven. Just gather up all of your family’s favorite sandwich fixings and let them go to town. If plain old sandwiches get boring, try using tortillas and creating wraps or make open faced sandwiches or panini.

Main Dish Salads
What’s nicer on a hot day than a cool, crisp, crunchy salad? In the summertime your body needs the additional water so give it what it’s craving by making a main dish salad.

To make a meal out of a salad, add cooked and cooled chicken, shrimp, tuna, beans, cheese and hardboiled eggs for additional protein.

Take It Outside
To the grill, that is. Cook your meat and veggies outside on the grill and keep the heat out of your kitchen. Then serve a nice cold fruit salad for dessert. Refreshing!

Use Smaller Appliances
If you just have to have a hot meal, use a smaller appliance. Your toaster oven or slow cooker create less heat than your stove and oven do. You can also make meals that cook quickly like omelets, quesadillas and stir fries.

Eat it Cold
Some dishes are meant to be served cool or at room temperature. Some ideas: sushi, gazpacho, chips and dips, and hummus with pita and veggies. These are excellent for lunch or dinner.

Go Raw
Summertime is a wonderful time to experiment with eating more raw fruits and veggies. Even if you don’t want to commit to a raw foods diet long term, pick up a raw food “cookbook” and experiment with some of the recipes. n