Let's share some simple, tasty "summer" recipes...

[Stacia]

I would love some great ideas for summer foods/recipes that use lots of fresh fruits & veggies. :bigear: (As I'm not a gourmet cook, I'd also appreciate recipes that are relatively simple to fix.) Thanks!

 

Here's my recipe to share. We had this last night & it was a big hit. :drool5:

 

Orange-Ginger Tilapia

Ingredients:

 

For fish w/ orange-ginger sauce:

· 4 tilapia filets

· 1 orange, sliced into 8 or more pieces

· 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 2 tablespoons orange rind

· 2 tablespoons orange juice

· 2 tablespoons ginger root, chopped

· salt and pepper to taste

 

For (optional) yogurt sauce:

· 1/2 cup plain yogurt

· 1/4 cup mayonnaise

· 1 tablespoon lime juice

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, with orange rind, orange juice, ginger root and 1/4 cup cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Spread out 4 large pieces of aluminum foil, place a few orange slices onto the center each piece of foil. Place tilapia on top of the oranges. Spoon the orange sauce mixture onto the tilapia. Wrap the foil tightly and place packets on a cooking tray or baking sheet w/ edges (in case of drips).

Bake for approx. 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

 

While fish is cooking, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, olive oil, & cilantro in a bowl. (FYI, this sauce is optional. The fish is delicious w/out the yogurt sauce & delicious w/ it too.)

 

When fish are done remove from oven and unwrap. Be careful of the hot steam. Place on plate and pour 1/4th of the yogurt sauce over each fish.

 

I served this w/ steamed broccoli.

(The original, unmodified recipe is here. The original recipe calls for whole tilapia & grills it.)

Edited June 7, 2012 by Stacia

[HollyDay]

I've been making pasta salad bar. I cook a batch of whatever pasta I have in the fridge and then have available:

chopped peppers

sweet onion

tuna

hard cooked eggs

cheese

chopped celery

various beans (endamame, small red kidney, black beans)

olives

pickles

spinach

lettuce

carrots

 

basically whatever is in the fridge :)

 

I make available mayo, italian dressing, olive oil, etc for the "sauce" and everyone makes their own. Leftovers are put away in zip lock bags for snacks or salad.

 

We also enjoy hummus and fresh veggies for lunch.

[Stacia]

Bumping... :lurk5:

[Momof3littles]

I have revisited this list every summer since it was published.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?pagewanted=all'>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?pagewanted=all

 

NYT's Mark Bittman on 101 simple summer meals (10 mins or less)

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html?pagewanted=all

[LaxMom]

I used to make cold cheese tortellini with fresh mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, and torn basil, dressed with olive oil and black pepper. (Alas, I am now gluten free)

 

Salad with grilled chicken or skirt steak, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and cubed, roasted potatoes instead of croutons.

[Element]

We've been enjoying this fruit salsa with cinnamon chips recipe pretty often.

 

Salsa ingredients:

 

 

• 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
  
• 1 medium navel orange, peeled and finely chopped
  
• 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
  
• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
  

 

Cinnamon chips ingredients:

 

 

 

• 10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
  
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  

 

Directions:

 

• In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
  
• For chips, brush tortillas with butter; cut each into eight wedges. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
  
• Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp. Serve with fruit salsa. Yield: 2-1/2 cups salsa (80 chips).
  

 

Easy and tasty! :)

[KRG]

I have been enjoying this pasta salad:

 

garden rotini

slivered almonds

red grapes-halved or quartered

cubed chicken--grilled or a small can works, too

poppy seed dressing

 

Cook pasta according to pkg directions, mix other ingredients and chill.

[Sharon H in IL]

California Chicken Salad

 

I take the leftover chicken from a meal of a whole roast bird,

 

Add a half to a whole cup of halved grapes,

 

Diced celery if I have it,

 

Mix together equal parts mayo and sour cream, (maybe 1/3 cup?) season with salt, parsley, tarragon. Add a half-teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

 

Mix and let chill for a couple of hours.

 

Obviously I don't let a little thing like a recipe slow me down. I've been making this for so many years I don't consult the recipe card any more. ;)

[Calendula]

Pesto!

Arugula/walnut

Basil/pinenut

Garlic scape

[QueenCat]

A drink to go with any of the above foods:

 

Grab a pitcher, pour all ingredients in it, gently stir.

 

1 bottle of white wine

3 cans of Fresca

container of raspberries

[Ruby Rose]

I made something tonight that I thought was great, especially because all of the ingredients were in my garden, well except the bacon. :001_smile:

 

Chop turkey bacon and cook

Add chopped onion and garlic, sautéed (add Olive oil since bacon isn't greasie)

Add chopped bell pepper, okra, corn, and tomato.

 

Salt pepper to taste.

 

Cook until tender.

[Recovering Sociopath]

We just had this salad tonight and were really pleased with it: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Avocado-and-Grapefruit-Salad-353815

 

My standby is the classic caprese: fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil. Drizzle liberally with olive oil & salt and pepper to taste. Easy and so, so good! Fresh mozz gets expensive, though. :(

[kalanamak]

Tabbouli. You don't have to cook the grain, just soak and drain. Nourishing, filling, refreshing.

[Farrar]

I do catfish or tilapia in foil with butter, white wine, zucchini, and fresh sliced tomatoes. That's delicious.

 

Anything with summer squash or zucchini just screams summer to me. I also like pasta with zucchini, pine nuts, tomatoes, and basil.

[TXMomof4]

strawberry salsa is a staple during the summer here

 

1 container strawberries, chopped

1 container grape tomatoes, chopped

5-6 green onions

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Serve with tortilla chips.

[thessa516]

We discovered a new 'keeper recipe' last night with this Lemon-Herb Sauce for Grilled Chicken. I didn't pull the chicken breast out of the freezer in time to marinate them, so I grilled the plain, unseasoned chicken. After grilling, I poured the lemon-herb sauce on the chicken. Yummm! Tastes like summer.

[KrissiK]

One of my favorite all time summer lunches is this....

Get a big ol' red juicy ripe tomato from the garden. Quarter it, but don't slice all the way through so it opens up kind of like a flower. Then either sprinkle it with a little salt & pepper or some Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing. Then, make up some chicken salad (canned chicken, a little mayo, celery, onion, whatever you like), put a dollop of that inside the tomato. Enjoy!