Summer recipes are a welcome, even necessary, addition to any recipe file. After all, summer is the season of abundance. With the large variety of fruits and vegetables in season during the summer months, you’ll have plenty of menu options with these summer recipes.
So get ready to indulge in mouthwatering soups, salads, and smoothies… just what you need for those lazy summer days. And let’s face it, who wants to be hanging out in a hot kitchen when you can be outside enjoying your family and friends.
Here are 10 delicious summer recipes to beat the heat; fresh and simple meals to stay cool and hydrated.
Summer Recipes #1: Sweet Pea and Avocado Soup
Ingredients:
10 oz. frozen sweet peas
2 cups baby spinach
2 avocados, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter
½ cup mint leaves
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. In a large pot melt the butter. Then add the chopped onions and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Add vegetable stock to the onions and bring to a boil.
3. Once at a boil reduce heat to simmer. Add the sweet peas and cook for about four minutes or until tender.
4. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach and mint leaves.
5. Allow to cool and stir in avocado and lemon juice.
6. With an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Chill soup before serving.
Summer Recipes #2: Chilled Cucumber Soup
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
4 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp. dill, chopped
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups Greek yogurt
4 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. salt
Instructions:
1. Add one cucumber, 2 green onions, dill, and parsley to a food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, combine the puree, yogurt, vegetable broth, lemon juice, and salt.
3. Add the remaining cucumber and green onions to the yogurt mixture and stir.
4. Refrigerate the soup for one hour before serving.
Summer Recipes #3: Tomato Gazpacho
Ingredients:
6 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, diced
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup tomato juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1-1½ tbsp. lemon juice, preferably fresh
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook tomatoes for 20 seconds and place in ice-cold water. Peel the skin then cut in half and remove the seeds.
2. In a high-speed blender add tomatoes, tomato juice, and olive oil. Blend until the tomatoes are pureed.
3. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, and cilantro.
4. Stir together and place in the refrigerator for one hour before serving.
Summer Recipes #4: Cucumber Tomato Salad
Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
2 tsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/3 cup cilantro
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt
Instructions:
1. Cook coriander, mustard and cumin seeds in a large saucepan until they begin to pop and become fragrant.
2. Then add vinegar, sugar, salt and one cup water and simmer for two minutes.
3. In a small bowl add onions and seed mixture. Refrigerate for one hour.
4. When ready to serve, remove onions from mixture and place into a large salad bowl with the tomatoes, cucumber, and cilantro.
5. Toss and drizzle with olive oil.
Summer Recipes #5: Summer Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb. strawberries, diced
1 lb. pineapple, diced
2 mangos, diced
12 oz. blueberries
12 oz. cherries, halved
4 kiwis, diced
1 cup peaches, diced
2 bananas, diced
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp. lemon juice, preferably fresh
2 tsp. lemon zest
Instructions:
1. In a large bowl toss together strawberries, pineapple, mango, blueberries, cherries, kiwis, peaches, and banana.
2. In a small bowl whisk together honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
3. Pour honey mixture over fruit when ready to serve.
Summer Recipes #6: Chicken and Peach Salad with Balsamic-Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients for Grilled Chicken:
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Ingredients for Balsamic-Honey Vinaigrette:
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
Ingredients for Salad:
2 cups spinach
1 cup arugula
1 lb. peaches, sliced
2 cups corn kernels
½ cup pecans, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
4 oz. feta cheese
Instructions:
1. Put chicken, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in a large sealable bag and place in the refrigerator. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Once the chicken has marinated place mixture in a baking dish and cook for 25 minutes, flipping the chicken breasts halfway through.
4. While the chicken is cooking add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place in the refrigerator.
5. In a large bowl add spinach, arugula, peaches, corn, pecans, red onion and toss together lightly. Then sprinkle feta cheese on top.
6. Slice the chicken, place on top of salad, and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette when ready to serve.
Summer Recipes #7: Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients for Salad:
6 cups baby spinach
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 avocado, diced
4 oz. blue cheese or feta cheese
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Ingredients for Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. dried mustard
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1. In a small mixing bowl add olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, poppy seeds and dried mustard and whisk until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste and set in the refrigerator.
2. In a large bowl add spinach, sliced strawberries, diced avocado, feta or blue cheese, slivered almonds and sliced red onion and toss.
3. When ready to serve, add poppy seed dressing and toss.
Summer Recipes #8: Green Peach Smoothie
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach
1 cup frozen peaches
½ cup frozen pineapple
½ banana
1 cup almond milk
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (optional)
Instructions:
1. Add spinach and almond milk to a high-speed blender and mix until well combined.
2. Then add frozen peaches, frozen pineapple, banana, and protein powder. Blend until smooth.
3. If the smoothie is too thin add more banana or if it’s too thick add more almond milk.
Summer Recipes #9: Blueberry Mint Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 banana
1 cup almond milk
3-4 mint leaves
1 cup ice
Instructions:
1. Add spinach and almond milk to a high-speed blender and blend until well combined.
2. Then add blueberries, banana, mint leaves and ice and blend until smooth.
3. Simply add more almond milk if too thick or more banana if too thin.
Summer Recipes #10: Plum Sorbet
Ingredients:
2 lbs. plums, quartered
¾ cup sugar
3 tbsp. honey
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions:
1. In a high-speed blender add plums, sugar, and honey. Let sit for about 25 minutes before processing.
2. Once the 25 minutes have passed and lemon juice and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container and place in freezer for 2 hours before serving.
4. During the 2 hours, stir the plumb sorbet every 30 minutes.
Use the fruits and vegetables this season to make smoothies, salads, juices, and especially cold soups. Now is the time to bring out your summer recipes and fire up the grill.
Enjoy these delicious summer recipes!
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