Now that both of our kids are away at college, I am having a hard time wanting to turn on the oven or the grill to make dinner for me and my husband. Not because we have lost our appetite, it’s just too hot to cook! We are not the type to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, we still want a meal. And as summer is coming to a close, we still want to enjoy the delicious flavors of the fruits and vegetables that still scream summer. So, I am cooking what I call “no cook” meals. They are easy and delicious and of course healthy.
Crab, tuna, shrimp or lobster salad in crunchy lettuce wraps. This is easy to make and not alot of fuss. You can either pre-buy the salads or make them yourself with simple ingredients (low fat or vegan mayo, dijon mustard, fresh herbs) and rather then ciabatta bread or a hero, use boston or romaine lettuce to “hold” the salad. I love a side of corn and if you don’t want to grill or boil it you can use your microwave to cook the corn. And any leftover corn can be sliced off the cob and tossed into a salad for another meal.
Simple chickpea, avocado, cucumber, tomato and feta salad. I love this salad and found the recipe on a blog called “The Picky Eater”. Click here for the recipe. I would add some fresh watermelon to the salad. Also, while the beans are protein, my husband needs either a meat of some kind. An easy answer is to buy a pre-made rotisserie chicken and slice it off to add to the salad.
Cold poached salmon with cucumber salad. If my mother-in-law wrote a cookbook, this would be included. She makes a fantastic cucumber salad that my kids love and she taught me how to poach salmon. Her way of making it isn’t complicated but it’s more intensive than Martha Stewart. Click here for the salmon recipe. And click here for the recipe for the cucumber salad (my mother-in-law uses rice wine vinegar and dilutes the dressing with some water).
Stay healthy and happy! For more ideas and inspiration, contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com