5 Healthy Summer Dinner Recipes
On summer’s warmest evenings, you don’t want to spend hours laboring over a hot stove. That’s why we compiled some easy options for tasty, nutritious meals that you’ll love.
1. Gazpacho
Gazpacho is a cool and refreshing summertime classic. Try Alton Brown’s recipe for a simple approach that highlights fresh tomatoes.
- Start by boiling three quarts of water. Gather about a pound and a half of vine-ripened tomatoes and use a paring knife to make an “x” on each one.
- Place the tomatoes in boiling water for 15 seconds before transferring them to a bowl of ice water. Once they’re cool, pat them dry and remove the cores and seeds.
- Use a mesh strainer to juice the tomato seeds into a bowl. Add bottled tomato juice until you have a total of one cup.
- Transfer the juice and tomatoes into a mixing bowl. Add chopped garlic, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and jalapeno, plus lime juice, two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, half a teaspoon of ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Use a blender to puree 1.5 cups of the mixture and then pour back into the mixing bowl.
- Cover the soup and place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving with crusty bread.
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2. Shrimp Fajitas
One of the best things about fajitas is that they’re endlessly customizable; you choose the protein, seasonings, and toppings that you like best. Here’s one possibility: a recipe from SkinnyTaste that packs plenty of flavor and comes together in about half an hour.
- Slice two onions and two bell peppers.
- Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and toss with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Season a pound and a half of shrimp with salt, pepper, and chili powder.
- In a separate skillet, heat a teaspoon of oil on high. Add the shrimp with a couple cloves of chopped garlic. Cook for about two minutes on either side and then remove from heat.
- Add juice from one lime and some chopped cilantro to the shrimp.
- Combine the shrimp with the onions and peppers.
- Serve with tortillas and your choice of toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, and sliced avocado or guacamole.
3. Peach-Glazed Chicken Breasts
Grilled chicken is a classic choice for getting lean protein in your diet, and this recipe from Bobby Flay adds summery flavor with a peach glaze.
- Prepare the glaze by stirring together two cups of peach preserves with three tablespoons of olive oil, two tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, three chopped cloves of garlic, one chopped jalapeno, salt, and pepper. Set aside half a cup of the mixture.
- While heating your grill, brush olive oil onto the chicken breasts and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for about six minutes on either side before adding the glaze. Then continue cooking until the chicken is done. Use a meat thermometer to check that the breasts have reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut four peaches in half and remove the pits. Place the halves on the grill with the cut side down for two minutes. Flip them, and brush on the glaze you reserved. Cook until the peaches are soft.
- Serve the chicken breasts with the grilled peach halves.
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4. Zucchini Pasta With Tuna
Here’s a great way to add some kick to zucchini while using up ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, courtesy of Melissa Clark:
- Boil spaghetti or linguine in salted water. Once it’s al dente, drain while reserving half a cup of water.
- Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium. Cook the white parts of four scallions for a minute before adding a pound of sliced zucchini with a little salt. Cook until the zucchini is tender.
- Throw in three cloves of sliced garlic, three tablespoons of capers, and some chili paste and cook another couple minutes.
- Pour in the pasta water and reduce for three or four minutes. Toss pasta and some chopped cilantro in the sauce. Then stir in a can of drained tuna and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice.
- Top the pasta with scallion greens, some more cilantro, and a little olive oil to serve.
5. Cobb Salad
Cobb salad is an American classic and hearty enough to shine as a main course. Serious Eats recommended a version that captures all the flavors that made this salad a star and looks amazing on your plate.
- To follow this recipe, you’ll need to prepare eight slices of bacon, three hardboiled eggs, and two poached chicken breasts (cut into cubes). To poach a chicken breast, cook it in salted water with herbs and aromatics like garlic, onion, carrot, celery, scallion, ginger, or parsley.
- Make a vinaigrette by using a blender to combine half a cup of red wine vinegar with a chopped shallot, two tablespoons each of Dijon mustard and honey, and salt and pepper. Once the mixture is smooth, keep the blender running while slowly adding 2/3 of a cup of olive oil. It should take about a minute for the dressing to emulsify.
- Toss chopped romaine lettuce with half a cup of vinaigrette. Move to a serving bowl.
- Toss the chicken with two tablespoons of vinaigrette. Place the chicken on top of the lettuce.
- Toss a cup of halved cherry tomatoes in two tablespoons of the dressing and move them to the serving dish.
- Add chopped bacon, avocado, wedges of egg, and crumbled blue cheese.
- Serve with the remaining dressing on the side.
Make the most of the warm months this year by trying some new recipes that are as tasty as they are nutritious.
Sources
Gazpacho. Food Network.
Shrimp Fajitas. Skinnytaste.
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Spicy Peach Glaze. Food Network.
Zucchini Pasta With Tuna and Chile Paste. New York Times Cooking.
Cobb Salad. Serious Eats.