{"id":500,"date":"2009-07-07T20:49:54","date_gmt":"2009-07-07T20:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=500"},"modified":"2009-07-07T20:49:54","modified_gmt":"2009-07-07T20:49:54","slug":"whats-for-dinner-on-hot-summer-nights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/whats-for-dinner-on-hot-summer-nights\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s for Dinner on Hot Summer Nights?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Put Some &#8220;Summer Style&#8221; into Your Meals<\/h1>\n<p>When the weather turns hot, deciding what&#8217;s for dinner can leave you feeling completely cold and clueless.\u00a0 All our usual standbys seem to lose their appeal in the heat.<\/p>\n<p>The problem may lie less with the weather and more with our mealtime &#8220;wardrobe.&#8221;\u00a0 Nobody dons turtlenecks and wool pants to face the heat of summer.\u00a0 We switch wardrobes for the season!\u00a0 Likewise, we need to put a little &#8220;summer style&#8221; into the mealtime lineup when hot weather rolls in.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Grilling Meat\" src=\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/grilling_meat.jpg\" alt=\"kk\" width=\"220\" height=\"328\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">While meats go hand in glove with a grill, don&#39;t forget about vegetables.  I think of the grill as my &quot;summer oven.&quot;  Whether it&#39;s sweet potatoes, zucchinni or asparagus, whatever I might roast in the winter, I grill in the summer, getting the same, tender browned vegetables with a sweetly concentrated flavor.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Beyond Grilling <\/strong>Grilling is the most obvious option, so common in fact, that in some households the stovetop is basically mothballed for the summer.\u00a0 If you&#8217;re ready\u00a0to expand your summer style beyond the grill, however, there are plenty of other options.\u00a0 Think <strong>*light<\/strong>, <strong>*cool <\/strong>and <strong>*fresh<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color:#000000;\"><strong>Light<\/strong> <\/span> Instead of those roasts that are so comforting in December, take advantage of the wonderful <strong><span style=\"color:#ff0000;\">fresh fish<\/span><\/strong> shipped down from Alaska in the summer, like salmon, halibut and cod.\u00a0 Serve with a fruit salsa or fresh herb pesto.\u00a0 Maybe even <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>go meatless<\/strong><\/span> some nights and combine a couple vegetable dishes and a grain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color:#000000;\"><strong>Light<\/strong> <\/span> Instead of heavy stews and casseroles, <strong><span style=\"color:#ff0000;\">get imaginative with salads<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0 A bed of lettuce can be the backdrop for a wide range of &#8220;accessories,&#8221; from proteins like fish, chicken and steak to beans of every color, nuts of every stripe, cheeses of every flavor, fresh herbs and of course, practically any vegetable, either raw, pan-fried or grilled.\u00a0 Then play with one of the many uniquely-flavored dressings on the market if you don&#8217;t want to make your own.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color:#0000ff;\"><span style=\"color:#000000;\">Cool<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>When it comes to <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>grain dishes, serve them salad-style<\/strong><\/span> rather than as hot skillets.\u00a0 Cook grains in the morning, cool in the frig all day, then use as a salad base.\u00a0 Cooled buckwheat, for instance, tastes sweet and nutty.\u00a0 Combine it with sliced sugar snap peas, sauteed onions and mushrooms, toasted walnuts and roasted red peppers.\u00a0 Add a simple dressing of olive oil, fresh herbs and lemon juice and you&#8217;ve got a refreshing one-dish meal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure style=\"width: 370px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Spinach Strawberry Salad\" src=\"http:\/\/i722.photobucket.com\/albums\/ww230\/mcolletterogers\/pic_spinach-strawberrySalad.png\" alt=\"Fruit is another stellar salad addition, especially fresh, but dried will work until flavorful fresh fruits come to market.\" width=\"380\" height=\"253\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fruit is another stellar salad addition, especially fresh, but dried will work until flavorful fresh fruits come to market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cool <\/strong>Summer is an ideal opportunity to be lazy.\u00a0 Blame the heat if &#8220;all&#8221; you get on the table is a <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>sandwich or wrap<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0 But don&#8217;t be fooled; bread and tortillas can easily pack a completely filling, balanced and tasty meal.\u00a0 Consider even a simple turkey wrap made with a whole grain tortilla, bursting with shredded carrots, red pepper strips, cucumber slices and lettuce.\u00a0 With or without cheese, it looks like a full meal to me!\u00a0 Make it even more special with pesto mayonnaise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"color:#0000ff;\"><span style=\"color:#000000;\">Cool<\/span> <\/span><\/strong> Or you could skip the bread and tortillas and simply serve up some <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>&#8220;cold cuts,&#8221;<\/strong><\/span> but not the kind with unpronounceable preservatives and colorings in them.\u00a0 Many stores now carry deli meats that (imagine this) contain just meat flavored only by salt, spices and plant-derived compounds.\u00a0 (e.g., <a href=\"http:\/\/www.applegatefarms.com\/Products\/ProductDetail.aspx?id=1696\" target=\"_blank\">Applegate Farms Herbed Turkey Breast<\/a>).\u00a0 Serve slices rolled with lettuce and tomato inside.\u00a0 Or serve <strong><span style=\"color:#ff0000;\">tofu slices Japanese style<\/span><\/strong>, with green onions, soy sauce and sesame seeds.\u00a0 Or canned <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>canned tuna fillets<\/strong><\/span> with light rye crisps and mustard.\u00a0 Or cold <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>chicken strips dipped in prepared peanut sauce<\/strong><\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fresh<\/strong> Closely related to the idea of cold cuts,<span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"> <\/span><strong><span style=\"color:#800080;\"><span style=\"color:#ff0000;\">finger foods<\/span> <\/span><\/strong>take advantage of the amazing array of fresh fruits and vegetables available in the hot months.\u00a0 Imagine lounging on the patio in the shade, nibbling on a plate of simply sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, crisp Asian cucumbers, juicy watermelon, and chili-lime corn on the cob?\u00a0 That&#8217;s one of our favorite summertime meals.\u00a0 For a little more substance, pair it with cheese and crackers, hummus and pitas, nuts or French bread.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fresh<\/strong> <span style=\"color:#ff0000;\"><strong>Pasta<\/strong> <\/span>is perfect for summertime, especially in salads.\u00a0 Hot pasta can be fine, too, just <em>sans <\/em>the heavy cream and thick tomato sauces.\u00a0 Instead, combine with fresh vegetables lightly cooked and tie together with light broth-based sauces featuring fresh herbs and olive oil.\u00a0 Top with a little fresh Parmesan, feta or chevre.\u00a0 Check out <a href=\"http:\/\/vegetableamonthclub.com\/lynnspasta.html\" target=\"_blank\">Lynn&#8217;s Super Fast Spinach Pasta Dish<\/a> in the <a href=\"http:\/\/vegetableamonthclub.com\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Vegetable A Month Club<\/a> for a good example&#8211;and starting point.\u00a0 That dish can be creatively modified to showcase practically any of summer&#8217;s luscious vegetables.\u00a0 P.S. Don&#8217;t forget to use whole grain pasta.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One final tip:\u00a0 Don&#8217;t wait until 5:00 when you&#8217;re driving home in a hot car to decide on dinner.\u00a0 All these great ideas will vanish like a heat mirage as you just struggle to get home intact.\u00a0 Take the time now, with everything fresh in your mind, to plan several meals drawing on these ideas.<\/p>\n<p><em>Mary Collette Rogers, meal planning master, is the author of <a href=\"http:\/\/everydaygoodeating.com\/page22.html#TCYKWorsheetCD\" target=\"_blank\">Take Control of Your Kitchen<\/a>, the guide to managing our cooking time like a pro.\u00a0 Find out more about the &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/everydaygoodeating.com\/page29.html\" target=\"_blank\">Plan Ahead Habit<\/a>,&#8221; the most important piece of a smooth-running dinner operation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the weather turns hot, deciding what&#8217;s for dinner can leave you feeling completely cold and clueless.  The problem may lie less with the weather and more with our mealtime &#8220;wardrobe.&#8221;  Find out how to add a little &#8220;summer style&#8221; to make your mealtime lineup more appealing when the hot weather rolls in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2,20,32],"tags":[203,259,272,302,379,380,430,503,561,588,638,663],"class_list":["post-500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-make-vegetables-taste-good","category-healthy-cooking-basics","category-recipes","category-meal-planning-organization-in-the-kitchen","tag-finger-foods","tag-grain-salads","tag-grilling","tag-hot-weather-meals","tag-meal-ideas-for-summer","tag-meal-planning","tag-pasta","tag-sandwiches","tag-summer-salads","tag-tofu","tag-what-to-cook-for-dinner-in-summer","tag-wraps","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/500\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}