Nourish
7 ASSEMBLY-ONLY DINNERS FOR WHEN IT’S TOO HOT TO COOK
In the heat of the summer, the last thing you want to do is make things even more sweltering by turning on your oven cooking something on the stove. Our solution for these steamy days? Assembly-only dinners. They require a little chopping, maybe some tossing—and (best of all) zero heat. Try our favorites below, and tell us about your go-to no-cook dinners in the comments below!
WATERMELON FETA SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS
Place watermelon cubes, garbanzo beans, crumbled feta, and pistachios on a platter. Add thinly sliced red onion, a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar (try white balsamic), and salt and pepper to finish.
PEACH AND TOMATO SALAD
Slice a super-ripe peach and a large heirloom tomato. Toss gently with sliced shallot, olive oil, and red-wine or balsamic vinegar. Top with salt and pepper, creamy goat cheese, and a side of hard-cooked eggs or leftover chicken for a protein boost.
SHRIMP TACOS WITH CABBAGE
Pick up fully cooked cocktail shrimp from the seafood case at your market (or fully cooked shrimp from the freezer aisle, which just needs a soak in cold water to be ready to eat), and tuck it into warm corn tortillas with freshly shredded cabbage, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and pico de gallo or salsa.
SWEET CORN TACO SALAD
Assemble a salad with fresh, raw sweet corn cut right off the cob, black beans, chopped avocado, chopped tomato, a little red onion, and fresh cilantro. Drizzle with a 1:1 mixture of salsa and whole-fat yogurt.
SMOKED SALMON WITH MELON
Wrap slices of cantaloupe, honeydew, or other favorite heirloom melon with thinly sliced smoked salmon. Sprinkle on a little fresh dill, drizzle with plain full-fat yogurt, and dig in.
AVOCADO TUNA SALAD WITH ZUCCHINI SLICES
Mash together ½ a ripe avocado with a packet of low-mercury tuna. Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dollop onto sliced rounds of tender zucchini and sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crushed red pepper.
SHREDDED CRUNCHY SALAD WITH PEANUT SAUCE
Toss shredded carrots, cabbage, and/or beets with a simple peanut sauce: Stir together 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce, a garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, both grated on a fine microplane. Top with hemp seeds and fresh cilantro. (You can use Sunbutter instead of peanut butter for a peanut-free option.)
In the heat of the summer, the last thing you want to do is make things even more sweltering by turning on your oven cooking something on the stove. Our solution for these steamy days? Assembly-only dinners. They require a little chopping, maybe some tossing—and (best of all) zero heat. Try our favorites below, and tell us about your go-to no-cook dinners in the comments below!
WATERMELON FETA SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS
Place watermelon cubes, garbanzo beans, crumbled feta, and pistachios on a platter. Add thinly sliced red onion, a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar (try white balsamic), and salt and pepper to finish.
PEACH AND TOMATO SALAD
Slice a super-ripe peach and a large heirloom tomato. Toss gently with sliced shallot, olive oil, and red-wine or balsamic vinegar. Top with salt and pepper, creamy goat cheese, and a side of hard-cooked eggs or leftover chicken for a protein boost.
SHRIMP TACOS WITH CABBAGE
Pick up fully cooked cocktail shrimp from the seafood case at your market (or fully cooked shrimp from the freezer aisle, which just needs a soak in cold water to be ready to eat), and tuck it into warm corn tortillas with freshly shredded cabbage, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and pico de gallo or salsa.
SWEET CORN TACO SALAD
Assemble a salad with fresh, raw sweet corn cut right off the cob, black beans, chopped avocado, chopped tomato, a little red onion, and fresh cilantro. Drizzle with a 1:1 mixture of salsa and whole-fat yogurt.
SMOKED SALMON WITH MELON
Wrap slices of cantaloupe, honeydew, or other favorite heirloom melon with thinly sliced smoked salmon. Sprinkle on a little fresh dill, drizzle with plain full-fat yogurt, and dig in.
AVOCADO TUNA SALAD WITH ZUCCHINI SLICES
Mash together ½ a ripe avocado with a packet of low-mercury tuna. Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dollop onto sliced rounds of tender zucchini and sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crushed red pepper.
SHREDDED CRUNCHY SALAD WITH PEANUT SAUCE
Toss shredded carrots, cabbage, and/or beets with a simple peanut sauce: Stir together 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce, a garlic clove, and 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, both grated on a fine microplane. Top with hemp seeds and fresh cilantro. (You can use Sunbutter instead of peanut butter for a peanut-free option.)
