Summer Meal Ideas

Some of you on Facebook might get tired of all my food photos, so I thought I would condense some of my favorite summer dinner pics in one blog post for those who are interested. For those of you who get stuck in a cooking rut in the summer, I hope it gives you some ideas. I like to cook very simple things in the summer, making the most out of seasonal produce. We are so lucky to have local farm-fresh fruit and veggies in Oregon!!

This pasta dish is my "go-to" dinner when I don't know what to cook. I LOVE the goat cheese sun dried tomato ravioli from Trader Joe's and usually keep some in the freezer. Otherwise, any cheese ravioli or tortellini will work.  While that is cooking I sauté some chicken and any veggies I have in the house. Stir them all together, add a little bit of heavy cream or half and half, top with some parmesan cheese and call it dinner! Definitely a family favorite! For a little more zip, be sure to add some onion, garlic and basil.

Another favorite for the summer is kabobs! I like to add each meat, veggie and fruit to a different skewer to prevent contamination from raw meat, and it also helps with the evenness of cooking. The mushrooms, peppers and squash take awhile, but the pineapple and tomatoes cook in minutes! I like to marinate some chicken and shrimp beforehand, usually in teriyaki. Or just brush on some spicy barbecue sauce! Simple and so yummy.

Pulled pork sandwiches with ranch slaw is probably my daughter's favorite right now. I put a pork roast or loin in the crockpot with some barbecue sauce (my "secret" is half Stubb's original sauce, and half Stubb's spicy sauce). I purchase the pre-shredded cole slaw mix and add some good quality organic ranch dressing in it...voila... the perfect summer slaw. I try to make my own mac and cheese, but sometimes get the frozen kind from Trader Joe's. That with some sliced watermelon makes a perfect side dish. I found the whole grain slider buns at Target! Easy, peasy weeknight meal.

Probably one of my all-time favorite summer salads is Caprese! Yum! I like to get the heirloom cherry tomatoes, the tiny fresh mozzarella balls, fresh basil and add a little bit of balsamic, olive oil and pepper. So easy and so delicious!

I served the salad with grilled steaks with sautéed mushrooms, baked sweet potato slices (with cinnamon and brown sugar), and fresh raspberries.  Another easy, fresh meal.

A great way to use all the wonderful veggies this time of year is stir fry. Last night I made teriyaki steak rice bowls. I marinated the steak in teriyaki sauce overnight, sliced it up and sautéed it, being sure to not over cook it. I removed it from the pan, added the veggies and cooked them just a little. Any veggies are great! I also like to add pineapple! Add the meat back in, add a bit more sauce, stir and add some sliced green onions on top. Sometimes I make my own teriyaki and sometimes I get that from Trader Joe's as well. This time I used the Island variety of Soy Vay. Serve over brown rice for a really healthy meal.

Summer cooking can be healthy and not too time consuming. It is actually my favorite season of the year to cook because I cannot get enough of the fresh fruit and veggies. Yum, yum. If you are interested, let me know and I will continue to post my pics and ideas. Happy cooking, y'all!