Even More Summer Cooking Ideas

Here's a few more simple summer dinner ideas for you! It is finally warming up in Oregon, so I haven't been spending all that much time in the kitchen. But you know me, I always try to get a meal on the table for my family.

Taco salad and sangria! How can you go wrong with that? For the salad, just pile all of your favorite taco fixings onto romaine lettuce. I topped mine with salsa as dressing. You could also mix salsa and ranch dressing. For the sangria, I put some yummy ripe fruit in the glass, poured in a tiny bit of simple syrup and OJ, then white wine and club soda. Add ice if you wish. Be sure to eat the boozy fruit when you are done :)

The next recipe I found on Pinterest, and of course modified it to fit our tastes. It is Chicken with Greek Salsa. I sautéed some chicken tenderloins in a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil or Pam spray. Season the chicken with lemon pepper, salt and then squeeze some lemon juice on at the last minute. While the chicken cooks, mix up the salsa: tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley and oregano. Serve over the chicken. 

I had leftover ingredients from making Caprese Salad, so I decided to make up a Caprese Pasta. This is simply cooked penne pasta, diced cooked chicken, tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella mixed with olive oil and garlic. You can serve it just slightly warm or cold as a salad.

A friend of ours just returned from France and kept mentioning crepes! I had to make some!! These have a filling of cooked chicken, steamed baby broccoli, ricotta and sharp cheddar. Be sure to make the crepe batter ahead of time so it can chill awhile. I added the filling and baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I added the shredded cheddar on top after pulling them out of the oven. You can add just about any combination in the crepes! Ricotta makes a good filler. I want to try asparagus and chicken next time. Maybe some mushrooms too!

I can't seem to get enough tropical fruit! Here I made chicken with Pineapple Mango Salsa. I sautéed the chicken the same as above for the Greek Salsa chicken only I used lime juice. The salsa has diced mango, pineapple, a can of Hatch green chilies (you could use a fresh jalapeño too), diced green onion, lime juice and cilantro. Serve the chicken over brown rice and add the salsa on top. 

Here is another variation on the Chicken with Greek Salsa. Dice up the chicken and serve in pita or flat bread with spicy hummus, tzatziki sauce (a cucumber yogurt sauce), tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives and feta. One of our favorite dinners!!

Last night I made up this Sausage Summer Saute on a whim! I pre-cooked some small yellow potatoes and then quartered them. I also cut up a red pepper, half of a Walla Walla Sweet Onion, and a package of Mango Jalapeño Chicken sausages (I get them at Fred Meyer). I heated a skillet with a little bit of vegetable oil, browned the potatoes and onions. I then added the red pepper, sausage as well as some garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. I served it with some watermelon and called it dinner! There was not one bite left in the pan! It was a hit! You can use whatever kind of sausage you prefer. 

I hope these easy recipes inspire you in the kitchen. Nothing fancy, but it sure beats eating out. Sometimes it is just nice to get other ideas to get out of your normal rut. Enjoy!!! Happy Cooking!!