Beat the summer heat with ‘no-burner’ meal ideas
The recent heat wave has reminded me there are some days you just don’t want to turn on the oven or stovetop, much less fire up the grill. Adding heat to the household (while taxing the A/C), or flipping burgers over a propane-powered ‘blast furnace’ isn’t my idea of fun.
Which is why lunches and dinners that go straight from the fridge to the plate are just the ticket during these sweltering times. On that note, you can spend hours building your own meals, or shop for those ready-to-serve options that eliminate all the cleaning, chopping, cooking – and cramming into containers.
Salads are an option that immediately comes to mind, and the varieties are nearly endless: Caesar, Greek, chef, garden, spring, Cobb, Waldorf, Caprese, Nicoise, and so many more. Browsing our shelves at Vince’s, I came across standard fare like coleslaw and potato salads (multiple varieties of each), not to mention bean, egg, and macaroni salads. These span the big brands to house brands (Vince’s Own), and are joined by a handful of more exotic choices like chickpea and kale, and quinoa, cranberry & pumpkin seed salad.
These are typically more satisfying than most leaf lettuce varieties, and they can be more nutritionally dense. Once again, you can build a meal around salad items, particularly those that contain both grains and beans for a decent amount of plant protein.
You can also amp up just about any green salad by adding meat or fish. Marcangelo offers fully-cooked chicken breast strips (great for Caesar, Greek or other lettuce salads), or you can add pieces of smoked salmon (ready to use) and other varieties of smoked fish.
Canned fish can be equally delicious, and opening up a tin of tuna (ideal for Nicoise salad – which also includes egg) creates a satisfying meal. Ditto for canned salmon.
Green salads can be a pain if you don’t enjoy the prep work (I don’t), making the bagged options a great time saver. You can opt for a single variety of greens like our own bagged romaine, head lettuce, or baby spinach, or go with a chopped Italian mix. For an even more turnkey solution, salad “kits” can include greens and dressings, along with a variety of ‘fixins’. I’m partial to popular choices like Fresh Express Southwest Salad (red & green cabbage, romaine, shredded carrots, tortilla strips, cheeses, and more) or Harvest Fresh Kale Super Blend (kale, broccoli, brussels sprouts, red cabbage, and carrots).
I find these chilled, fresh options to be energizing during these oppressively hot days, and best of all, they don’t cut into the time I’d rather be spending with family during our relatively short summer.
Stay safe!
–Neil
Check out how to make a Nicoise salad HERE
