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This is the time of year when the early summer vegetables are starting to appear in markets and farm stands. Everything is fresh and bursting with nutrition and taste.
Depending on where you live, some vegetables will be available earlier or later in the season. Some can be found all year-long, according to The Spruce, including carrots, radishes, and greens. Check out these five summer vegetable recipes to make that do not require turning your oven on or heating up your kitchen.
Asparagus, Tomato, and Feta Salad
This super refreshing summer salad from Cooking Classy is packed full of color, flavor, and health benefits. That’s because asparagus is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All you need is two pounds of fresh asparagus stalks, grape tomatoes, chopped walnuts, feta cheese and top it with a balsamic vinaigrette. Absolutely no heat required!
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Stir-Fried Snow Peas
These early summer peas – snow and snap – are ideal for healthy stir-fries. This recipe from Cooking NYT calls for snow peas, Bok choy, and red chili peppers but you can use asparagus and other seasonal vegetables too. If you do not have a wok, you can use a large frying pan. Serve as a side dish or add tofu, shrimp, or chicken and serve with rice to make it a complete meal.
Spicy Cauliflower Fritters
Cauliflower can be made into almost anything and it is packed full of health benefits. You can make these cauliflower fritters from One Green Planet instead of potatoes for a nutritious snack or as part of a meal. All you need is two cups of cauliflower florets, chickpea flour, rice flour, paprika, turmeric and a healthy oil to fry with. This recipe is vegan and gluten free.
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Summer Spinach Salad
Popeye had it right, spinach is good for your health. Loaded with vitamins A, K, and folate and minerals like iron, spinach is truly a superfood. This recipe from Farm Flavor combines baby spinach leaves with fresh strawberries and blueberries and is topped with homemade red wine vinegar dressing. It’s perfect for a cool summer lunch.
Cucumber Smoothie
This vegetable is great for beating the summer heat and one of the best ways to do so is to blend it into a cool and refreshing summer smoothie. This recipe from A Couple Cooks can be a healthy snack or breakfast and includes cucumbers, spinach, banana, pineapple (fresh or frozen), low-fat Greek yogurt, and either lime or lemon juice. You can add any other seasonal fruit or veggie to customize your smoothie.
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