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Summertime means spending more time outside and less time in the kitchen. But that doesn’t mean you have to eat store-bought salads or frozen pizzas. From outdoor grilling to creative picnic fare or casual family dinners, there is something for everyone to enjoy, according to The Pioneer Woman. Here are seven simple and nutritious summer recipes that will heat up your taste buds and not your kitchen.
Lemon Pasta
Lemon pasta, or pasta al limone in Italy where this dish originated from, is a perfect light summer meal. This recipe from The Pioneer Woman only requires one-pot and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. All you need is spaghetti, olive oil, unsalted butter, garlic, kosher salt, pepper, fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese, fresh lemon zest, and lemon juice. You use the pasta water instead of heavy cream so the lemon flavor really shines. You can add grilled chicken or salmon if desired.
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Tomato Baguette Sandwiches
Sandwich making is an art, according to the Real Simple blog, and this recipe is the pièce de resistance. It starts with a freshly cut baguette spread with salted chive butter, sliced ripe heirloom tomatoes, sliced cheese – Gruyere, Comté, or sharp cheddar cheese –, baby arugula, and a can of crispy fried onions. This sandwich is perfect for a picnic.
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Savory Chicken and Rice
This easy one-pot dinner from the foodie blog Taste.com is made with basmati rice and chicken breast filets. You will also need a red pepper, onion, chicken stock, a 230-gram package of frozen corn, peas, and carrots, shallots, garlic, paprika, and olive oil. It’s easy to make this recipe vegetarian by using mushrooms and vegetable stock.
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Glazed BBQ Salmon
Instead of having hot dogs and hamburgers class up your BBQ with this glazed salmon recipe from The Salt and Pepper Skillet blog. It’s super easy to make, uses only five ingredients – salmon filets, canola oil, salt, pepper, and barbecue sauce – and takes only 20 minutes to cook. You can garnish the dish with fresh herbs. Serve with a healthy salad for a complete meal.
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No-Bake Summer Vegetable Lasagna
Enjoy lasagna without turning on the oven with this recipe from Real Simple. This lasagna is full of healthy summer vegetables like cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and onions. Ricotta cheese and sauce holds the lasagna together. You must use boiled lasagna and not the no-cook sheets. This is sure to be a family favorite.
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Vegetarian Fajitas
These quick and easy veggie fajitas from BBC Good Foods are perfect for summer meals. You will need a 400-gram can of black beans, large flour tortillas, an avocado, sour cream, one red and one yellow pepper, red onion, one lime, garlic, coriander, chili pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin. If you don’t have all the spices you can buy a package of fajita seasoning.
Caesar Salad
No summer recipe collection is complete without at least one salad. This Caesar salad recipe from the Love & Lemons blog has four main components, romaine lettuce, grated Italian cheese, croutons, and Caesar dressing. You can make homemade croutons, or purchase them from your supermarket. You can also buy Caesar dressing but the recipe includes a simple version made with Greek yogurt and no anchovies. This Caesar salad calls for a few unconventional components including chickpeas, radishes, pine nuts, and chives. This hearty salad is a complete meal.
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