Cool Off This Summer: 6 No-Oven Lunches & 3 No-Bake Desserts
It’s nasty hot in much of the United States. A record heat wave this summer has sent many people indoors to avoid the dangerous temperatures. Even if you have air conditioning, you don’t want to heat up your house unnecessarily during lunchtime. So try these no-oven lunch recipes to keep your home cool this summer. And finish lunch with one of our three no-bake desserts.
Six no-oven lunch recipes:
- Gazpacho Andaluz: Cold soup is a great summer treat. Make our gazpacho andaluz with fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion and bell peppers. It’s all made in the food processor and served cold.
- Spicy Vegan Avocado Soup: Fresh avocados, jalapenos, lime juice and your choice of mint or cilantro makes up this simple and stunning no-cook chilled soup.
- Kale Salad with Parmesan: Cut one bunch of kale into ribbons and add red onion, olive oil, lemon juice and parmesan cheese to turn it into a quick and delightful summer lunch.
- Mayonnaise-Free New Potato Salad: You will have to turn on a burner for this one, but primarily to boil your potatoes. Substitute fried halloumi cheese and a bit of olive oil for the bacon to make this salad a vegetarian delight.
- Quinoa Salad with Cucumber and Carrots: Once you boil your quinoa, you’ll go heatless for this treat. A bit of white wine vinegar added to the quinoa, cucumber, radishes and carrots makes this salad super refreshing. Top it all off with feta cheese. Yum.
- Watermelon Salad with Thai Basil and Feta: Savory watermelon salad is a rare treat. Try this no-cook version with Thai basil, feta cheese, red onion and vinaigrette.
Finish off your cool-off lunch with one of our three no-bake desserts:
- No-Bake Berry Icebox Cake: Try any combination of summer berries with this delicious icebox treat. My girls and I like it with strawberries and blueberries. Crushed graham crackers and home-whipped cream complete this summer delight.
- No-Bake Berry Pie: You’ll have to have an already-prepared crust for this one. But once that’s ready, you simply boil the berry mixture and pour it into a crust. Let it chill and the arrowroot will cause the mixture to thicken almost like a healthy jello mold. Yum!
- 5 Minute No-Bake Brownie Bites: Make these beauties mostly in the food processor and chill for a couple of hours to create cold brownie bite treats. Pecans and dates are added to the cocoa to make a dough-like brownie base, which you can top with dried cherries and pistachios.
Keep in touch with Kristi on Twitter @VeggieConverter and Pinterest
Image: steve coutts
