Quick & Easy Summer Recipes
With all the activities there are to do during the summer, sometimes cooking or baking is the last thing we want to do. Each of these recipes are easy, quick, and nutritional but most of all delicious for those quick dinners, summer outings, or parties you may have.
The strawberry freezer cake and the Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs are my personal favorites to either take to a party or make for the family.
I hope you enjoy each of these hand-picked recipes!
Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs:
Photo from DeliCrunch.com
Servings: 12 Sticks
Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Chicken Kabob Marinade:
¼ cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Soy Sauce
¼ cup Honey
2 Cloves Garlic minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Chicken and Vegetables:
1-pound chicken breast cut into 1-inch cube, you may also use skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch size
1 red bell pepper cut into 1-inch size
1 zucchini cut into 1-inch size
1 red onion cut into 1-inch size
Fresh parsley chopped, to sprinkle
Wood Skewers
Instructions:
Prepare the marinade by mixing the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Add the chicken to the marinade. Make sure the chicken is fully coated. You may also add the vegetables to the marinade mixture for extra flavor (optional). Leave out the zucchini otherwise the marinade will become too watery. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
Prepare wood skewers and the grill. Soak the wood skewers in water first to make it easier to put the chicken on. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
Thread the chicken and vegetables alternately onto the wood skewers. Cook for 8 min on each side. While cooking brush extra marinade onto the skewers. Sprinkle with parsley when complete. Enjoy!
Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Tacos:
Photo from: Fresh off the Grid
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cook Time: 25 min.
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 lbs.
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 limes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 Tablespoon oil
Taco Assembly:
Tortillas
Pico de gallo
Cheese
Cilantro
Instructions:
Prepare the Marinade: mix the oil, lime juice + zest, cilantro, and spices together in a small bowl. Place the chicken into an airtight container or sealable bag and pour marinade over, shaking to make sure chicken is completely coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Prepare Grill to medium-high heat.
Remove chicken from the marinade and place on grill. Cook the internal temperature to 165° F. Once cooked, remove from heat, and chop into bite-size pieces.
To assemble tacos, layer chicken, pico de gallo, cheese, and fresh cilantro into tortillas (warmed over the grill makes them even better!) and enjoy!
Mexican Pasta Salad:
Servings: 10
Cook Time: 35 min
Ingredients:
10 oz Bowtie Pasta
½ cup plain Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
1 Lime, juiced
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 ¼ tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Jalapeno
1 cup Frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup Cherry tomato halves
½ cup Chopped Cilantro
¼ cup Finely diced red onion
Instructions:
Prepare Pasta as instructed on the back of the box.
Prepare the black beans, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, and red onions.
Combine following ingredients into bowl: plain Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lime, honey, cumin, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika, canned black beans, jalapeno, frozen corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and finely diced red onion.
Add the pasta to mixture, combine, and enjoy!
Avocado Corn Salad:
Servings: 8
Cook Time: 35 min.
Photo taken from ifoodreal.com
Ingredients:
3 ears of corn, 2 cups corn kernels
1 lb. mini cucumbers or 1 large English Cucumber sliced
1 lb. grape/cherry tomatoes cut in halves or regular size, chopped
3 medium-large avocados cubed
3 green onion sprigs finely chopped
1 lime zest and juice of
2 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
½ tsp salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
To Cook Corn:
Grill: Remove corn from husks and grill on medium heat for 20 min, turning every 5 min.Microwave: Remove the end and microwave with husk on for 4 minutes. After, pick it up by the end and it will slide out of the husk.
Frozen Corn: Place in colander into a bowl with hot water for a few minutes and then drain thoroughly
If using corn on the cob, remove from the stalk using sharp knife.
In large salad bowl, add corn, cucumber, tomato, avocado, green onion, lime zest and juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Stir gently and serve cold with salmon or chicken.
Honey Pineapple Salmon:
Photo taken from awortheyread.com
Ingredients:
A 3-pound slab of salmon cut in half
2 cans pineapple rings, reserve 4 pineapple rings for the top of the salmon
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted butter or ghee
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice, orange juice, or pineapple juice
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1-2 large garlic cloves
3-4 fresh mint leaves for garnish chopped
1 teaspoon of sea salt
3-4 turns of freshly cracked black peppercorns using a pepper mill
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Remove salmon from packaging and rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels, cut the salmon into two pieces.
Take a length of aluminum foil or parchment paper and cover the bottom of a large sheet pan.
Place the pineapple rings on top of the foil in rows of 2, place the salmon on top of the pineapple rings.
Chop the remaining pineapple rings and add them to a bowl.
In the bowl with the pineapple, complete the marinade by adding the pineapple juice, melted butter (or coconut oil or ghee), sesame oil, lemon juice, honey, light brown sugar, minced garlic clove, and salt. Mix well.
Using a spoon, spread the marinade over the top of the salmon, making sure it gets onto the entire surface of the salmon. Allow the fish to marinate for a maximum of thirty (30) minutes in the fridge.
Place the sheet pan with the salmon into the oven on the center rack, and bake for forty (40) minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 145 ° F.
Remove the salmon from the oven and allow it to rest for ten (10) minutes.
Garnish with fresh mint, optional
Serve.
Strawberry Shortcake Freezer Pie:
Ingredients:
Strawberry Freezer Pie Filling:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powder sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
2 cups strawberry puree (measured after pureed) (reduced by 1/2 cup for a slightly creamier “ice cream” filling)
1 prepared 10-inch vanilla wafer or sandwich cookie crust (see notes below for gluten free crumb crust)
Strawberry Shortcake Crumbles:
One 3-ounce box strawberry flavored gelatin
1 cup all-purpose flour (divided) (for gluten free, use gluten free flour in place of all purpose flour)
1/2 cup butter (divided)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Strawberry Shortcake Crumbles:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a medium sized bowl stir the box of gelatin and 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup butter. Use a fork to make fine and crumbly.
In a separate medium sized bowl stir 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Use a fork to make fine and crumbly.
On parchment lined baking sheet sprinkle on the strawberry crumbles. Then sprinkle on the vanilla crumbles, ever so slightly mixing them by hand.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes at 350 F. Do not stir at all.
Remove from oven and let cool completely (at least 1 hour). If they feel warm, place the baking sheet in fridge or wait another 30 minutes. Crumble into an airtight container to store.
Makes 3 cups of strawberry shortcake crumbles.
Strawberry Freezer Pie Filling:
In a large mixing bowl use an electric mixer (like KitchenAid) to beat the heavy whipping cream and powder sugar together until very stiff peaks form. Set aside in fridge.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until creamy and no lumps. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat another minute or so until thoroughly combined.
Add the pureed strawberries and mix well.
Pour the strawberry mixture into the whipped cream and stir until well combined.
Pour into prepared 10-inch pie crust (9-inch is okay, but you will have some leftover that will not fit). Freeze for 4 to 5 hours.
When ready to serve, remove from freezer and let thaw about 10 minutes. Layer on strawberry shortcake crumbles and serve.
***Please keep in mind that Maria is not a nutritional expert, and these recipes are just suggestions based on research.***
-By: Maria Fontaine, Dreissig Apparel Inc. Fashion Design and Merchandising Intern
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