July 24, 2022

What to Eat When It's Too Hot to Cook

As the temperatures creep up with heat indexes climbing into triple digits in many areas of the globe. the last thing you want to do is heat up your kitchen. What can you prepare that's easy, delicious and beats the heat?

Watermelon Pizza

Watermelon Pizza. One sweet no bake brunch or dessert idea for summer!

Grilled Stone Fruit as an Easy Dessert

For a delicious side dish or dessert, grill fruits. Stone fruits, especially peaches, nectarines and pineapple are perfect for grilling. This is especially good after the grill is already hot--takes just a few minutes.

Fresh parsley from the garden

Tomato Salad

Vine ripened tomatoes and fresh parsley make a quick and delicious salad. Dress with white balsamic and olive oil. Add cubes of mozzarella or feta cheese for a complete meal.

Garden fresh vegetables

When tomatoes. salad greens and cucumbers are at their peak in summer, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and some fresh herbs or basil, makes one tasty dish. Follow your nose to the stand in the farmers market. You know a ripe tomato by the smell. I make the most of tomato season; the best dishes have few items and little fuss.

Smitten Kitchen Watermelon Cucumber Salad

Heres a twist on two hot weather faves, watermelon and cucumbers.

Watermelon Cucumber Salad

This chicken salad was inspired by a post on a favorite food group. It used leftover rotisserie chicken and an array of veggies; dressed with a Thai basil peanut dressing, it's delicious. I used (measurements aren't exact and eyeballed the quantities): a cup of chicken, sliced Napa cabbage, minced scallions, sliced celery, carrots, cilantro, peanuts, and Thai basil dressing:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Red Boat fish sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Blend dressing until smooth. Dress salad just before serving.

This dressing also also pairs well over a broccoli salad with dried cherries.

Broccoli Salad

And if all else fails, there's always a popsicle!

Berry popsicle

Share your favorite "no cook" meal ideas for a chance to be featured in an upcoming Pat's Granola Cooking Corner feature blog.

Pat Bennett is the founder and President of Pat's Granola, a Cleveland based food and lifestyle company. Pat's Granola is sold online at www.patsgranola.com and is also available at several Northeast Ohio businesses including: