Summer is joyful and full of activity. It’s not really the time that you want to be standing in front of a hot stove cooking some fabulous concoction for hours on end. After all, wouldn’t you rather be at the beach, the park, the pool or grabbing a gelato to cool off? Summer meals should be easy, light, healthy and most of all, tasty! Preparing ahead is helpful too. Here are a couple of quick and easy recipes that will free you up to spend more time enjoying the day and less time hovering over the stove.
First off is my healthy Caesar Salad that offers a lighter version of the tastiest dressing than anyone can soak into some romaine lettuce! Adding some grilled chicken off the BBQ often makes this an entire dinner in our house! Second is a recipe for a healthy pesto to add to any pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
Healthy Caesar Salad
Dressing:
1 TBSP plain Greek yogurt
½ TBSP of Lite Safflower Mayonnaise (Hain is our brand of choice)
1 TSP Worcestershire Sauce
2 – 3 Cloves of garlic (depending on size of cloves)
3 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TSP Red Wine Vinegar
1 TSP Dijon Mustard
Squeeze of ¼ lemon
1 ¼ TBSP (or less) Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Whisk all ingredient’s together in a small bowl until smooth but slightly thickened.
Salad:
Head of Romaine lettuce
1 to 1 ½ cups of arugula (Rocket)
1 TBSP raw sunflower seeds
Croutons (either homemade or organic store bought)
Dress salad with a few tablespoons of dressing or as much as feels not too loaded. Serve as a side or with grilled chicken on top for full dinner. Store the remaining dressing in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Skinny Cheese Free Pesto
Tools on hand: small food prep processor.
1 ½ cups of Fresh Basil
¼ cup of Raw Almonds
1 – 2 Garlic Cloves
½ TSP Sea Salt
¼ cup (or more depending on thickness) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP (or slightly more) of Fresh Lemon Juice
Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until slightly smooth. (The almonds will make this a little chunkier than a cheese pesto but will have the same flavor overall). Heat in saucepan to loosen while making pasta of choice. Once pasta is ready, add a few spoons of the pasta water. After draining pasta, mix together to blend. Add chicken, tomatoes, or garnish of your choice that blends well with pesto!
Now get out and enjoy your summer days while they last!
