I really love summer time for good fresh food; the heat brings crisp salads, barbecued meat, fresh vegetables and an abundance of refreshing herbs to top everything off with!
I also tend to want to eat less when it's hot, so I like making picky dinners with various components that can be eaten cold the next day if needed.
Below is a round up of some really easy summer dishes which you can combine any way you like, with or without a sticky barbecued sausage or chicken drumstick, to make a delicious fresh and healthy summer dinner!
New Potatoes are a staple of summer food, chop them in half and boil until you can stick a fork through them easily (about 20 mins) and serve doused in butter and fresh rosemary.
This green salad is made up of spinach leaves (sooo good for you!), boiled trimmed green beans and peas and tossed with some watercress for bite and fresh mint for zing.
This Caribbean mango and red onion salsa is so versatile and even easier to make! Dice mango, red onion and pepper (I've used orange pepper here but red pepper works well) and toss with olive oil and chopped mint and oregano. Serve with barbecued meat.
A spicy chilli pasta can be whipped up in about 15 minutes and is really satisfying when paired with salty feta and zingy mint. Once your pasta is boiled toss it in chilli oil, chopped fresh chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, feta and fresh mint.
This roasted vegetable quiche is great on its own, served hot or cold for a summer lunch, or paired with salad and potatoes for a more substantial dinner. Take it on a picnic or serve for friends who comes round for a party.
I made my own shortcrust pastry using this recipe but you can always use pre-bought stuff. I blind-baked the base (place the pastry in the dish, fill with something heavy, preferably ceramic baking balls, and bake in the oven) for 20 mins at 200 degrees while I mixed my filling.
To make the filling I chopped aubergine, courgette, sweet pepper and red onion and roasted them in the oven in oil, salt and pepper until soft and slightly char-grilled. Meanwhile I beat two eggs and mixed with 150ml double cream and fresh mint and parsley. Once the base was baked I added the veg and the egg-cream mix. I topped the quiche with mushroom, spinach and halved baby plum tomatoes and baked in the oven at 200 degrees for another half an hour to 40 minutes, until the egg filling was set.
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I hope this has given you some good summer food inspiration! Use any filling you like for the quiche (just keep the egg-cream filling the same) and have fun experimenting!
Enjoy!