• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

At the Immigrant's Table

  • Home
  • About me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Inspiration
  • Shop
  • Travel
  • Jewish Recipes
  • Russian Recipes
  • Main Course Recipes
  • Healthy Side Dishes
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Travel
  • Gluten-free Recipes
  • Paleo recipes
  • Vegan recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Travel
  • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Travel
    • Work With Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Season » Summer Recipes

    Published: Jul 23, 2015 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    A week's worth of summer dinners

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Flipboard

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    Summer calls for laid-back pastimes: bike rides along the river, picnics in the park, glistening, sweating cocktails on a patio (and lugubrious lies on the beach, if you're lucky). It also calls for unassuming, simple summer dinners that involve more assembly than cooking. Whether you're eating gluten-free, paleo, vegan or vegetarian, I got something for you in this list.

    This Sunday, I decided to bake banana bread and two batches of roasted vegetables. This Sunday, the temperature outside rose to 36C (97F) with the humidity factor. This Sunday, I clearly forgot I have no air conditioner but only one puny fan.

    You can imagine the disaster that ensued from combining all of those factors together.

    That was a reminder to go back to summer basics. If, like me, the thought of turning on the oven or spending more than 15 minutes thinking about what to eat in this heat makes you want to call for take-out, then this post is for you.

    So here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations; these are all just suggestions on what ingredients you can endeavour to put together in one dish, and what to do to them, if you must do anything at all.

    Monday

    Baked fish with broccoli {GF, Paleo}

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    The first day of the week usually means Sunday leftovers in our house. But, if by any chance we didn't have time to cook a week's worth of soup the night before, then Mondays is when I reach for the frozen fish. Laid out in a baking dish with broccoli, cauliflower, or whatever other mainstay vegetable I have in my fridge, the fish gets a sprinkling of spice (a mixture like Greek, Italian or Herbes de Provence goes great here) and a drizzling of olive oil, and off to the oven it goes for 17-20 minutes at 400F. It's a bit of oven work, true, but I find it ends quickly.

    Tuesday

    Edamame, radish and sprouts salad with feta or fish {GF, grain-free, vegetarian}

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    I like to repurpose the fish leftover from Monday alongside a simple salad of greens, edamame beans, radishes and sprouts, all doused with a lemon juice, olive oil and a healthy sprinkling of za'atar. Trust me - we wipe that plate clean.

    Wednesday

    Asian inspired edamame and red cabbage bowl {GF, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian}

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations. Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    Once I open a pack of edamame, I lay them on everything. Though you can't necessarily see them, edamame beans form the basis of this Asian-inspired bowl. They are joined by cucumber, onions, avocado, purple cabbage and radishes, and topped with black sesame and a bit of sesame oil and vinegar (rice vinegar would do well if you're not keeping paleo).

    Thursday

    Roasted asparagus with grilled tofu (GF, grain-free, vegan, vegetarian)

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    On Thursday, dinner is roasted asparagus with lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil (garlic is swell here too, but usually I'm too lazy to peel it). Put it in the oven for 15-17 minutes, until it's browned on the edges and cooked through but still retains a bit of bite. In the meantime, preheat a grill pan to high heat, and cook your tofu until scorn marks appear on both sides and it's a bit golden (the tofu in that photo is fried in waaay too much oil. Which is also delicious and recommended if you're not watching your figure).

    Friday

    Caprese salad (GF, grain-free, vegetarian)

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    Do I really need to teach you how to cook Caprese salad? You slice some good mozzarella (lactose-free for me, please), perfectly ripe tomatoes, and throw some ripped basil on top. Drizzle the whole thing with high-grade olive oil and balsamic, and sprinkle salt and pepper GENEROUSLY. Voila - a meal good enough to celebrate the weekend.

    Saturday

    Middle Eastern mezze platter (Vegan, vegetarian, GF option)

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    Take a note from your Middle Eastern friends and serve a mezze plate for Saturday. Make lazy-man's hummus by processing some canned chickpeas with a bit of warm water, a dollop of tahini (I go for a lot more than a dollop), tons of garlic and salt to taste. Lay out some olives. Chop really good tomatoes and drizzle them with olive oil, salt and balsamic. Slice cucumbers into thick, large slices and sprinkle them with a bit salt. If you're not vegan, hard boil a few eggs. Add in whatever odds and ends you have and love - hot sauce, stuffed vine leaves, pickled squash. Serve the whole thing with good bread or pita. You got yourself the best dinner yet.

    Sunday

    Go out for dinner.

    Jk, this is a food blog, after all.

    Sweet potato chips with dips (GF, grain-free, vegan/vegetarian, paleo)

    Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations. Here's a week's worth of summer dinners, as they play out in our house. No recipes, no exact measurements, no complex preparations.

    Slice sweet potatoes into ½ or ¼ inch slices (not very thickly but also not thinly). Fry them on a hot grill pan. Make guacamole by chopping garlic, a few avocadoes, onions and a few cherry tomatoes, and liberally add cumin, hot sauce and lemon and lime juice. Bring out your favourite dip. Eat in front of your favourite Netflix binge show.

    Thank me later.

    Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.

    More Healthy International Gluten-Free Recipes

    • A baking sheet with a piece of fish and potatoes.
      Baked Creamy Salmon with Potatoes Sheet Pan Meal
    • A jar of tahini sauce with parsley.
      My Go-To Tahini Sauce Recipe
    • Two portions of white fish in white wine sauce on a white plate with a fork and lemon.
      Classic White Fish in White Wine Sauce
    • Overhead view of a freshly garnished dish of sweet potato hummus.
      Creamy roasted sweet potato hummus recipe

    Join me At the Immigrant's Table

    Receive updates, exclusive recipes and helpful tips by email

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Katie @ Whole Nourishment says

      August 04, 2015 at 11:00 am

      Unassuming, simple summer dinners...that's what I'm talking about! I laughed at your Sunday events, but only because we also had a heat wave in July AND no air conditioning so I know how it feels. 😉 I'm loving the looks of that edamame and red cabbage bowl.

      Reply
      • kseniaprints says

        August 11, 2015 at 5:10 pm

        I found that a bag of frozen edamame goes a long way towards creating versatile, fun dinners. And yes, I imagine a lot of apartment dwellers will know how I feel... But this week, I have a NEW challenge - my fridge is broken!!!! Fun times.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    peeling squash on cutting board

    Privet, I am Ksenia Prints! A food and travel blogger, photographer and storyteller. I help adventurous home cooks explore the world through healthy, beautiful immigrant recipes.

    More about me →

    Follow

    INSTAGRAM 

    PINTEREST

    YOUTUBE

    FACEBOOK

    Popular

    • The best eggplant shakshuka of your life
      The best eggplant shakshuka, or how to make friends with breakfast
    • samosas with sauce
      How to make easy gluten free samosas with a sweet & spicy chickpea filling
    • How to Make the Ultimate Middle Eastern appetizer platter with our best mezze recipes {V, GF, Paleo}
    • vegetarian empanada on a plate with chimichurri dipping sauce
      Authentic Argentinian vegetarian empanadas - 3 Ways! {Vegan Empanadas Option}

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This site occasionally uses stock photos from Depositphotos.

    Copyright © 2023 Ksenia Prints At the Immigrant's Table. All rights reserved

    Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.