Easy, light summer dinner ideas...

[Penny Springmann]

With the 100 degree heat hitting us hard right now, the last thing I want to do is heat up the kitchen!

What are some of your go to light summer dinners? or link me up to some!

So far we've done:

BLTs, Macaroni Tuna Salad, wild rice and chicken salad, and tacos.

Thanks for sharing your recipes/ideas!

[jessica31876]

subs/sandwiches are always good, pasta salad, hamburgers, pulled pork (i get the stuff already made) and garlic bread.

[ColleenSwerb]

We like to do dinner salads. Basically a big salad with lots of veggies, and then add some chicken on top. Either grilled or cooked in the toaster oven. If I'm not feeling a salad but Jordan is, I'll stick it in a pita or a wrap instead.

[Darcy Baldwin]

I don't have a name for this:

strips of chicken breast, pecans, mandarin orange slices (yes, this is canned, but we like them anyway), crumbly cheese, sesame seeds and poppyseed dressing on a bed of baby spinach. Connor and I can eat it all summer long.

[*Celeste*]

i crave salads in the summer with grilled chicken on top. i really am into paul newman's lime dressing right now too - it just tastes like summer to me.

maybe some cold soups? gazpacho?

curried chicken salad. i've been craving that too.

pork tenderloin kabobs with an apricot glaze.
http://www.smithfield.com/recipes/re...ed-pork-kabobs

pasta salad is always a hit - i make one with radiatore, tri colored rotini, and fresh tortelllini. add in grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella chunks, calamata olives, chopped arugula, tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, steamed chilled broccoli and grilled then chilled portobello mushrooms. i use newman's family italian dressing on this.

[Leila]

I've been using some of the recipes on these sites:

http://family.go.com/food/pkg-summerecipes/
http://www.recipe4living.com/article...ot_recipes.htm

[SmallMoments]

Chicken & Bean Burritos and we use the leftover chicken for BBQ Chicken Salad.

Burgers with guac.

[Penny Springmann]

Thank you!! There are some fabulous ideas here that I think my family will enjoy!!!!

[color of my heart]

we do chef salad a lot. classic chopped salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots) and then chopped up cheddar and swiss cheese, and chopped chicken breast and ham.

my mom also makes a pasta salad using bow tie pasta, buffalo mozzarella, pepperoni, and italian salad dressing. it's yummy, but i switch out the pepperoni for chicken, and add in tomatoes and cucumbers.

[mummytothree]

I haven't tried this yet but when I saw it in my inbox I was drooling so bad!!!

Chicken BLT Taco Salad

[mummytothree]

Here are few I have tried and my familiy loves!!!



Fiesta Taco Salad
Ingredients

* 1/2 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
* 1/3 cup water
* 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
* 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
* 4 cups hearts of romaine salad mix
* 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
* 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/2 cup salsa
* 1/4 cup 2% milk
* 32 blue tortilla chips

Directions

* In a large skillet, cook beef and jalapeno over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in beans.
* Divide romaine among four serving plates. Top with beef mixture, tomatoes, green pepper, onions, olives and cheese.
* In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, salsa and milk. Drizzle over salads. Arrange tortilla chips around edges. Yield: 4 servings.



Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
*

VINAIGRETTE:
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup blueberry preserves
* 2 tablespoons maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* Dash pepper
*

SALADS:
* 1 package (10 ounces) ready-to-serve salad greens
* 1 cup fresh blueberries
* 1 snack-size cup (4 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
* 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions

* In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, garlic, salt and pepper; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
* Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into slices.
* Divide salad greens among four serving plates. Top each with chicken, blueberries and oranges. Shake vinaigrette and drizzle over salads; sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 4 servings.



Citrus Steak Salad
Ingredients

* 6 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 teaspoon chili sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 8 cups torn romaine
* 3/4 pound cooked beef sirloin steak, sliced
* 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
* 1 medium red onion, sliced
* 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
* 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
* 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

* In a small bowl, whisk the first eight ingredients; set aside. Divide romaine among four plates; top with steak, strawberries, onion, oranges, pecans and cheese. Serve with vinaigrette. Yield: 4 servings (1 cup vinaigrette).

[MissKim]

We made a list of meals that don't eat up the kitchen earlier this summer. This week we're doing BLTs, turkey on foccacia, and tuna salad. We're really tired of summer at this point.

Some of our other meals: taco burgers, sloppy joes, hamburgers, grilled chicken, salads, quesadillas, pancakes, omelets, chicken wraps, fajitas, spaghetti, baked potatoes, bourbon chicken, italian subs, cheesesteak sandwiches, tacos, meatball subs, grilled cheese, taco salad, and soup.

I do baked potatoes in the crock pot... wrap them in foil and throw them in the crock pot in the morning. They're baked by afternoon. We have a large George Foreman, so we do burgers, chicken, etc. on there.

[maryinaz]

When I was a kid, about twice during the summer my mom would do "Fruit Plate" for dinner and the entire dinner was just fruit - grapes, watermelon, strawberries, peaches blueberries, blackberries, etc. And cinnamon toast. I LOVED that!

[MamaBee]

My dad drives semi (milk hauler, actually)... and on hot days like this I remember my mom making a ton of cold salads like jello salads, potato salad, macaroni salads, ham salad, veggie pizza, etc... and for desert was homemade chocolate milkshakes.

[jessica31876]

that sounds so good right now!!

Originally Posted by maryinaz

When I was a kid, about twice during the summer my mom would do "Fruit Plate" for dinner and the entire dinner was just fruit - grapes, watermelon, strawberries, peaches blueberries, blackberries, etc. And cinnamon toast. I LOVED that!

[Penny Springmann]

Yes, that does sound good!
Elizabeth - all of those look delish!!!

[Sarah8914]

We have a bunch, but have 2 newest favs that seem like such great summer meals to us:

Penne Pasta with black beans and mango (we LOVE mangos!)
and
Red beans and rice
We just tried that one last week and it was pretty good!

[Penny Springmann]

Sarah, YUM...I'm definitely going to make the Pasta/blackbean/mango dish!

[scrapsandsass]

Just saw this if you aren't into "traditional" dinner...

Summer Fruit Gazpacho (Serves 4) (http://weelicious.com/2011/07/12/summer-fruit-gazpacho/)

6 Cups Cantaloupe, peeled & seeded, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp Fresh Mint, chiffonade
1 Cup Strawberries, stemmed & quartered
1 Peach, seeded & diced
1/2 Cup Blueberries
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Honey

1. Place cantaloupe chunks into a food processor and puree.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the mint, strawberries, peach, and blueberries.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the yogurt and honey.
4. Evenly divide the cantaloupe puree into small bowls, top with mixed fruit and add a dollop of the honey yogurt sauce on top.
5. Serve.

* If you want to make this dish vegan, replace the yogurt and honey with soy yogurt and agave

[Penny Springmann]

sounds good to me, but I think my kids might riot....

[Jenn Barrette]

I made this last night - Tortellini Asparagus Salad - last night and everyone loved it. We paired it with some grilled pork, but it could easily be a meal on its own.