Dishes That Should Not Be Cooked During the Heat
I don’t like heating the house inside, while it is very hot outside. During heat waves, even eating hot food can feel like punishment. This is why it is useful to have an arsenal of meals ready to go without cooking.
Salads and Sandwiches are icons of the genre, but you probably already know which ones you like, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on them (with one notable exception). I am also not going to cover snacks for dinner (cheese platters and the like). It’s great food without cooking, but we’ve talked about it at length .
Salad can be any salad
Is it a betrayal to say that you are not going to discuss salads, and then immediately discuss salads? I do not think so; the format is completely different. In fact, there are many reasons why salad rolls are different from a salad bowl – some might even say better than that. Let me clarify by quoting myself (my most reliable source):
Wrapping a mixture of crispy vegetables, proteins and fats – also known as “salad” in soft and chewy rice film is a fantastic idea for several reasons. First of all, you can arrange all the ingredients of said salad so that they are evenly distributed so that you get a little bit of everything with each bite. Instead of pouring the dressing over the salad, you can simply dip it, which gives you complete control. Finally, no utensils are needed, making these portable beauties the perfect packed lunch box.
The only limiting factor here is your knowledge of salads. If you need help choosing salad varieties, start with the classics . Try the wedge salad roll (pictured above), Cobb salad roll, Greek roll salad, or Waldorf salad. Try the Caesar salad with whole anchovies and thin canned lemon slices ! You might think your meat options are limited when you cook without cooking, but you were wrong. You can buy meat that has already been cooked, my friends – this is perfectly acceptable during the heat (or in general at any time). I find cooked bacon nuggets especially healthy.
Have you heard of cooked shrimp?
Go to the seafood counter and buy peeled, mashed and already cooked shrimp – here you are halfway to a full meal. Wrap them in tortillas with some kind of meat sauce (use a bag of pre-chopped vegetables to limit cooking time) and some two-ingredient marinated jalapenos without cooking, or mix them with lemon and olive oil and serve with a little crusty bread. and a simple side dish. Some people do not consider a shrimp cocktail a “suitable meal,” but it is if you have enough shrimp. Just be sure to add extra horseradish (or wasabi ) to your cocktail sauce. (If the shrimp in your area is expensive, you can do the same thing with fake crabs , which I love and will not accept any criticism.)
Take the grilled chicken
One of my favorite foods while on a high , and also one of my favorite foods hot. (I love synergy!) Grab one of these pre-cooked inverted birds and a large, pretty head of buttery salad for packing, and remove all sauces, condiments, leftover vegetables, and pickled foods from the refrigerator. Make salad wraps. Be happy. (You can also use tortillas or pita bread, but the cool crunch of lettuce is great on a hot day.)
Marinate a can of beans
Pickled beans aren’t exactly a salad, but they are a great remedy for random vegetable nibbles and a good excuse to raid the spice rack in search of forgotten flavors. Aside from a can of beans, all you need is oil, some kind of acid, onions, and salt. You can cook everything to your liking, but if you need more detailed instructions, we have them . The longer you let the pickled beans sit, the better they will be, so don’t be afraid to make a huge batch and scoop it up over the course of a week. This is another dish that is easy to top up with good crunchy bread, but you can add it to a really pretty spot with fresh summer tomato slices.
Make a tomato sandwich
I know I said I wasn’t going to talk about sandwiches, but the tomato sandwich is my favorite sandwich and the perfect summer dinner. All you need is (white) bread, mayonnaise, tomatoes, and salt. Pepper can be added if necessary, but please do not add cheese! Summer tomato is perfect, and you don’t want to hide its goodness or dull its sheen with heavy cream cheese. A denser bread could be offered, but again, I would not want to be distracted from the tomato.
To assemble, spread mayonnaise on both sides of the bread to keep the juice from flowing into it, then add as many tomato slices as you can, season with salt and cover. Eat fast. Even with mayonnaise, the juicy sandwich will dissolve over time. (I’ve never had a problem eating one of these quickly.)