Front Burner: Cool, healthy summer meals
Strawberry spinach salad. Photo by Stephanie Klein-Davis l The Roanoke Times
When summer brings its grueling hot spells, the last thing we want to do is crank up the oven to 400 degrees or have multiple burners glowing on the stove.
It’s awfully tempting to nix the idea of cooking altogether and head out for dinner at an air-conditioned restaurant, but that’s not friendly to the wallet or the swimsuit physique. That’s why I’m always looking for simple, healthy ideas that don’t take a lot of energy — whether yours or the oven’s — to pull together.
Several Southwest Virginia registered dietitians were kind enough to send me their favorite summer recipes, which they promise will pack a lot of flavor and leave you feeling full. The most heat they require is one stove burner or an outdoor grill, and if you have a side burner on your grill, it might be worth firing that up to keep the kitchen cool.
Click here to continue reading this column.
You can find and print these recipes just by clicking the link:
Grilled White Fish with Apricot-Ginger Relish
Indian Spiced Grilled Baby Squash
I was also sent some recipes I couldn’t fit in print today, but I’ve added them to the Plateup recipe database at plateup.roanoke.com. Here are the direct links:
Seared scallops with tropical salsa
Fruit smoothie (single serving)
Do you have a favorite go-to summer dinner recipe? Something you turn to when you’re home late from work or too busy running the kids around and just want to whip up something cool?
July 18, 2012 - 5:00 AM
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Before commenting on the topic – which is a great one! – I just wanted to post a fond farewell to William Kenney, who passed away. The founder of Kenney’s, a regional landmark from the days when eating fast food wasn’t even a weekly ritual, much less a daily one. For the record, and for nostalgia, you can still purchase Kenney’s secret sauce, bottled.
To quote Gus McCrae – ‘Here’s to the slippery slopes of long ago…’
I use my grill exclusively when it’s so hot for almost everything. We have a lot of fish in the freezer and I have fried them on the grill in my big cast iron skillet, along with a hobo pack of potatoes and onions and grilled squash, or a cold side dish like a salad or cole slaw. Or grill chicken and put it on a big salad. And the stove stays clean!
Kathy makes a great point – you can use cast iron on a grill for a number of various cooking/baking recipes. I make cornbread in a cast iron skillet on the grill. You can saute, you can do parchment recipes (you HAVE to pay attention!) or foil package recipes very easily on the grill.
Also remember, and be creative – cast iron recipes for upside down cakes and cobblers easily transfer to the grill. You can bake beans or any number of various recipes.
My personal weekend philosophy from about Memorial Day to well into October is to do a ‘cold lunch’, meaning salads, or various sandwiches and a hot dinner from the grill. Sometimes I do salads for dinner, with grilled meats on top, as Kathy referenced. Mediterranean dishes with some fish and lots of veggies are good, too. While it is sometimes hot outside on the deck, remember you’re not out there for very long, and propane is still cheaper than electricity.
Yep, the grill is a great tool.
Also, I use the side burner a lot more than I used to. On Monday, I used the same pot of water to boil some eggs, then blanch some corn, then cook some pasta for a macaroni salad. A pot of boiling water really heats up the kitchen.
The only dish in today’s column I worry about for the side burner is the frittata. My side burner doesn’t really have a “low” setting. I didn’t include a warning because I figured maybe some other grills’ side burners can cook at a lower heat.
Has there ever been a study by any group (Consumer Reports, etc) concerning bottled water? Name brands were first, then store brands and now generic water. I assume all is safe, but who is watching for us? I personally do not feel any of the brands out there are worth the cost. I guess we pay for the convenience.
This is the 2008 study that got people worried about bottled water: http://www.ewg.org/reports/BottledWater/Bottled-Water-Quality-Investigation
And here’s some information about the FDA’s regulation of bottled water:
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/bottledwatercarbonatedsoftdrinks/ucm077065.htm
Bottled water did not sound so safe in 2008. Hope it is better now. I wonder if the masses read this article would they still buy bottled water? Thanks for the links, Lindsey.
What about the ever popular Caprese Salad?
4 – slices heirloom beefsteak tomato, at least 1/2″ thick
3 – slices real mozzarella, at least 1/2″ thick
8 – leaves of fresh basil, rolled & chiffonade.
2 – tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 – tsp cracked black pepper
Alternate the tomato & cheese. Sprinkle basil on top. Drizzle vinegar over all of it. Grind black pepper on it. Take time to savor the mix of flavors and textures while you eat healthily.
You can do another version with sliced Vidalia for the cheese and even blue cheese dressing for the balsamic. It works with the balsamic, but either way…
Caprese salad is one of my favorite summertime treats. I make the stacked version you described for small dinners. For potlucks, I sometimes chop everything in bite-size pieces and toss it all together.
I just picked my first two yellow tomatoes this morning and I will probably make Caprese salad with them. Since they are lower in acid than red tomatoes they are better for folks with indigestion.
@Crooked road, I thought about doing cornbread on the grill when I cooked fish on it during the power outage. I’ll definitely have to give it a try.
Update on the cornbread: other than the bottom getting burned (we sliced that off) it turned out ok. I should have watched it a little closer (multi-tasking) and probably got the grill a little too hot, but it was better than a 450 degree oven on a hot day. Thanks for the idea, crooked road! Now, any ideas for pizza on the grill, anyone?
I’ve done pizza on the grill before and it’s great, Kathy. If you don’t want to make your own pizza dough, you can buy dough at bakeries or some grocery stores. I’ve purchased dough from On the Rise before.
Here is some more info about doing pizza on the grill: http://www.roanoke.com/food/recipes/details/?rid=306&sorig=qs
Kathy, I always cook my cornbread at 400 degrees, whether on the grill or in the oven.
As for pizza on the grill? Sure! You can do fresh dough or canned pizza dough, but I seldom do. What I use instead are tortillas and pita bread, depending on whether I want thick or thin crust . They make a nice size pizza that works on the grill, and are pretty inexpensive as well as effective.
Just brush one side with olive oil and place on the grill with top open. Let it crisp, then flip the tortilla/pita, quickly add your ingredients (less is more!) then close the top for about two minutes.
That lets you control the quantities, and you can almost make them like tapas, just cooking along while everyone kicks it around the grill. Set up your assembly line, and make various mini pizzas while everyone enjoys a cold beverage and chats with you.
Pizza on the grill is great, but whatever you do, don’t load up your raw crust with toppings and then try to put it on the grill…only needed to make that mistake once.
Kathy/Mom: Make the dough with your food processor, proof in a low oven. OR come over one Saturday/Sunday and we can make it together! We made pizza on the grill last year and it was wonderful!
@Kristen, yep that recipe I linked to earlier has a really good tip: Get your toppings all ready and have them right next to the grill so when you flip the crust, you can immediately put the toppings on the browned side. They cook so quickly!
Thanks for the pizza info, everyone! I am definitely going to give this a try as soon as I can get all the toppings we like together.
Yes, definitely put the toppings on the pizza while the crust is already on the grill. That was what I meant by my assembly line comment, not the other.
To make it official – prep all of your ingredients before you ever put the dough/pita/tortilla on the grill. Have them next to the grill. Remember, less sauce is better than you’d think. Less ingredients are better than you think.
For an experiment, put half of the ingredients on that you think you need. Then, cook another one and halve the ingredients yet again. You’d be amazed at how good it tastes with less. Not only in volume of each ingredients, but in the quantity of ingredients. You actually get to taste all the ingredients.
The best pizza ever is a Pizza Margherita – crust, brushed with olive oil, topped with only a tiny amount of tomato sauce, basil leaves and mozzarella. That’s it.