Summer and the oven don’t really go together. Even if you have air conditioning, turning on your oven heats things up and makes everyone uncomfortable. And really, do you crave a hot meal in the summer? Sure, things right off the grill are tasty but when it gets hot all I want are nice cooling meals. Continue reading
summer
Basil Hummus Dressing
Yes, I know I didn’t put DIY Wednesday in the title of this post. I’m not losing it. Or if you didn’t notice, I’m not a crazy person just prattling on about post titles. Ok, maybe just a little…
Anyways, I’m starting a new “series” if you will but it isn’t really a series at all, just more helpful recipes for the middle of your week. Wednesday is when most of us feel done with the week. We are exactly the same amount of days away from Friday as we are from Monday and for some reason, it feels like the weekend will never get here. We’re tired of work and we come home and realize we have nothing to make for dinner. That’s where many of us throw in the towel and order pizza.
Or maybe you’re like me and prep a few things on the weekend so you don’t have to figure out your dinners but you are getting bored of the exact same meal and want to throw a little variety into your food. That’s where these Wednesday recipes are going to come in handy. They are all things that are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen and can be thrown together fairly quickly. 
I don’t have a catchy name for these recipes yet. I know DIY Wednesday was creative genius so I will have to top that one. But I do know this basil hummus dressing is amazing and goes well on anything. It’s like summer in dressing form. Just a few ingredients and a quick whir in the blender and you can use this for salad, coleslaw, chicken, fish, zoodles, or as a dip for vegetables. Plus, if you want to keep it bean-free you can just use a few tablespoons of raw cashews that have been soaked in hot water for 15 minutes to thicken your dressing. 
See? I’m always thinking of solutions for you!
Basil Hummus Dressing 
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- 2 tbsp hummus OR 2-3 tbsp raw cashews soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 1 tbsp shallots, diced
- 2 cloves, garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Put all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until you have a smooth and creamy dressing. Taste and adjust any seasonings, especially if you used cashews instead of hummus.
You can use any type of hummus you would like whether it’s your favorite store brand or your own homemade. I just happened to have a little of my favorite hummus leftover so that’s what I used. Enjoy!
My Best Summer Recipes
Since summer is (almost) officially here, I thought I would share some of my best summer recipes to get you ready for the warm months ahead!
I could eat this on repeat and never get tired of it. I love the bite of vinegar, the crunch of the cucumber, and the sweet of the tomato/basil combo. Make a huge batch of this and eat it throughout the week because it gets even better with time!
This is a great dish to bring to a BBQ or potluck because it makes a lot and doesn’t have to be served hot. Plus it’s free of gluten, dairy, eggs, and meat so it can please a lot of diets. Oh, and it’s delicious.
This is a re-do of my original BBQ sauce and it’s one of my favorite things in the summer. I use it on vegetables, in marinades, and try to put it on every dish. It comes together quick and doesn’t have any funky ingredients.
Ok, hear me out on this one. I know cold soup sounds really unappetizing and for a long time, I avoided gazpacho because gross. But when it’s really hot out and nothing sounds good because it involves heat in some way, gazpacho is really refreshing. And this one is super creamy and delicious and you can have a refreshing dinner quick.
I like making this casserole ahead of time and then serving it up cold or room-temperature. It’s best if you do all of the cooking in the morning so you don’t have the oven on during the hottest part of the day. And the tahini BBQ sauce is finger-lickin’ good. Yeah, I said it.
Have a vegetable garden and 20 lbs of vegetables that you don’t know what to do with? Send 10 lbs to me and then use the other 10 lbs to make this ratatouille!
If you like key lime pie and popsicles then boy are you in luck! These take a little bit of prep work but once they’re done you will be thankful you made them! Cool, tangy, and refreshing, they’re perfect for hot summer days!
Vacation Mode
Hello friends! I hope that your Monday morning has started off wonderfully. I know mine has because I’m currently on my way to vacation!
Did you know that Adam and I haven’t really taken a vacation since our honeymoon over three years ago? Yeah. We decided it was time for a little rest and relaxation.
We’ll be spending the week in Traverse City, Michigan at the Timber Ridge Resort. We plan on hiking, kayaking, swimming, exploring, and most of all just relaxing and enjoying doing nothing. I probably won’t be as active on social media, but I’ll try to share a few snapshots of our vacation and I’ll definitely have pictures and a recap once we get back.
I’ll have a few round-up type posts this week but I’ll bring back some new stuff once we return from Michigan. I hope that you guys have a great week and even if you’re not on vacation take just a little time each day to get some relaxation!
See you in a week!
DIY Wednesday: Parsley Cream Zoodles
This is quite possibly the simplest dinner I have ever made. On Memorial Day, I spent the day with my parents and got back home right around dinner time. I didn’t have much in the house and really didn’t feel like cooking. Many people might eat peanut butter straight from the jar and call that a meal full of “good fats” (totally not talking about me…) but I wanted to be somewhat of an adult. I had a few zucchini’s in my fridge and I had made this sauce earlier when I noticed my parsley was going a little limp. So I quickly spiralized my zucchini, tossed it with this sauce, and called it dinner. 
Level: Adulting like a boss.
This is a great dinner for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking, it’s too hot to turn on the oven/stove, or you somehow forgot you need to eat dinner and want food fast. You don’t even have to use zucchini. You could use regular noodles, other vegetable noodles, even quinoa or brown rice. You could get fancy and add some cooked chicken, shrimp, or beef or you could add extra vegetables like cherry tomatoes, carrots, or summer squash.
The point is when you need food in your food hole NOW this is the meal you can turn to. Maybe that will be my new blog motto. Food for your food hole NOW…. Has a nice ring to it.
Parsley Cream Zoodles
- 1 cup parsley leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight or in boiling water for 15 minutes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk or 1/3 cup water (coconut milk will make it creamier)
- 1-2 zucchini, spiralized or cut into thin strips (could also use regular noodles or some other vegetable like cucumber)
- Put all the ingredients except the zucchini into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You don’t want any large chunks of cashew. You can also make this sauce ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
- Spiralize or cut your zucchini and put it into a large bowl. Pour in about half the sauce and stir to coat all the zoodles. Add more sauce if necessary or if you just want to be a rebel and eat all the sauce. You do you.
That’s it. You could be eating in about 10 minutes, less if you already made the sauce ahead of time. Don’t ever think you don’t have time for a healthy meal. That’s just a lie the pizza delivery guy wants you to believe 🙂
Life Healthfully Lived 