How are you doing with meals during the hot weather?

Dinner out...... Deli Chinese picnics salads and lots of cold sandwiches

We bought a Ninja outdoor smoker and pizza oven, so today, I made pizzas for DH, grandson and me, and very nice they were too.
Pizza dough
Sun dried tomato pasta sauce
Cooked chicken
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Sliced tomatoes and mushrooms.
Baked on artisan setting for 1 min 30 secs. at 370°c.

Salads ,but always different ones with exciting dressings.
I've always loved salads and don't get bored with them .
I add cold meats or fish to them .
Afterwards I tend to eat frozen yoghurts .
If I have ice cream in the fridge I can't stop eating it .
I also make Marsala chai or Kashmiri tea. Sometimes I'll make a mango or banana lassi .
I love spiced food and drinks and I think that they are cooling

Lots of salads during this hot weather accompanied with any of the following, depending how we feel:-

Fish
Chicken breast/drumsticks
Cold meats (ham, pork, turkey, etc from the local butcher)
Quiche
Home made burgers

Depending how hungry we are, I’ll add new potatoes.

Other meals might be mussels (the vacuum packed ones) with crunchy bread for dipping,

pasta in a tomato sauce and maybe prawns, tuna fish, diced ham, peppers, added. This is nice chilled down on a warm day.

Chicken kebabs done in the air fryer, served with salad and occasionally one of those bags of rice that heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.

If I can cope with the oven being on, I sometimes do Mary Berry’s sausage supper traybake or adapt it and use chicken thighs instead of sausage.

This weather, simplicity is the order of the day, with limited cooking.

Dessert tends to be mixed berries with low fat Greek style yoghurt or cheese and biscuits.

Perhaps this vegan meal, apart range of ingredients -- gorgeous meals may have a range of nice ingredients. Worthwhile to me.

Beef, Mushroom & Bok Choy Bowls with Aquafabba Mayo
1 onion, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced, white a pale green parts only
2-3 tablespoons cooking oil and 1 teaspoon sesame oil
5-6 heads baby bok choy, rinsed, chopped
6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 celery, chopped

3/4 cup aquafabba mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon Horseradish (to taste)
2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon lemon juice

toasted sesame seeds
minced parsely
Cooked rice or grain of choice for serving (optional)

Add cooking oils to the skillet. Add the mushrooms, spring onions, onions, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes or until starting to brown.

Add the bok choy and celery, a bit of soy sauce and quickly cook a minute or two. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl whisk together the mayo, sugar, horseradish, soy sauce, lemon juice. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

If using rice or another cooked grain divide that between bowls. Top with the mushroom bok choy mixture. Spoon over some of the mayo sauce and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and parsley.

Wow! you have all come up with some amazing combinations, must give them a try. Sunday roasts are definitely off for me, cold food all the way with a lovely glass of chilled wine. Perfect!

Just did some jackets on the barbecue for lunch.

I’m having a ‘use up’ from my fridge and freezer so lunch is a ‘nourish bowl’ of tuna mayo, sweetcorn, cubes of fried haloumi, salad leaves and sugar snap peas.
Goodness knows what dinner will be. 😂

Tonight will be a small roast chicken and garlic bread, both cooked in the air fryer, in well under an hour with a big salad of anything I can find in the fridge.
If it is still really hot I'll plug in an extension lead and put the air fryer on a table outside the kitchen window. I have been known to do the same with the slow cooker.

Defrosting two chicken kebabs and two burgers, bbq for two this evening with salad.

Stupidly bought some chicken thighs and some pork steaks. Going to have to cook or freeze but DH likes” proper “food not salad. Sigh.

We've been on holiday, so I didn't need to cook.
Yesterday we had pan fried lemon sole with new potatoes and crushed minted peas. Dessert was a cake from M&S.
Today youngest grandson is coming to visit. I'm planning on pizzas cooked in our outdoor oven. I think he will enjoy making his own. I will have to go and make the dough shortly, but in this heat it won't take long to rise.

Our meals are not hugely different, though we’re having more salad/potato salad, and things that preferably don’t need the oven on for a long time.

Today’s evening meal will be smoked haddock with spinach and a poached egg, because Sainsbury’s delivered that instead of hake fillet, which was going towards a Mediterranean dish😄

Astitchintime

ferry23

Norah

We eat more salads in the summer, gorgeous fesh fruit and vegetables. However, we eat salads regularly, apart from summer meals.

Easy summer meal from yesterday.

Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Tzatziki & Crispy Lentils
▢¼ tsp (0.8 g) ground turmeric
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground cumin
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground coriander
▢¼ tsp (0.5 g) chili powder
▢½ large (450 g) cauliflower - chopped into florets
▢4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil - divided
▢10.5 oz (300 g) raw beetroot - peeled and cubed
▢2 cups (400 g) cooked brown lentils
▢2 tbsp (15 g) pistachios
▢sea salt flakes - to taste
▢freshly cracked black pepper - to taste

Tzatziki
▢1 small cucumbers
▢1 cup (240 ml) thick dairy-free yogurt - I used soy
▢¼ cup (12 g) fresh dill - finely chopped
▢1 clove garlic - minced
▢2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) fan-forced mode.

Combine the spices: mix together the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and a pinch of salt.
Roast the vegetables: Combine the cauliflower with 1 tsp olive oil and the spices. Transfer to a large baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Combine the beetroot with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add to the baking tray along with the cauliflower.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the lentils: To a baking tray lined with baking paper, add the lentils, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp of olive oil. Spread the lentils across the tray, and bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy. Rotate the tray halfway for even baking, and monitor the lentils at the 25-minute mark to avoid burning.

Prepare the tzatziki: Grate the cucumber and use a clean cloth to squeeze out any excess water. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the soy yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve

Assemble: Layer the tzatziki, cauliflower, beetroot, lentils, and some chopped pistachios. Adjust salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Clearly I'm very lazy.

An easy meal for me is something with about 5 ingredients.

16 ingredients and easy meal shouldn't be in the same sentence.

Totally agree……..I’d be asleep before I was half way down the list 😴😴😴😴

Thank you norah for taking the time to post that recipe, it looks delicious

Last night: DH the half of his sandwich left from lunch. Me: currant bun. Both thoroughly enjoyed.

ferry23

Norah

We eat more salads in the summer, gorgeous fesh fruit and vegetables. However, we eat salads regularly, apart from summer meals.

Easy summer meal from yesterday.

Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Tzatziki & Crispy Lentils
▢¼ tsp (0.8 g) ground turmeric
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground cumin
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground coriander
▢¼ tsp (0.5 g) chili powder
▢½ large (450 g) cauliflower - chopped into florets
▢4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil - divided
▢10.5 oz (300 g) raw beetroot - peeled and cubed
▢2 cups (400 g) cooked brown lentils
▢2 tbsp (15 g) pistachios
▢sea salt flakes - to taste
▢freshly cracked black pepper - to taste

Tzatziki
▢1 small cucumbers
▢1 cup (240 ml) thick dairy-free yogurt - I used soy
▢¼ cup (12 g) fresh dill - finely chopped
▢1 clove garlic - minced
▢2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) fan-forced mode.

Combine the spices: mix together the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and a pinch of salt.
Roast the vegetables: Combine the cauliflower with 1 tsp olive oil and the spices. Transfer to a large baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Combine the beetroot with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add to the baking tray along with the cauliflower.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the lentils: To a baking tray lined with baking paper, add the lentils, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp of olive oil. Spread the lentils across the tray, and bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy. Rotate the tray halfway for even baking, and monitor the lentils at the 25-minute mark to avoid burning.

Prepare the tzatziki: Grate the cucumber and use a clean cloth to squeeze out any excess water. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the soy yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve

Assemble: Layer the tzatziki, cauliflower, beetroot, lentils, and some chopped pistachios. Adjust salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Clearly I'm very lazy.

An easy meal for me is something with about 5 ingredients.

16 ingredients and easy meal shouldn't be in the same sentence.

Totally agree……..I’d be asleep before I was half way down the list 😴😴😴😴

Norah

We eat more salads in the summer, gorgeous fesh fruit and vegetables. However, we eat salads regularly, apart from summer meals.

Easy summer meal from yesterday.

Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Tzatziki & Crispy Lentils
▢¼ tsp (0.8 g) ground turmeric
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground cumin
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground coriander
▢¼ tsp (0.5 g) chili powder
▢½ large (450 g) cauliflower - chopped into florets
▢4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil - divided
▢10.5 oz (300 g) raw beetroot - peeled and cubed
▢2 cups (400 g) cooked brown lentils
▢2 tbsp (15 g) pistachios
▢sea salt flakes - to taste
▢freshly cracked black pepper - to taste

Tzatziki
▢1 small cucumbers
▢1 cup (240 ml) thick dairy-free yogurt - I used soy
▢¼ cup (12 g) fresh dill - finely chopped
▢1 clove garlic - minced
▢2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) fan-forced mode.

Combine the spices: mix together the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and a pinch of salt.
Roast the vegetables: Combine the cauliflower with 1 tsp olive oil and the spices. Transfer to a large baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Combine the beetroot with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add to the baking tray along with the cauliflower.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the lentils: To a baking tray lined with baking paper, add the lentils, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp of olive oil. Spread the lentils across the tray, and bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy. Rotate the tray halfway for even baking, and monitor the lentils at the 25-minute mark to avoid burning.

Prepare the tzatziki: Grate the cucumber and use a clean cloth to squeeze out any excess water. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the soy yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve

Assemble: Layer the tzatziki, cauliflower, beetroot, lentils, and some chopped pistachios. Adjust salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Clearly I'm very lazy.

An easy meal for me is something with about 5 ingredients.

16 ingredients and easy meal shouldn't be in the same sentence.

One night we had prawns, hard boiled egg, new potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, lettuce, courgettes, avocados.

Plus salad cream.

Because I never know how I am going to be healthwise each day my meals are the same all year round porridge for breakfast, homemade soup which I cook enough for 6 lunches and store in the fridge and so sort of stew ,pasta bake or lasagne again for 6 dinners stored in the fridge. No matter how hot it gets my meals are the same . But it's how my life works .

Not using the Oven much, sure I'm saving money on the Gas bill.

We are eating pretty much the same foods as usual. DH needs to build himself up after surgery and I’ve lost a bit of weight lately due to stress. I don’t see the need to make huge changes because of the weather and I’m not fond of endless salads.

We eat more salads in the summer, gorgeous fesh fruit and vegetables. However, we eat salads regularly, apart from summer meals.

Easy summer meal from yesterday.

Roasted Cauliflower Bowl with Tzatziki & Crispy Lentils
▢¼ tsp (0.8 g) ground turmeric
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground cumin
▢½ tsp (1 g) ground coriander
▢¼ tsp (0.5 g) chili powder
▢½ large (450 g) cauliflower - chopped into florets
▢4 tsp (20 ml) olive oil - divided
▢10.5 oz (300 g) raw beetroot - peeled and cubed
▢2 cups (400 g) cooked brown lentils
▢2 tbsp (15 g) pistachios
▢sea salt flakes - to taste
▢freshly cracked black pepper - to taste

Tzatziki
▢1 small cucumbers
▢1 cup (240 ml) thick dairy-free yogurt - I used soy
▢¼ cup (12 g) fresh dill - finely chopped
▢1 clove garlic - minced
▢2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) fan-forced mode.

Combine the spices: mix together the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and a pinch of salt.
Roast the vegetables: Combine the cauliflower with 1 tsp olive oil and the spices. Transfer to a large baking tray, lined with baking paper.
Combine the beetroot with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add to the baking tray along with the cauliflower.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the lentils: To a baking tray lined with baking paper, add the lentils, a pinch of salt, and 2 tsp of olive oil. Spread the lentils across the tray, and bake on the top rack of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crispy. Rotate the tray halfway for even baking, and monitor the lentils at the 25-minute mark to avoid burning.

Prepare the tzatziki: Grate the cucumber and use a clean cloth to squeeze out any excess water. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the soy yogurt, grated cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve

Assemble: Layer the tzatziki, cauliflower, beetroot, lentils, and some chopped pistachios. Adjust salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

I had a little laugh to-day when I produced the Scottish staple food of mince tatties and mealy pudding to-day . Despite the heat it was lovely .

I just cook my usual meals...