Favorite Summer Recipes For Chilled Desserts And Meals
The time you have tonight can be used to plan your menu, which may include 10-minute popsicles and 20-minute blended soup, in addition to other ahead-of-time and freshly made foods. The Summer recipe page features recipes for chilled pineapple- and coconut-flavored and chocolate- and peanut-butter-flavored desserts and other foods, including berry trifle, cucumber-and-pepper salad, tomato gazpacho, and shrimp-filled rice paper rolls you can eat at home during hot Summer weather.
Why These Summer Recipes Are Good
- Quick Cool Recipes: Popsicles, frozen yogurt treats, and cold gazpacho take little time to prepare. Cooling methods are the main way to prepare these dishes.
- Low-Carb Choices: These foods don't require lengthy cooking and can be prepared cold, making them good choices in the summer.
- Minimal Heat: Several choices rely on blending, assembling, or chilling instead of lengthy cooking, a practical fit for hot days.
- Variety: Other items served in this group include individual frozen desserts, party-size dessert, salad, soup, and rolls. Several different meal options are available.
1. Pineapple Coconut Cilantro Popsicles
These coconut-pineapple popsicles have five ingredients and take 10 minutes to prepare. Additional time is needed for freezing. I suggest using full-fat coconut milk and lime zest in the popsicles to complement the sweet pineapple flavor without overdoing it. Lime zest adds balance to the other flavors in the popsicles. I use a high-powered blender to blend the pineapple into the smoothie until the smoothie no longer has large chunks of pineapple. When I've finished blending, the smoothie should pour easily from the pitcher through the mold holes without large chunks of pineapple near the edges of the holes. This prevents messiness when pouring the smoothie into the mold. I do not add large chunks of pineapple to the smoothie other than those intended for the mold. Use a mold with wooden skewers or add wooden skewers to your mold if they aren't included. Place a second layer of triangular pineapple pieces on top of other fruit pieces. Add more grated lime peel to make it stand out from the coconut. I cut the triangular pineapple pieces first to avoid confusion with other fruit pieces. Shredded coconut is an optional ingredient added before freezing the dessert in transparent molds. I don't include shredded coconut in my dessert because I prefer a smoother texture. You can use a food processor instead of a blender to puree pineapple; otherwise, prepare the dessert as directed in transparent molds.
2. Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Greek Yogurt Pops
Peanut butter frozen yogurt bars take 15 minutes total prep and freezing time to make. Greek yogurt and peanut butter are used as fillings for the bars. Salted peanuts and chocolate toppings are added to and cover the bars. You can make a batch of six bars at home. This is a good recipe for small freezable-batch cooking projects. Popsicle sticks help you eat yogurt mounds instead of using other utensils and dishes. Place a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet to keep the yogurt from sticking. Use a cupcake scoop to portion yogurt evenly and an offset spatula to smooth the surface of yogurt mounds before they freeze. Other alternatives include silicone baking mats. Less preparation and cleanup are needed. Smooth peanut butter blends easily with yogurt and has no texture, so chunky peanut butter should not be used in this recipe. Salted peanuts give a crunchy texture to the chilled snack bars. Smooth peanut butter will remain soft and scoopable when chilled and help you shape mounds on the sticks. Chocolate and coconut oil create a hard outer layer for the popsicles. Microwave small amounts of chocolate and coconut oil until fully melted to dip each popsicle, then return the dipped popsicle to the prepared baking sheet. Milk and white chocolate can be substituted for semisweet chocolate if you do not have semisweet chocolate available. Semisweet chocolate complements peanut butter and salted peanuts.
3. Berry Trifle with Vanilla Custard
Berry trifle is a dessert I prepare for 12 people when I don't want to slice and serve a cake. Layer angel food cake, vanilla custard, and berries soaked in sugar and lemon juice in one deep bowl. Whipped cream is the top layer, allowing other layers to be seen through the glass. I blend the pudding with cold milk for two minutes and chill it in the refrigerator for five minutes while whipping cream to stiff peaks. Folding half of the cream with the chilled pudding mixture helps prevent the pudding from turning out too thin. I use an electric mixer to whip the cream because it needs to be stiff when added to the pudding mixture. Berry drink is steeped for 20 to 30 minutes before assembly. I use berry drink as a layering ingredient, poured over cake and berries. Three layers are made in a 3-quart glass trifle bowl, with pudding as the top layer. A glass bowl lets you see the layers of fruit and pudding. (Glass bowl used to see fruit and pudding layers.) I cover and refrigerate the dessert after the last layer is applied. Angel food cake and pound cake can be used in this recipe. It is a no-bake recipe suitable for a summertime dessert buffet.
4. Cucumber Sweet Pepper Salad With Zesty Vinaigrette
This cucumber and sweet pepper salad makes six servings as a lunch or side dish. It fits into meal planning strategies because you can prepare vegetables ahead of time and add the dressing to your salad just before serving. Cucumbers add crunch, sweet peppers add moisture, and onions add spice. Start with dry vegetables. Thinly slice them, especially the onion, which otherwise will be too strongly flavored in the salad, the onion is the main problem, and thinly slice the cucumber with a sharp knife before adding the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Toss vegetables in the mixture until coated but not crushed. Eat right away as a crunchy snack or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and eat with dinner. This is a good snack to serve with grilled chicken or Baked Salmon in Foil, but it would also be a good lunch.
5. Fresh Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber: Smooth Chilled Summer Soup
Twenty minutes of preparation time and a blender are required to prepare this cold tomato gazpacho for storage in the refrigerator. Chopped cucumber, bell pepper, lemon juice, and basil toppings complete this cold soup, which makes a good lunch or dinner dish. Start with ripe vine-ripened tomatoes. Additional varieties used in this recipe are Roma, heirloom, and Campari tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes by blanching them. Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, shallots, and garlic together. Red peppers are included to help keep the red-colored soup red. Olive oil is added during blending to give the soup smooth body. Add lemon juice and basil, as well as sea salt and pepper, for flavor balance. This recipe highlights fresh, seasonal produce. Stir vegetables occasionally after they sit to help spread oil, lemon juice, and other liquids. The finished gazpacho should be bright red without chunks if blended thoroughly at high speed. Common errors in preparing gazpacho include underblending and not refrigerating the soup long enough before serving. Allow at least 20 minutes for the mixture to meld and 2 hours of refrigeration to avoid chunky gazpacho. Spoon gazpacho into bowls and sprinkle with chopped basil as specified. The gazpacho recipe suggests serving it as a first course with Easy No-Knead Focaccia Bread as a filling meal. Making gazpacho ahead of time can save time on other busy days. Stir chilled gazpacho thoroughly before serving to distribute ingredients evenly.
6. How to make Fresh Spring Rolls
Large shrimp, 21-25 count, are an ingredient in these fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. Sliced shrimp provide color for these rolls wrapped in rice paper. Other ingredients include fresh vegetables and soft rice noodles. Two types of dipping sauces are also included. These spring rolls are a good choice for a summertime meal. I cook the shrimp and then cool them in ice water. I slice the shrimp in half lengthwise and place them under the wrapper, cut side up, so they show when the sushi roll is finished. I like the shrimp halves to be on the outside of the roll. Noodles should be cooked but not dried out. I rinse them with cold water to stop them from cooking further. I place the noodles on a clean, damp cutting board, not a soaking wet cutting board. I start wrapping with the lettuce end of the noodle and finish by enclosing the shrimp inside the noodle. For the Vietnamese sauce, I prepare it in a small bowl to help the sugar dissolve. When I'm in a hurry, I prepare sesame ginger dressing and peanut butter together in a mason jar with a lid and shake. I arrange the final product on a platter with a damp kitchen towel and cut it on the diagonal.
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