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15 Delicious and Healthy No-Cook Meals to Eat All Summer Long

Ditch your oven this summer
Photo 8/16
No-Noodle Pad Thai
Here's another great no-cook meal keeping with the noodle-less noodle dish theme -- this time featuring peanuts instead of pesto.

Ingredients
3/4 pound daikon radish, peeled
4 medium carrots, peeled
1/2 pound zucchini (or replace with an additional 1/2 pound bean sprouts)
1/2 pound (8 ounces) bean sprouts
4 green onions, finely sliced (white and green parts)
12 to 14 ounces organic extra-firm tofu, drained and very gently squeezed of excess moisture
1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably black, plus extra for serving
4 small wedges of lime, for serving
Peanut sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 pinch red pepper flakes
About 3 tablespoons water, to thin

Directions
1. Prepare the vegetable noodles: Use a julienne peeler, mandoline, spiralizer or regular peeler to create noodles out of the radish, carrots and zucchini, if using. Transfer the noodles to a large serving bowl. Add the bean sprouts, onions, chopped cilantro and sesame seeds to the bowl.
2. Slice the tofu: Halve your slab of tofu lengthwise through the middle so you have two large, 1-inch thick slabs. Stack the slabs on top of each other and slice them into 4 columns lengthwise, then turn the tofu and slice across the columns to make 1/4-inch wide squares of tofu. Gently transfer the tofu to the serving bowl.
3. Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary -- the sauce should taste very bold at this point. (I added an extra little splash of tamari.)
4. If you will not be serving all four portions immediately, portion off the amounts of vegetable/tofu mixture you need for now. Drizzle in enough dressing to coat the portioned amount. Use your hands to gently toss the mixture until every single strand is coating in dressing. Serve pad Thai with a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of extra chopped cilantro and sesame seeds. Store leftover vegetable/tofu mixture separately from the dressing and toss just before serving.

Source: Cookie and Kate



Photo 9/16
Avocado Toast With Cottage Cheese and Tomatoes
This fun interpretation of the ever-popular avocado toast might just be your new favorite no-cook meal. Packed with protein, healthy fats and fiber, this summer recipe is delicious and filling.

Ingredients
8 slices hearty whole grain bread
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
1 ripe California avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions
1. Lay bread slices out on a large cutting board and top each one with 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Top cottage cheese with avocado and tomato slices then season with another pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Cut bread slices in half and serve.

Source: The Lemon Bowl


Photo 10/16
Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Have you ever had Vietnamese vegetarian spring rolls? They're about as refreshing as it gets, with crispy carrots and cucumbers, fragrant herbs and luxe vermicelli noodles.

Ingredients
2 oz dried rice sticks or rice vermicelli (available in Asian section of most grocery stores)
6 rice paper wrapper sheets (called 'bahn trang' - available in Asian section of grocery store)
A large bowl of water to dip rice paper sheets
6 sprigs cilantro
6 sprigs mint
6 leaves lettuce, rib/stem removed
1 small ripe mango, peeled and cut into strips (substitute with shredded purple cabbage, cucumbers, savoy cabbage, bean sprouts)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into match sticks
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
1 garlic clove peeled and crushed
Red pepper flakes or chopped fresh chili to taste
Whisk everything together till the sugar dissolves.

Directions
1. Soak rice sticks in boiling water for about 3 minutes or till soft. Drain well.
2. Dip the rice paper sheets in water, making sure all sides are wet. Shake off excess water. Place on a clean work surface. Place a sprig each of cilantro and mint in the front 1/3rds of the rice paper sheet. Then place lettuce leaf, a little rice noodles, carrot, and mango slices. Fold and roll the summer roll.
3. Serve immediately with vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce (recipe below). To store, put rolls on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel. Then cover plate completely with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Source: Veggie Belly



Photo 11/16
Chopped Chickpea Greek Salad
Everyone loves a good Greek salad, and this one happens to be deliciously simple.

Ingredients
For the salad:
1 (15 oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
15 grape tomatoes, halved (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 medium cucumber, sliced and quartered
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled or cut into 1/2 inch cubes
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Place all salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss to combine.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano.
Pour onto salad and toss again to well combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as you'd like.
3. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to marinate, or serve immediately. Salad is best enjoyed within 2-3 days after making. Serves 4 for a meal, or 6 as a side salad.

Source: Ambitious Kitchen



Photo 12/16
White Fish Ceviche
Like poke, ceviche is a great fish dish that requires absolutely no cooking. Just get chopping, and be sure to add tons of lime!

Ingredients
2 pounds of white fish fillets (corvina, halibut, sea bass, tilapia, mahi mahi, snapper), cut into small square pieces
2-3 hot peppers, can use Ecuadorian-style aji peppers, red chilies or serranos, sliced
2-4 garlic cloves, whole but gently crushed (optional)
2-3 small red onions, use Ecuadorian style cebolla paiteña or replace with 4-5 large shallots, peeled and finely sliced
4 tomatoes, diced
2 bell peppers, any color, diced
20 small to medium sized limes, separated into about 10 limes to cook the fish and 10 limes for the onion and tomato marinade
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped as finely as possible
2-3 tablespoon of oil (avocado oil, sunflower oil, etc)
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Place the diced raw fish in a large bowl or dish with the sliced hot peppers, garlic cloves, a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, 1-2 teaspoons of salt, and cover it with lime juice from about 10 limes, the fish should be completely covered or almost completely covered by the lime juice.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 3-4 hours.
3. Place the sliced onions or shallots in a bowl, sprinkle them with a few teaspoons of salt and add warm water (enough to cover the onions), let rest for about 10 minutes, drain and rinse well with cold water.
4. Combine the rinsed onions with the diced tomatoes and diced bell peppers. Add the juice from about 5 limes and some salt. Let this mix marinate for at least 10 minutes, it can also be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to mix with the fish.
5. Once the fish is "cooked" in the lime juice, it should be completely white, remove the sliced hot peppers and garlic cloves. Based on your preference, and the acidity level, you can keep all the lime juice where the fish cooked in, or just some of it. You can strain the liquid to remove any pieces of hot peppers (or seeds) or garlic.
6. Add the marinated onion or shallot, tomato, and bell pepper mix to the fish. Add the chopped cilantro, oil, salt and additional lime juice to taste. You can serve immediately or let it rest for another 20-30 minutes before serving.
7. Serve with chifles, patacones, popcorn or corn nuts as well as with some good hot sauce or aji.

Source: Laylita's Recipes



BY ROSIE NARASAKI | JUL 21, 2017 | SHARES
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