Summer recipes are all about fresh flavors, minimal effort, and keeping cool while still enjoying delicious food. Whether you're planning a backyard barbecue, a picnic at the park, or a quick weeknight dinner, these easy summer recipes will keep you inspired all season long.
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Fresh and Easy Summer Salads
Perfect for picnics, barbecues, or a light dinner.
Summer in Canada always meant that there were plenty vine ripe tomatoes which are the perfect ingredient for my Mom's Italian Potato and Tomato Salad Recipe.
Herby Butter Bean Salad with Za'atar Dressing is a vibrant, protein-packed dish loaded with fresh herbs, creamy feta, and briny olives. Tossed in a tangy za'atar-spiced dressing, it's bursting with Mediterranean flavor in every bite. This salad comes together in minutes and gets even better as it sits. It's perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or a light yet satisfying lunch.
This delicious burrata tomato peach salad is one of my favorite ways to make the most of fresh summer produce. This salad is one of those no-cook recipes you'll want to make on repeat. Serve it as a light appetizer, quick side dish, or a tasty centerpiece for your summer spread.
Bocconcini and Tomato Salad is perfect as an appetizer, side, salad or item to add to any basic charcuterie board. Simple ingredients make up this bocconcini and tomato salad like mini bocconcini, tomato or cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Mango Cucumber Avocado Salad is bursting with fresh flavors from mango, cucumber, and avocado topped with easy savory and tangy homemade sauce. A simple yet amazing vegan salad that is a perfect side dish for any busy weekday!
This spinach salad with strawberry salad dressing comes together in no time and tastes absolutely delicious. A sweet strawberry salad dressing made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar.
This watermelon jalapeño salad combines juicy pieces of watermelon, charred corn, fresh herbs, and crushed corn nuts in a spicy lime dressing. It's a refreshing and flavorful vegan side dish on a hot summer day!
Whether you call this Cucumber Tomato Salad or Italian Tomato Salad, either one will include crunchy cucumbers, vine ripened sweet
This twist on deviled eggs turns the classic appetizer into a creamy and delicious pasta salad side dish with all the flavor of deviled eggs!
This Arugula Salad with Pears, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto has become my go to salad any time of the week. Especially when you add pears, goat cheese and prosciutto. The combination of these flavors is incredible and pairs harmoniously together.
This Italian meatball salad is a great way to turn leftover meatballs into a whole new dish. It all comes together in 10 minutes, and it's a low-carb, high-flavor meal that's so easy to prepare.
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Grilled Summer Recipes Everyone will Love
Juicy meats, seafood, and veggie options for the grill.
There's nothing like the smell of Grilled Shrimp on the Barbecue. A quick and easy meal or appetizer. And, what says summer more than lighting up the grill than savory shrimp on a skewer.
This delicious summer Sausage Cobb salad is going to be your new fave! I am 100% on team no boring salads. I love adding tons of flavors and textures. This salad is easy to make for a summer BBQ, meal prep and makes a great lunch or dinner!
Who doesn't like calamari? But Grilled Squid on the barbecue bring another dimension to the most often ordered fried calamari dish. The best part is that this is a healthy version of cooked squid that everyone will enjoy eating and take seconds.
This Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad is great for picnics, potlucks, and cookouts, as it's light, fresh, and full of texture. The arugula and tomatoes give it brightness that balances the rich pesto perfectly. Grilled chicken adds abundant protein to this healthy, robust dish!
This Grilled Lemon Chicken recipe is a great option to keep on rotation for busy weeknights. It can be made on outdoor grill or indoor cast iron grill. You'll only need a handful of simple ingredients and about 15 minutes of cook time.
BBQ Chicken Skewers are tender, juicy, and easy to throw together at the last minute. Create mouthwatering flavor with just a few ingredients! New recipes like this are the best - and all you need are simple ingredients! Find out why everyone raves about my homemade chicken kebabs!
Quick and Light Summer Dinners
Weeknight-friendly meals that won't heat up the kitchen.
These Turkey and Cheese Roll Ups With Spinach Dip are a family fave that has a light lunch meets snack type vibe. This recipe comes together fast, it's tasty and it's satisfying. Made with just a few staples from Trader Joe's - nitrate free turkey, organic American cheese, their flour tortillas and their creamy and delicious Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip.
There's something undeniably luxurious about the combination of sweet figs, salty prosciutto, creamy brie, and peppery arugula-all layered beautifully on a slice of crusty sourdough. This Fig, Prosciutto and Brie Open-Faced Sandwich is not only stunning to look at, but it's also bursting with contrasting textures and bold flavors.
No Bake and Frozen Summer Treats
Cool off with simple, sweet desserts.
These strawberry crunch cheesecake cones are delicious and refreshing treats, even better than ice cream. Filled with silky smooth cream cheese frosting and home-made strawberry preserve, these strawberry cones are the perfect summer dessert!
This Italian Traditional Torrone Ice Cream recipe is exactly like the one you buy at the corner store. The perfect cold dessert without an ice cream maker. Ice cream cone optional! Pair this with my pizzelle ice cream waffle cones for the perfect dessert combination on a summer day.
If you've ever had Lemon Lush No Bake Dessert before, you already know how good it is. That Cool Whip topping, the creamy lemon pudding layer, and the buttery crust all come together in the most perfect way.
It's light, fluffy, and hits the spot on warm days when you want something sweet but not too heavy.
Creamy and fragrant Baklava Ice Cream that tastes just like the real thing! This Middle Eastern-inspired dessert is rich and aromatic, with crunchy pistachios and walnuts. Easy to make at home!
Frozen Berry Yogurt Bites - a refined sugar-free, easy, and tasty treat made with just a few ingredients. Great bite-sized treat for snack time or sunny days.
Refreshing Summer Drinks and Cocktails
Experience a sip of pure bliss with our homemade Iced Green Tea that surpasses anything you'll find at Starbucks. Infused with the tang of freshly squeezed lemon and a burst of fresh mint, this naturally sweetened tea is the drink of the summer.
Perfectly refreshing, this Spiked Strawberry Lemonade with Vodka quenches your thirst while creating bursts of flavor in your mouth. A great cocktail for a summer day whether you're socializing with friends or just chilling alone.
The Blue Mojito is a stunning twist on a classic cocktail. Like its namesake, the blue mojito is a blend of rum, lime juice, sugar syrup, and mint topped with bubbly water. But this blue curaçao cocktail will make you dream of crystal-clear waters and sandy beaches.
This easy cucumber gin and tonic is an easy drink recipe and is quickly becoming a new favorite! It's a twist on a classic gin and tonic recipe. With fresh ingredients like cucumber slices, lime and mint sprigs, this chilled cocktail is so light, crisp, and refreshing.
Must-Try Summer Sides and Snacks
Harissa Cottage Cheese Dip is a bold and high protein dip that only takes a couple of minutes to make. This easy dip is a little bit smoky, tangy and creamy. It pairs perfectly with fresh chopped veggies, grilled pita bread or spread it on avocado toast.
Grilled Brussel Sprouts in Balsamic Vinegar is a delicious and healthy dish that has become increasingly popular in recent years. It makes a perfect side for anything that's cooked on the barbecue!
This authentic creamy Greek tzatziki sauce is easy to make, full of fresh flavor, and perfect as a dip or sauce for pita, gyros, falafel, grilled meats, and more.
Grilled Vegetables with Italian Vinaigrette is perfect for the summer, because we know that in Ontario, there is sure to be an abundance of zucchini, eggplant and peppers and this is a great way to utilize them before they go bad!
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