Highlights: No-Cook Meals

It’s been quite a week.  I started teaching summer school, which is a first time experience for me and even though I taught for the better part of last year, is definitely different than the regular school year.  Yesterday, for the second time, I took the test I need to pass to get the teaching license I want.  I think it went alright; we’ll see.  Oh, and it was a ridiculously hot, humid, sweaty week.  Must be summer :)

There were a bunch of blog posts featuring no-cook, stay cool meals this week.  Not that I took advantage of any of them–being on vacation, followed by going back to work, followed by a big test didn’t make me the best menu planner this week.  There’s still a lot of summer left though, so I’m sure these recipes will come in handy..

It’s “No-Cook Month” over at Cheap Healthy Good.  They’re posting recipes for things like Greek Antipasto Pita and Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” Popsicles (I made them with strawberries and they were awesome).  They also provided 13 ways to cook without an oven –using everything from a grill to a car engine.  I lost my mind on Wednesday this week and made tomato sauce, biscuits and ratatouille after I got home from school.  I probably should’ve read this article and kept the oven off.  Although, if you’re already hot and sweaty, what difference does it make?

The Kitchn has 7 recipes to help beat the heat, like Broccoli and Feta Pasta Salad or Vegetable and Mint Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce.  Also, check out their 10 recipes for watermelon. I haven’t had watermelon yet this summer; I should probably do something about that soon.

Epicurious calls ceviche “summer’s best no-cook dish” and Serious Eats posted a step-by-step guide on how to make ceviche.  Has anyone actually made ceviche, or is it just something they do on Chopped and Top Chef to sound fancy?  Was it worth it?

Planet Green’s 40 recipes to make when its too hot to cook includes soups, salads, main courses, desserts and ideas for entertaining.  If you can’t find something there, you might just want to order take out.

Finally, if you’re not too hot and tired to have people over, Serious Eats has a few No-Cook One-Handed Appetizers for your summer parties.

If you’re in more of a dessert mood (for some reason, the heat makes me want to eat nothing but junk), check out the June 5th highlights featuring ice cream and popsicle recipes.  I thought it was hot then–clearly I had no idea what I was talking about.

We’ve been advised by a couple people to make the investment in an air conditioner.  What do you think?  Vote, then add your comments below.

[poll id=”2″]

Stay cool!

(Almost) Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or like Relishments on Facebook!