plant based recipes perfect for summer
one of my goals for this year was to get more comfortable with cooking and try a greater variety of recipes instead of always defaulting to roasted veggie and grain bowls. as part of that, I’ve been aiming to try one new recipe a week. this typically ends up being on sundays as I have more time to relax, cook, and figure out a new recipe on a sunday evening.
these 5 recipes are ones that I’ve tried recently that are easy to make and perfect for summer.
1) stuffed peppers: these vegetarian stuffed peppers are simple to throw together with minimal chopping of ingredients and plenty of pantry items. don’t get thrown off by the longer cooking time, that is mostly to cook the rice in advance of stuffing the peppers. we threw these on the grill instead of the oven both for a summertime vibe and to avoid turning on our oven and making our kitchen any hotter than it already was during the recent heatwave. if you’re vegan, these require only one swap of dairy cheese for vegan cheese.
sutffed peppers on the grill
2) pasta primavera: i found this recipe about a year ago and have come back to it multiple times. i don’t typically lean towards pasta recipes in the summer but this one is light and fresh. my favorite way to make it is with chickpea pasta (Banza or Pow) and fresh, seasonal veggies from the farmer’s market. the veggies are really the star of the show here so getting them fresh from a farmer’s market really does make a difference!
pasta primavera; photo from Love and Lemons
3) chickpea of the sea “tuna” salad: i’ve seen these plant based “tuna” salad recipes floating around the internet and have always wanted to try them. this definitely did not disappoint! this recipe can easily be adjusted for whatever add-ins you typically put in your tuna or chicken salad (fresh herbs, apples, pickles, etc.). i pretty much followed this recipe to a tee and was super happy with how it turned out. if you’re into meal prepping, this is a great options for lunches for the week and keeps well in the fridge!
chickpea of the sea; photo from The Simple Veganista
4) vegan cobb salad: there is something about a cobb salad that is so satisfying to me. this one is especially seasonal for summer with the use of corn and asparagus. since i’m currently eating eggs, I added those as well. all around, a really quick, easy and healthy dinner!
veggie cobb salad
5) veggie burgers & veggies on the grill: ok so not a recipe, but this is the easiest summer combo and so good. i love basically all of dr. praeger’s veggie burgers and used those, although this summer i want to try to finally make my own! you can pair your burger with any summer veggies, think: corn, asparagus, zucchini or peppers. the veggies need only a drizzle of EVOO and some salt and pepper before going on the grill.
hope this provides a little inspiration if you’ve been looking for healthy, easy, plant based recipes to try this summer!
