Happy first official day of Summer! I’ve already had my first vacation to visit friends in Colorado, and am looking forward to vacationing at the beach later this summer with the family. To kick off summer right, I thought I’d do a recap of some of my favorite summer-flavored recipes!
Let’s start off with some ideas for grilling. I’m a novice when it comes to grilling, but I’m hopefully going to change that this summer. My friend in CO showed me just how easy grilling up some veggie skewers and bratwurst can be, so I’ve got some ideas to try. In the meantime, I think this Island Lime and Coconut Chicken and these Apple Turkey Burgers with Cheddar and Caramelized Onions, would be awesome made on the grill.
No cook out is complete without some side salads! I recommend Grandma Helland’s Potato Salad or her VERY popular Broccoli Salad. If you need something to share with a crowd, I love making this Asian Cabbage Salad. It easily feeds a ton of people and is bright and fresh, definitely a crowd pleaser.
For some easy sandwich/wrap fillings, I’ll be making Rosemary Chicken Salad, Curry Chicken Salad and Chickpea Pesto Sandwiches all summer. They’re light and refreshing and the perfect summertime lunch.
You’ll definitely want to take advantage of all the fresh fruits and vegetables this summer. Here are some ideas for that fresh, delicious produce. I plan on making this Amazing Bruschetta all summer long. My first foray into eggplant is still my most loved way of serving it. This Roasted Eggplant Salad with Goat Cheese and Smoked Almonds is packed with flavor! For the summer squash/zucchini, you can’t go wrong letting it shine in this Summer Squash and Ricotta Galette.
Strawberry season has already ended at the local farm I go to, but you’ll be able to get delicious strawberries at the store all summer long. For a popular salad, make Strawberry Spinach Salad, or take advantage of the young kale and make a raw Strawberry Avocado Kale Salad. If you’re looking for something sweeter, try these Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes, they’re gluten-free but still super delicious. Alternatively, make a Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake, which is always good for a group, or really wow them with Tres Leches topped with strawberries. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this show stopper: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Layer Cake.
To take advantage of the other fresh berries this summer, start breakfast off right with these amazing Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce, or a Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake. For a more decadent fruit dessert, you’ll never want another kind of cheesecake again once you’ve made this Blackberry Cheesecake, or combine your favorite berries for a spectacular Razzleberry Pie, topped with ice cream of course. And for the raspberry lovers/dessert lovers, these White Chocolate Raspberry Bars totally changed my opinion on white chocolate.
