Weeknight Recipes to Keep You Cool During a Heatwave
Here is a week’s worth of recipes to keep you cool even when the weather is heating up!
"I want to stand in a sweltering hot kitchen at the end of a long day," said no one ever.
Listen, I live in Texas and it gets HOT! When I reach this point in the year where the outside temperature is easily in the 90s, I'm not interested in heating up anything unnecessarily. So, this week we're making recipes that require minimal prep but still bursting with flavors you’ll enjoy. Some recipes have elements to cool you down, like fresh fruit and slaws, but all of them will make your tastebuds sing!
A few of these recipes can be streamlined by using pre-cut produce from the fruit and veg aisles. For Wednesday's Jeweled Rice Salad, look for a trail mix without chocolate to minimize the number of ingredients you need to purchase.
Even if you don’t live in an area where the summer reaches record highs, you’ll appreciate the refreshing dishes headed your way this week.
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Chicken Mango Lettuce Wraps
Ease into the week with a recipe that requires minimal prep but delivers on maximum flavor and texture. Make weeknight cooking a little easier by using pre-cut mango from your grocer's produce section. If you can't find any there, use this handy tutorial on how to cut a mango. Make a big batch of rice to serve on tonight's bed of lettuce, then use leftovers tomorrow night's beef skewers.
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Korean Beef Skewers
I know I want to make these bulgogi-on-a-stick beef skewers, and I always eat kimchi with my bulgogi. You can make kimchi from scratch (it’s easier than you think) or pick it up at in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. Bring it all together on a bed of rice and dinner is served. You can even start marinating the meat for this recipe when you get home from work or earlier in the day.
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Cobb Salad
This Cobb Salad is a cool throwback to my childhood. As an adult, I prefer the combination of greens in this recipe more than the salad I grew up eating. The frisee and watercress add a bitter and spicy element to the salad. If you can’t find either, arugula and escarole are good substitutes.
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Pan-Seared Scallops with Sweet Corn and Chiles
Prep the creamy corn for this recipe the evening before. Just before serving, season, then pan-sear your scallops and serve immediately. It needs no other sides to make it complete. I enjoy this dish with a chilled Riesling. Here is our guide to white wine to help you find the perfect pairing.
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Pressure Cooker Chinese Pulled Pork
Serve this succulent pulled pork on burger buns. If you don't have a pressure cooker, just throw the meat into your slow cooker and cook it on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. It is the best set it and forget it meal you can make this week.
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Weekend Baking: Rice Pudding
Even though you can serve this rice pudding warm, I prefer to serve it ice-cold. Sprinkle a generous dusting of ground cinnamon and some toasted coconut flakes over it, and it becomes the easiest dessert to close out your week.