By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
When it’s hot outside, and maybe even hotter inside, the soups and hearty casseroles we crave in cooler weather don’t sound appealing. Besides, no one wants to have the oven heating up their kitchen or to spend time over a hot stove on a steamy summer day! Some of these dishes can be prepared in the morning when it’s cooler and some don’t require cooking.
Hummus or other bean spreads
1. Dip cut up vegetables, crisp fruits, and crackers or tortilla chips in homemade or purchased hummus
2. Roll hummus and chopped vegetables in a whole-grain tortilla
3. Spread white bean dip on sliced baguettes and top with strips of roasted red pepper
4. Warm corn tortillas in a skillet and top with pinto bean spread, salsa, chopped tomatoes, and shredded lettuce
5. Top a microwaved potato or sweet potato with a bean spread. Try a garlicky hummus on a white potato or roasted red pepper hummus on a sweet potato.
Sandwiches – serve with fresh fruit and a side salad
6. Tofu salad with sliced tomatoes in a pita pocket
7. Not-tuna salad (made with chickpeas, vegan mayo, chopped celery, and spices to taste) on toasted rye bread
8. Marinated tofu with sprouts or lettuce, shredded carrots, and peanut sauce in a wrap. Marinated tofu and peanut sauce can be purchased or homemade
9. Sliced bagel with nut butter and sliced fruit (try nectarines, peaches, or other fruit in season)
10. Vegan deli slices on a sub roll with vinaigrette dressing, tomatoes, and lettuce
Salads – make ahead and chill until dinner; can serve with a fruit salad and bread
11. Potato salad with black beans, corn, and a salsa dressing
12. Pasta salad with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and Italian dressing
13. Spaghetti with a soy-sesame dressing tossed with cubes of baked tofu and steamed (or microwaved) broccoli
14. Rice salad with adzuki beans, diced carrots and cucumbers, and a sweet chili sauce
15. Peanut noodles with water chestnuts and red pepper strips
16. Taboulleh (bulgur with parsley, scallions, mint, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a lemon-olive oil dressing) with chickpeas
17. Three bean salad
18. Shredded cabbage in a soy-sesame dressing with baked tofu or seitan strips
19. Quinoa and bean salad with shredded kale and a cumin-lime vinaigrette
20. Chef salad with strips of vegan deli slices and cubed or grated vegan “cheese”
Miscellaneous
21. Veggie sushi – homemade or purchased
22. Smoothie made with plant milk, silken tofu, fresh and/or frozen fruit; can add nut butter and leafy greens for a meal in a glass
23. Vegan yogurt with berries and chopped nuts on a toaster waffle
24. Gazpacho garnished with croutons, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, and avocado slices
25. Rice paper wrappers filled with rice noodles, shredded Napa cabbage, baked tofu, cubed mango, and chopped peanuts