Summer dinners

Posted: Mon, Jun 29 2009, 4:46 pm Post subject: summer dinners

I'm looking for ideas for dairy & pareve meals for the summer. Somehow, after hanging out outside all day, I'm not in the mood for cooking, let alone eating heavy cheesy dishes like lasagna. Meat is easy- just BBQ! Any good ideas for dairy & pareve light meals?
Thanks!

Posted: Mon, Jun 29 2009, 5:09 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

Fruit soups are a summer favorite-
How about cheese blintzes or cheese latkes or waffles?
A fresh salad goes with everything!

G'Luck!

Posted: Mon, Jun 29 2009, 9:29 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

I feel the same way during the summer time, so I tend to keep our dinners simple & light. I've been making a lot of vegetarian dinnners because we find that to be lighter.

Here are a few ideas:

tuna patties, corn on the cob, steamed veggies or salad
pasta with cottage cheese and cinnamon & sugar, & a salad
pita pizza & salad
rice & beans & steamed vegetables
lentil burgers on toasted whole wheat rolls with lettuce, pickles, tomato, ketchup & a salad (that's what we had tonight. Smile

I make a big batch of lentil burgers & freeze them.)
mjeddrah (a lentil rice dish) with yogurt & salad
tuna on toasted whole wheat bread with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes & a salad

Posted: Mon, Jun 29 2009, 9:42 pm Post subject:

baked ziti with vegetable salad
you can do tuna salad, vegetable salad, and rolls
cherry soup
blintzes
cheese latkes
tuna patties with mashed potatoes
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Posted: Tue, Jun 30 2009, 6:57 am Post subject: re: summer dinners

cold soup (gazpacho, vichysoise, fruit soup, pea and mint)
poached salmon
lentil salad with feta
cold pasta salad
cucumber salad
potato salad
corn on the cob
I also make quickly blanched courgette (zucchini) fingers.

Icecream with berries to finish it off.

During the week, I'm just happy with nice bread, a good assortment of cheese with some chutney or compote with a side salad.

Silver Member Joined: Sep 15 2007 Posts: 636

greeneyes--can you post your lentil burger recipe please?

Posted: Tue, Jun 30 2009, 5:47 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

Sure, here goes:

1 cup lentils
approx. 2 cups water
1 tsp. curry powder (I skip because I don't care for curry)
salt
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup carrots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 T. whole wheat or regular flour
2 T. tomato paste mixed with 1 T. soy sauce
1 1/2 c. whole grain or regular bread crumbs (I find that I need a LOT less)

Bring lentils & water to boil. Reduce heat. Add curry, pinch of salt, coriander, and cumin. Cover pan and cook 35-40 minutes until tender. Set aside covered. Heat a skillet. Add olive oil. Saute onions. Add garlic and carrots. Drain lentils and mash well. Mix with sauteed vegetables and bread crumbs. Add flour and tomato paste mixture. Form into balls and then flatten into patties. Place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Turn over and bake an additional 20 minutes.

I double the recipe and freeze these. They are delicious. My hubby takes one as part of his lunch nearly every day.

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 2:02 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

greeneyes, do you think I can I substitute the lentils for canned beans?

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 2:11 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

I think it would be good with canned beans.

(But try it with lentils sometime. Smile

)

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 2:50 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

greeneyes, do you think I can substitute something else for the tomato paste? If I can, what do you think I can use instead? Tehini paste?

Gold Member Joined: Feb 12 2008 Posts: 2386

What colour lentils do you use?

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 4:19 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

Ra mom, I think this recipe is pretty flexible, so techina paste instead of tomato paste would probably be great. But if you use the techina, maybe skip the soy sauce? I just can't picture those 2 flavors going well together, kwim? If you do try this though, you might want to taste the lentil mixture before baking to see if it needs more flavoring, cuz without the soy sauce & tomato paste it might be a little bland.

Shnitzel, I use brown lentils.

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 4:28 pm Post subject: Re: re: summer dinners

Posted: Wed, Jul 01 2009, 4:59 pm Post subject: re: summer dinners

About 4-6 patties, depending on how big you want them. Smaller ones are easier to flip over halfway through the baking time, but I like to make bigger ones.

Diamond Member Joined: May 24 2007 Posts: 4619

what do the lentil burgers taste like?
I have a house full of picky eaters (including myself)
I really want to try to server more healthy meals but my kids won't eat them -
any advice on foods that I can stick in healthy stuff without them realizing?

Gold Member Joined: Nov 02 2008 Posts: 1044

Why not a very large salad with tuna and assorted cheeses. Like the ones they make a the fancy restaurants. I make this once a week in the summer.