Dinners for hot weather

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Would love some inspiration for evening meals when the weather is hot! We tend to eat quite a low-carb diet so things like pasta, wraps, flatbreads, cous cous wouldn't be ideal although I'm sure I could adapt them to suit. We generally also eat a salad for lunch every day so wouldn't necessarily want a salad for dinner!

Examples of what we already eat are lamb koftas, salmon tikka, stuffed peppers, poke bowl-type things, courgetti. But getting a bit stuck in a rut and not fancying anything too hot or stew-like! Ideas welcome 😊

Various BBQ meats and salad. My kitchen is hot at the best of times, when it's hot outside it's a nightmare.

Tonight we are having garlic chicken and greek salad
Yesterday we had pulled pork baps
Tomorrow steak with chimichurri, asparagus and mushrooms
Thursday Pork banh mi - you could do it with lettuce cups instead of the baguette for low carb
Friday - hot dogs

Yesterday we had mackerel fillets stuffed with a little lemon couscous and a tomato and roasted courgette salad. As I had the oven on I also put in some salmon fillets for tonight and some chicken thighs and baby potatoes for later in the week. We'll probably have salad with the salmon and mixed green veg with the chicken.

I also make a cheats risotto/paella by putting all the stock in at once and leaving it to do its worst.

We're having roasted carrots in as sort of pilaf with grains and rice tonight. Served warm. Carrots cooked in air fryer. Topped with feta.

When it's really hot and I can't face things I tend to do grilled/fried meat, with salads and new potatoes. eg lamb chops or steak or chicken pieces. V quick cooking and simple to eat in this weather.

I did roast chicken in the air fryer and served it with creamed corn and parsnip chips the other day. It was really good

Picky bits for us tonight. Whatever is left in Tesco chilled section when I got tonight with salad if there any left.

I did couscous salad with lemon chicken and has sweat tricking down my neck as sweating over the hob last night so can't bear to have it on tonight, Did pasta using kettle boiled water in the pan, ready made sauces and meatballs in the air fryer the night before.

We have a big barbecue grill but it's too much effort to fire it up and clean it afterwards for a mid week dinner.

Frittata and steamed new potatoes or potato salad?

(Just a few to provide SOME carb! Or coleslaw)

Halloumi burgers for us tonight. Yesterday it was courgette risotto and tomorrow it’s lemony feta couscous salad.

For low carb, cold poached salmon with herbed mayonnaise, preferably homemade, or a mayo-yoghurt mixture, is hard to beat. The fish can be cooked ahead. The herbs can be varied, and lemon zest is good, too.

This can be served with a variety of veg. It is particularly good with cooked, room temp or chilled asparagus. Tomatoes, green beans and/or new potatoes (if loosening the low carb restrictions) vinaigrette to round off the main course. Fruit and/or cheese.

Massive salad

@CallieQ 😉

We had salmon on the gas bbq with veg grilled alongside. Salmon was straight out the freezer so it all took about the same time.

I made a couscous salad as well using most of same ingredients as ottolenghi https://food52.com/recipes/77878-ottolenghi-s-couscous-cherry-tomato-herb-salad and had the leftovers for lunch today.

The gas bbq gets used a lot as it's cooler to stand outside and cook.

Puy lentil salad tonight - lentils from a pouch - with feta and probably some mackerel fillets from the freezer. Maybe a home made coleslaw too. Both salads with enough for lunch the next day.

Whole cooked chicken, salad and part baked rolls. Bean salad for the veggie.

Oh and quiche too.

I tend to do lots of Mediterranean type meals in this weather, anything tomato/garlic, also fish and salads of course. Lemon chicken is another summer meal we have - with a lentil salad.

We had some tuna steaks on the bbq last night with a green salad (had green beans, avocado etc in), tonight I’m going to do one of my very few specialities, a Caribbean chicken thing which is prepped but does take some frying and then oven time which I’m not looking forward to 😂 usually served with rice and cabbage, I’ll do the rice but will have mine with salad and the cabbage.

ooo @CindersAgain you read my mind that's exactly what were having tonight, whole chicken has been in the slow cooker all day (stops the kitchen getting too hot) will shred when get home and pop in the oven to brown with the rolls. salad, homemade coleslaw and herby new potatoes

This week we've had...

Spaghetti and Tuna meatballs

Chicken and bacon ceaser salad
Peri peri chicken, rice, coleslaw and salad
Fish steamed with soy, ginger and spring onion and stir fry veg
Sausage, pepper, courgette, onion and new potato tray bake.

I made this Jamie Oliver stuffed salmon the other day and it was absolutely delicious. You can just spread the stuffing mix over the top of salmon fillets and strew a load of cherry tomatoes around them for a simpler dish with the same flavours. And most of the remaining ingredients will last in jars for future use in a puttanesca sauce or similar.

I served it with some wild rocket and the couscous from this Nigella recipe which is also really delicious.

It made a lovely summery mediterranean meal and friends absolutely loved it.