Try our latest Summer Recipes!
Thoughts | Elysia Chau
Graphic by Amelia Wu
It’s the peak of summer; The perfect season for making up excuses to host backyard barbecues. Though if you need some help putting together a menu, we’ve got you. These simple recipes are not only budget-friendly but use healthy, seasonal ingredients to compliment your meal no matter how scorching it gets.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Whoever thought to mix watermelon and cheese was probably insane. But this recipe is insanely addictive. The combination of sweet and crisp with salty and rich, along with fragrant mint, creates a refreshing aromatic salad that perfectly captures the spirit of summer.
Ingredients:
Watermelon, cubed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Mint, sliced
Salt
Feta crumbled
Mix your feta, oil, salt, and mint, and pour over the watermelon. Mix, then serve cold.
A bite of this and you will forget all about the heat. Who could resist fresh fruit, rich cheese, and just a pop of color? If this recipe is too classic for you, the next will surely add some spice and surprise to your taste buds.
2. Chili Cucumber Salad
There are endless possibilities of what can be done with a single cucumber. By adding a few staples of Asian seasoning, it almost instantly turns into an appetizing salad. You’ll never underestimate a cucumber again.
Ingredients:
Cucumber, crushed and sliced
Rice vinegar
Chili Oil
Soy Sauce
Sesame seeds
Sesame Oil
Fish sauce
Add a splash of each seasoning on your cucumber, and mix to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, then serve.
This salad is a crowd-pleaser; you just keep coming back for more. If you are looking for a showstopper when you are in a crunch of time, we have you covered with our next recipe.
3. Cold Tofu & Watercress
A chilled slab of silky tofu on a bed of savory watercress is an easy and luxurious way to cool down. Moreover, this recipe is so simple, allowing you to spend the remainder of your energy playing outside and enjoying your summer.
Ingredients:
Watercress
Silken Tofu
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Scallions
Chili Oil
Sesame Seeds
Boil the watercress, then drain the water and rinse. Place cold silken tofu directly on top. Pour a splash of soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil over the top (to taste). Sprinkle chopped scallions, chili oil, and sesame seeds on top if desired.
Even thinking about this recipe makes me salivate. This next dish will surely rejunivate you if you are feeling tired after a day out in the sun.
4. Summer Pasta
As delicious as it is colorful, this pasta is so good that none of your relatives will want to admit it. It really is hard to beat the combination of fresh basil, tomatoes, and brie (thank you Italy!). With a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of black pepper, you’ve got yourself a dish that’s great on its own and is compatible with several others.
Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
Tomatoes (any kind, chopped)
Fresh Basil (chopped)
Cooked Linguini (or your favorite pasta)
Garlic, minced
Brie, torn up into small irregular pieces
Salt & Pepper
Combine all ingredients (except pasta) in a separate bowl. Let sit and marinate for an hour. Pour over cooked pasta, mix, and serve.
Everybody is brought together with this hearty pasta and it is one of those dishes, you can customize to your liking. So far, we have covered appetizers and main courses so what do you think is next?
5. Mango Sago Pudding
If I had to pick one recipe to share from my heritage, it would be anything involving sago. As a descendant of Chinese immigrants, “Not too sweet!” is the highest praise a dessert can receive, and it perfectly describes this creamy and intensely mango treat.
Ingredients:
Mango, chopped
Milk
Canned coconut cream
Sago
Boil sago until cooked. Puree mango with a splash of milk, then stir in sago. Pour into serving bowls, top with a dollop of coconut cream, and serve.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and I do.
Credit & Thank You’s
The Watermelon Feta Salad is adapted from Lauren Miyashiro’s recipe in Delish:
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a5739/watermelon-salad-feta-mint-recipe/
The Summer Pasta recipe is adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin (1982)
A special thank you to my friend Megan for suggesting several recipes, my cousin Kristina for helping out with photography, and my parents for letting me make a mess in their kitchen.