Oven-free cooking to keep you cool

Oven-free Recipes

Caribbean Shrimp Salad

Serves 4 main dish courses or 8 appetizer courses

Start your dinner with this light and refreshing salad or enjoy it as your entire meal. Purchasing already-cooked shrimp makes this dish super easy to put together. You can also used baby canned shrimp for even easier eating.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup prepared vinaigrette dressing
1/4 cup honey Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 pounds cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 mango, peeled, diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
1 large package mixed salad greens

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together dressing, mustard, and yogurt. Add shrimp, mango, and avocado to dressing and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, place greens on plates and top with shrimp mixture.

Avocado and Spinach Pita Sandwiches with Tahini

Makes 4 servings

These vegetarian sandwiches are great for lunch or dinner when combined with a light salad. Use any of your favorite vegetables for additional filling.

Tahini dressing:
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt, to taste

Sandwich ingredients:
8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
4 ripe plum tomatoes, diced*
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 cup alfalfa sprout
1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
1 cucumber, diced
4 large whole wheat pita breads, sliced open

Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together tahini dressing ingredients and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, toss feta with tomatoes and spinach. Spread dressing evenly on all four pitas and top with tomato mixture, alfalfa, avocado, and cucumber.
*Before eating tomatoes, be sure to read Do your tomatoes have salmonella?

Strawberry Pizza

Makes 4 servings

A sweet ending to a summery, light, no-cook meal. This is a crowd pleaser as well as a kid-friendly treat.

Ingredients:
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons strawberry jam
4 large sugar cookies
1 cup sliced strawberries

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:
Combine cream cheese with strawberry jam. Spread the mixture onto the flat side of each cookie. Top with sliced strawberries and dust with powered sugar. Serve with a chilled glass of lemonade.

Related Articles
Summer soup recipe: Honeydew Melon Soup

Sandwiches from around the world

Summer cooking: Keeping the heat out of the kitchen

No-Cook Peanut Butter Fudge