What are your favorite and preferably easiest meals during these dog days of summer?

What about home made pizza? You can buy the bases ready made and top with all sorts of lovely toppings.

Chili dogs are relatively easy, and one of my favorite summer meals. But they are unhealthy as all get out and messy too, so it’s a trade off.

caprese salad made with homegrown tomatoes and basil!

This is when I like to go to the deli section of the grocery and I’ll buy sub rolls and a selection of meats and cheeses. Add a little sweet mustard or Miracle Whip/mayo (which ever you prefer) and a fresh tomato from the garden and you have yourself an easy sub sandwich dinner.

Best recipe I discovered this summer was for a simple roasted tomato soup (tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, garlic). It sounds ridiculous to make soup in the summer, but it’s such an easy, cheap meal that this unemployed person doesn’t care. We serve it in bread bowls with a side of salad, but we might try swapping the bread for stuffed pasta to change things up.

I also love making salmon and then saving the leftovers for sandwiches with brie.

Tomato, mozarella and rye bread.

I love to grill and, more than anything else, I love to grill pork steaks. There are an endless variety of rubs and sauces you can use on them and they are very hard to fuck up and dry out.

fire. beer. food.

Sandwiches

California Veggie Sandwiches (only I’d swap out the alfalfa sprouts for radish sprouts which taste better and are more nutrient dense)

Grilled Tofu Kung Pao Sliders

Lemongrass Tofu Bahn Mi

Spicy Peanut, Carrot and Snap Pea Wraps

Sweet Potato, Peanut, Brown Rice, BBQ Burgers

Italian-style Grilled Cheese and Spinach Sandwich

Balsamic Marinated Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches (you can grill the schrooms on a BBQ grill or just cook them in a pan on the stove)

Chickpea Wraps with Cranberry Sauce and BBQ Sauce

Curried Quinoa Wrap

Salad

Spicy Peanut Cilantro Slaw

Spicy Soba Noodles

Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Soba Noodles and Honey Ginger Sauce

Green Papaya Salad

Kale Sesame Ginger Salad

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Wheatberry Salad with Pecans and Dried Cranberries

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Antipasto White Bean Salad

Raw Kale, Carrot and Cabbage Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

Caprese Orzo Salad

Chilled Soup

Lithuanian Cold Beet Soup

Chilled Cucumber Melon Soup with Radish Salsa

Chilled Persian Yogurt Soup

Chilled Peach Soup with Fresh Goat Cheese

Sweet Corn and Cashew Chowder

Chilled Gazpacho

Avocado Cucumber Soup

Other Stuff

Fresh Summer Rolls with Mango, Basil and Radish Sprouts

Spicy Chipotle Peanut Hummus

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Pizza with Nectarines and Reduced Balsamic Vinegar (you can use pre-made pizza dough, such as Trader Joe’s brand)

Taco Pizza

Brussels Sprouts, Potato and Goat Cheese Pizza

Crockpot Mushroom Stroganoff

Crockpot Black Bean Chili

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

Dessert

Lemon Granita

Berry Trifle

Grilled Pineapple with Balsamic Glaze

Ice Cream Sandwiches (you can use pre-made cookie dough, or simply use store bought already prepared cookies)

Peanut butter banana sandwich.

Great suggestions, everybody. Thank you all!!!

Roasted beet and butternut squash salad with arugula, pumpkin seeds and shallots.