Beating the heat: No-cook, vegetarian recipes

Turn off the oven. Step away from the broiler. Neither is required to serve a tasty and healthy summer supper. With a little pre-planning and imagination – and the use of a microwave – you can nourish your body without cooking a single ingredient.

Try one of these vegetarian meals, each consisting of a main dish and a side.

Make note, these meals are not raw foods if you’re aiming for a raw food diet.

All three meals should serve a family of four.

Meal No. 1: Italian Feast

Panzanella (Italian bread salad)
1 loaf stale whole-wheat baguette*
1 pint cherry tomatoes, or about 3 large tomatoes, quartered and then sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 15-ounce can no-salt added chickpeas
1 cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup pitted, sliced olives, black or green, or 2 tablespoons drained capers (optional)
1 handful fresh basil, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or more to taste)
Parmesan cheese, grated

Chop your bread roughly into cubes of about one inch square. Mix together with tomatoes, onions, chickpeas, cucumber, olives/capers and basil.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together garlic, oil, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over bread mixture and toss well. Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Top with cheese and serve cool or at room temperature.

*NOTE: If your bread is not stale, toast the bread cubes in a 350-degree oven for up to five minutes (WARNING: This step will clearly heat up the kitchen!) Allow to cool and proceed as directed above.

Marinated Mushrooms
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups sliced button mushrooms
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

 

Mix together liquid ingredients and pour dressing over mushrooms. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Meal No. 2: Fiesta Forever

Pinto Bean Tostadas
Tostada shells
2 cans no-salt added pinto beans
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, available in the Mexican foods aisle
1 tablespoon (or more) low-salt chicken or vegetable broth
Avocados
Chopped romaine lettuce
Diced tomatoes

Pulse beans, sour cream, lime, cilantro, adobo pepper and broth in a food processor until desired consistency. Add more broth, up to four tablespoons total if necessary.

Cover bean mixture and microwave until warm. Spread a thick layer of bean mixture on tostadas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes and avocados.

Cabbage Slaw
2 cups purple cabbage, sliced thin (or a pre-cut bag of such cabbage)
1 small red onion, sliced thin
4-6 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
4 pickled jalapenos (or more as desired), plus 1 teaspoon jalapeno juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat four cups of water in the microwave until near boiling. Pour over the cabbage and onion. Allow to sit for about five minutes, until slightly softened. Drain well in a colander.

Add green onions when cabbage mixture is cool.

Combine remaining ingredients, and pour the mixture over the veggies. Allow to sit for up to an hour.

Meal No. 3: Greek Goddess

Greek Veggie “Sushi”
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
12 spinach tortillas
1 can sliced black olives, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
Sundried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
10 ounces spinach, roughly chopped
1 cucumber, julienned
4 ounces pine nuts

Mix cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth. Spread cheese onto tortillas, and press olives and artichokes firmly into cheese.

Layer remaining ingredients onto tortillas. Tightly roll the tortillas.

Slice the rolled tortilla into small rounds, which should resemble California sushi rolls.

Lemon Dill Couscous
1 1/2 cups cous cous, preferably whole wheat
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 cup dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Heat one and a half cups water to just under a boil in the microwave. Pour over couscous and immediately cover for at least five minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Stir in other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Kate Jonuska is a freelance writer, photographer, food blogger and tech enthusiast who is also dining critic at The Gazette newspaper in Colorado Springs. (Thus the reason for no headshot here.) On the rare occasions when she's not cooking or eating, you'll find her hiking with her beloved dog, a corgi named Ein.