The heat of summer can often inspire general fatigue. All you want to do is live in a safe haven from the dry or humid heat. Often times, this is your home, which begs an important question. Why should you spend time baking food in the oven or spend hours over the stove cooking meals? Not only does this make your air-conditioning work harder, but it also causes you to lose interest in the hot food. What can be done?
If you’re looking to beat summer heat, try your hand at some no-cook recipes. Instead of a hearty stew, consider a refreshing salad with summer fruits and vegetables. Avoid heavy dairy desserts that cause bloating and opt for homemade sorbets that cool you off. Lettuce wraps, smoothies, raw soups, and vegetable noodle recipes are lighter, cooling meal options. They won’t weigh you down or cause sweating, unless you kick up the spice level.
The following recipes are all raw vegan, meaning that they are great for anyone participating in one of the many Dherbs cleanses. If you are not ready to transition to this type of eating plan, feel free to add pre-cooked legumes to your salads or entrees. If you opt for canned legumes, please pay attention to ingredients labels. Many of these canned varieties can easily cause people to exceed the recommended daily amount of sodium. Fortunately, there are sodium-free or low-sodium varieties that are much healthier options.
To start you on your no-cook summer meal marathon, here are seven recipes that will keep you feeling fresh in the summer heat.
Kale Salad With Almonds, Cranberries And Apples
Boost your nutrient intake by enjoying this raw vegan kale salad that’s perfectly balanced with apples, cranberries, and a tart vinaigrette. Kale is naturally bitter and has an assertive flavor. For this reason, sweet ingredients like apples and dried cranberries work well in kale salads.
Click here to make the recipe.
Peach Perfect Detox Smoothie With Ginger
A smoothie a day is not a cliché, or at least that’s what they say. Anyway, there’s no time to delay! This smoothie bursts with a tropical, zesty flavor that represents the refreshing flavors of summer.
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Melon Ball Salad With A Minty Lime Dressing
Refresh your palate and hydrate the body when you enjoy this Instagram-worthy melon ball salad that has a zesty, minty dressing. Plus, summer is when melons are the freshest!
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Cucumber Ginger Mint Agua Fresca
This tangy, refreshing cucumber mint agua fresca is the perfect summertime beverage. If the sun is shining, this drink will cool you down and provide you with hydrating electrolytes.
Click here to make the recipe.
Zucchini Noodles With A Spicy Kale Pesto
These zucchini noodles tossed in a spicy kale pesto make for a light lunch or easy go-to dinner option for anyone who wants to watch their caloric intake.
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Strawberry Basil Sorbet
This beautifully aromatic and sweet sorbet is refreshing, silky, and addictive. You just keep coming back for more, spoonful after spoonful.
Click here to make the recipe.
Easy Chocolate Cherry Maca Ice Cream
For this recipe, you don’t need dairy. In fact, you only need fresh ingredients that refresh the body on a warm summer day. And if you know anything about anything, cherries pair perfectly with chocolate.
Click here to make the recipe.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
