With rising temperatures, the body heat also keeps rising. A good way to keep this heat in check is to indulge in food that is light and easy to digest. You can make the most of seasonal ingredients, cook smart and create some quick, breezy and wholesome dishes. Here are our selections for the 3 perfect summer recipes:
- Mixed Berry Smoothie
Nothing hits the spot like fresh fruit smoothies during peak summertime. Our top choices would be blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.
All you need is a ¾ cup of orange juice, 1 cup of the mixed berries and half a cup of Greek yogurt or coconut milk. You could also go for a vegan version with mashed bananas instead of yogurt. You can go ahead with just 1 kind of berry or with unsweetened yogurt too based on liking and availability.
Now, gather all ingredients, put them in a blender or a mixer and begin blending them till you’re left with a silky smooth mixture. This may take 2 to 3 minutes. For an additional dash of protein, you could also add our GNC AMP Gold Series 100% Whey Protein Advanced (Strawberry Flavour) powder to the mix as well. Here’s a pro tip – while you add the ice cubes to the blender, make sure you add them one at a time and make sure each is entirely blended. Trust us. That perfect texture will be worth the extra minutes you spend doing this.
Simply add the blended mixture to a tall glass and relish that cooling madness. You can also refrigerate the leftovers for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
2. Watermelon & Feta Salad
Watermelon and cucumbers are hands down, one of the most invigorating combinations ever! And this salad is incredibly easy to make. All you have to do is add some mint leaves and red onion to the watermelon and cucumber chunks that you have ready in the bowl. Make sure you add grated lemon zest to the mix. You could add some Arugula or Lettuce too if you want to pack in more freshness. And then add a really simple vinaigrette – which basically consists of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.
Toss everything together. And voila! Your incredibly quick salad is full of flavour and almost ready. At this point, you can add the piece de resistance, the delicious feta cheese. But don’t worry in case you’re not a big fan of feta. Mozzarella or goat cheese also work wonders.
Don’t shy away from adding more lemon zest and just a few grinds of black pepper and a dash of olive oil. And that’s it. You’re good to go.
3. Lemon Bars
Desserts are pure joy, especially during the hot summers. And these lemon bars are so easy to make, you just might start making them every day. All you need is: butter, whole-wheat flour or Bajra or Nachni, jaggery, salt, eggs and lemon juice instead of the usual sugar and white flour. Surprised? Well, you should be.
You can get started by preheating the oven to 175 degrees C and blending the butter, 2 cups of the flour and the jaggery in a bowl. You will then of course need a baking pan. You can press these blended ingredients to the bottom of that baking pan. You can bake them for 15-20 minutes in the pre-heated oven until they’re golden.
You need to multitask a bit now. While the baking continues, grab another bowl and begin whisking 1.5 cups of sugar, a quarter cup of the flour along with 4 eggs and lemon juice. Now, pour this glorious mixture over the baked crust. You’re in the final stage now. Bake the whole thing for another 20 minutes and then let it cool down as the lemon bars start to firm up. You can then cut them according to your preferred size and start gorging on this beautiful dessert.
Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy – both literally and figuratively!
Dive into deliciousness and beat the heat like a champion with these 3 incredibly easy and tasty recipes.
