Summer Festivities – Beet and Carrot Noodle Salad
Delicious Summer Meals
Who likes to cook in the summer? I don’t blame you if you don’t! Who wants to cook when it’s 100° F outside? I don’t like to do it, even though I’m a chef! But a bit of planning goes a long way, and the family can be well fed during the summer (with a minimum of effort).
My favorite dishes to make during the summer are chilled or raw (uncooked) soups, salads, veggie noodles, no-mayo coleslaw, grilled veggies, and smoothies. For most of these dishes, there is no stove required, which makes things a lot easier AND a lot cooler!
Summer Salads
Salads can be a lot more interesting than a wedge of iceberg lettuce, two slices of cucumber and sliced tomato. Beautiful, warm and inviting summer evenings are the best time to experiment with composed entrée salads. No need to be fancy, there is brilliance in simplicity.
Select a base of field greens, kale, chard, spinach, spring mix, arugula or watercress. Throw your greens of choice in a mixing bowl; add your favorite chopped vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, green onions or peppers. Add your favorite fruit such as grapefruit, strawberries, oranges or blueberries. Add a protein such as baked salmon, halibut, chicken, tempeh, beans, hemp seeds, chia seeds, spirulina or shrimp.
Drizzle with olive or avocado oil, your favorite vinegar, lemon juice or grapefruit juice. You can add nutritional yeast and seaweed for extra vitamins and minerals. Don’t forget about fresh herbs, which bring a vibrant, crisp flavor as well as amazing nutritional properties.
**Season with salt, cayenne, red pepper flakes or pepper, and toss before serving.
Chill out with a summer soup
I love chilled soups. They are a perfect addition to the summer and a perfect way to incorporate more veggies into your diet. Chilled soups are very popular in Europe and other countries in the summer season. They are refreshing, cooling, filling and keep well in your fridge. Although some chilled soups need to be cooked first, my favorite way of making them is using a high-speed blender. Super quick and easy.
Take two peeled cucumbers, 1 cup fat from full-fat coconut milk, fresh dill, 1 avocado, one clove of garlic, a few scallions, a pinch of salt and coconut sugar, along with one tablespoon of lemon juice.
Put the ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and purée until smooth. Then chill.
For a finishing touch, add a sprig of fresh dill and serve for a great dinner starter. There it is, your dinner is ready!
Veggie Noodle Dish
Vegetable noodles are the hit of summer because they are super easy to make, they are fun, and they are nutritious and cooling. You need to buy a spiralizer to make them. You can buy the spiralizer on Amazon, and you are ready to play, explore and experiment! You can make a bunch of different sauces for them and enjoy lower-calorie dishes than pasta.
You can use all kinds of different veggies for the noodles: celery root, cucumber, celery, carrot, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, kohlrabi and more.
Serve it with Beef Bourguinon or Home Made Breakfast Sausage!
Beet and carrot noodle salad
Make noodles from beets and carrots using a spiralizer. Put in a bowl. Pre-cut an orange and add it to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Garnish with hemp seeds.
Summer Smoothies
There is nothing easier, as nutritious or more refreshing during the summer than chilled smoothies filled with fruits and veggies of the season! Play with ingredients and have fun!
Best peak of the summer season fruits and veggies
Berries of all kinds
Peaches
Apricots
Plums
Cantaloupes
Cherries
Nectarines
Melons
Zucchini
Kale
Corn
Tomatoes
Green beans
Eggplant
Broccoli
Summer squash
Cucumber
___________
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thetastesoflifeholisticblog
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 2 beets
- 1 orange
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp golden raisins
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup mint chopped
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
Instructions
- Make noodles from beets and carrots using a spiralizer. Put in a bowl. Pre-cut an orange and add it to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Garnish with hemp seeds.
