As the scorching summer sun beats down, the last thing we want is to spend hours slaving over a hot stove. Luckily, there are plenty of delicious recipes that are perfect for those hot summer days when you want to keep cool and avoid cooking altogether.
Our no-cook recipe series was created with the summer heat in mind, so you can can stay fueled and cool all summer long! We’ll be sharing family favorites, reinvented classics, and innovative concoctions that showcase the essence of summer on a plate over the next 4 posts.
To kick things off, we are introducing our zesty watermelon gazpacho. This cold soup is a packed with water-containing ingredients, making it a flavorful way to hydrate. With its inventive fusion of flavors and cooling properties, watermelon gazpacho has earned its place as a celebrated summer delicacy. Whether served as an elegant appetizer at a garden party or as a light and refreshing lunch on a scorching afternoon, this contemporary twist on a classic never fails to impress, delight, and rejuvenate.
Embracing the seasonal sweetness of ripe watermelons and blending it with the savory essence of vegetables, this modern twist on gazpacho is an absolute sensation for the taste buds.
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Chill 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Servings 2
Ingredients
4cupswatermelon seeded and cubed
1cucumberpeeled and diced
1red bell pepperseeded and diced
2Tbspfresh lime juice
2Tbspextra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil use as garnish
Instructions
In a blender, combine the watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, lime juice, and olive oil. Blend until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
Serve chilled in bowls or glasses, garnished with fresh basil leaves.
It’s always great to have a go-to recipe that never fails to impress, and that’s what I’ve found with these muffins! It’s hard to believe they contain various fruits and vegetables – because they just taste great! Even picky eaters will likely love them!
These muffins are full of vegetables and fruits. Great for a snack, part of breakfast or lunch, and will go quickly!
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine American, Breakfast, snacks
Prep Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 12people
Calories 161kcal
Author Kristen Norton
Equipment
1 electric hand mixer
2 bowls
1 food processor
2 mini muffin tins
Ingredients
1 2/3cupswhite whole-wheat flour
1/3cupcollagen powder, unflavoredsee notes
3/4tspbaking soda
1tspcinnamon
1/2tspsalt
1/2cupbroccolichopped
1zucchinimedium, chopped
1/2applemedium
1bananaripe
2carrotswhole small to medium carrots will work
2Tbsmilk(2% cow's milk was used, any type of milk should work)
1/2cupGreek yogurt(Plain or Flavored) We love Oikos
4Tbsbutterunsalted, room temp
2eggslarge
1/2cupbrown sugar
1tspvanilla extract
1/2cupEnjoy Life Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Wash, chop and steam the broccoli.
Wash and chop apple, zucchini, and carrots into large chunks.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners into mini muffin pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl mix together flour, collagen, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; set aside.
In a food processor, combine steamed broccoli, zucchini, apple, carrots, banana, a milk, and yogurt. Purée until smooth.
In a mixer or another bowl, combine the brown sugar + butter and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Add the fruit and veggie puree into the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full with batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tops are slightly brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and muffins bounce back when touched.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
What is Collagen Powder? Collagen is an essential protein found in our bodies and plays a vital role in maintaining the health of our skin, hair, nails, joints, and bones. Typical diets no longer contain many collagen sources (collagen comes from animal connective tissues such as bones, skin, and cartilage). As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, leading to wrinkles, joint pain, and other signs of aging. This is where collagen powder comes in as a dietary supplement. Some studies suggest that collagen powder may help improve gut health and reduce inflammation.
Collagen powder is typically unflavored and can be added to your favorite drinks or foods, making it easy to incorporate into your daily routine.Is it okay for children? Collagen is safe for children in small amounts, such as in this muffin recipe. What if I don't have collagen powder or don't want to use it?
Quick bread makes a festive, fun, and sweet treat to bring to the holiday party, a gift to your loved ones, or something to enjoy with your family. This recipe features nutritious sweet potato, fresh cranberries, rosemary, and toasted pecans to give it a nice flavor. Why not make this sweet treat this holiday season?
This quick sweet potato bread makes a festive treat to bring to a holiday party or give as a gift. It features sweet potato and fresh cranberries, as well as candied rosemary and toasted pecans to add a lovely pop of flavor. Share it with family and friends!
Course Baked Goods
Cuisine baked goods
Author Christy Quirk, MS, RD, LDN
Ingredients
12ozsweet potatoroasted
1tspkosher salt
3/4teaspoonground cinnamon
1/4teaspoonground nutmeg
1/4tspground cardamom
1 1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1cupcanola oil
2/3cupgranulated sugar
1/3cupbrown sugar, packed
3large eggs
1 2/4cupall-purpose flour
8ozfresh cranberries
4ozpieces pecan
4sprigs rosemary
Instructions
Roast sweet potato at 400 degrees F, until tender. Cool, peel and set aside.
Place fresh rosemary sprigs, in simple syrup, for at least 10 minutes or overnight. Remove sprigs from syrup, coat in granulated sugar and dry for at least 10 minutes. *Dry these in your pre-heated oven and they’ll break up nicely as you prepare the pans of batter.
4 sprigs rosemary
Lightly toast the pecans and set aside.
Mash the sweet potato in a large bowl, then add kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, baking soda, baking powder, canola oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Whisk till well combined.
1 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1 cup canola oil, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed, 3 large eggs
Gently stir in the flour, then 3 oz of the pecans and the fresh cranberries.
1 2/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pour batter into greased loaf pans, then top with the remaining pecans and the candied rosemary (strip the stems and discard these).
Bake at 350 degrees F. ~35 minutes for mini loaves and ~1h5m for 8×4 loaves.
If you’ve followed along this year, you probably noticed we have some recurring themes with our cooking demonstrations. We love plant-forward meals that are easy to prepare and, of course, friendly on the budget.
Today I want to tie in eco-friendly or sustainable. You may think, hey, we’re already in that neighborhood, but we want to take that one step further. We’ve encouraged
mostly plants
local foods
in season foods
In addition, there are more specific food choices we can make, like, lentils, which belong to the pulse family. They are nitrogen fixers.
So not only are they easy, tasty protein, but they improve the soil in which they’re grown. Another choice is mushrooms; these can grow on logs, and they can grow on compost. They require very little water and very little space. So not only are they tasty, but they give us lots of vitamins and minerals. There are others on this list of eco-friendly foods, but we’ll focus today on those two. They are the stars of this burger.
You may notice that the recipe tells you to portion these burgers and bake them in the oven, but I like a little extra texture, so I’ve chosen to sear them on the cast iron skillet and then cook them until they’re the right firm.
Some days (or weeks or months) are just too crazy to spend hours in the kitchen each week. That’s why at Well Balanced we are always looking for simple meals that are just as quick as they are nutritious. Our newest recipe is brought to you by Coach Bella’s favorite store, Trader Joe’s. It calls for a few frozen items, some seasoning, and some tofu. The best part it is it requires minimal cooking. Just a few minutes in the microwave, a little sauté action, and BOOM- a fast, delicious, and well balanced meal (or meals) is ready to be enjoyed.
Well Balanced Tip: if you use more than one package of the frozen rice and channa masala (like the recipe calls for), then you are likely to have enough food for a few people or few meals worth, However, if you are only in need of one meal then use half a bag of rice, 1/4-1/2 of a block of tofu, and one channa masala.
For those that track: if you follow the recipe, the macro breakdown per serving is:
Need a delicious, plant-based meal in a flash? Try this quick and easy recipe the next time you need something simple yet nutritious without racing against the clock.
Cuisine Indian
Keyword vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Calories 445kcal
Equipment
Microwave
1 pan
Ingredients
2bagsTrader Joe's frozen jasmine or brown rice
2packagesTrader Joe's frozen Channa Masala
1 packageTrader Joe's organic sprouted tofu
1tbspolive oilextra virgin
1tspcurry powder
2 tspgarlic powder
Instructions
Microwave the rice and chickpea channa masala
Saute the tofu in a pan with curry powder and garlic powder
Are grocery prices making meal planning more difficult?
As if meal planning wasn’t hard enough, the ever-rising food and gas prices can make it feel not only timely but costly. Meal planning, grocery shopping, and prepping feel more stressful than ever these days. That’s why I (Coach Bella) decided to go on a mission to create a simple, affordable, and quick recipe that won’t break the bank or your back!
Bean, Rice, and Veggie Bowl
Cooking plant-based can actually be quite affordable, especially when opting for nutritious staples like rice and beans. For this recipe, I got my ingredients from Trader Joe’s and even opted for organic versions of a few ingredients (spinach, zucchini, kidney beans, and chickpeas). The prices are listed beside the ingredients. The grand total, with tax, was $12.18. However, this is meant to provide about 3 meals if eaten alone, or 5 meals if something is added to it like eggs, chicken/turkey, more veggies, or a side salad. That’s only $4.06/meal for 3 meals or $2.44/meal for 5 meals (with the additional cost of whatever else you add)!
Ingredients:
1 bag of spinach ($2.29)
1/2 bag of rice– jasmine, brown, white ($2.99)
1 onion ($0.99)
2 zucchinis ($3.69)
1 can of chickpeas ($0.99)
1 can of beans- kidney, black, northern, or your fav ($0.99)
Steps:
Chop the zucchini and onion
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and beans
Cook the rice
As you can see I had some brown rice to use up so I mixed the jasmine and brown rice together.
Sauté the zucchini and onions
I used olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to season
Add the spinach to the pan with the onions and zucchini. Cook until spinach is wilted or cooked to your liking. (Option to leave spinach raw and have it as a base to the dish.)
Add the beans to the pan as well to lightly cook.
I added more seasoning once the beans were in the pan.
Optional toppings
Salsa, shredded lettuce, and Mexican cheese
Sriracha
Green goddess dressing
Curry sauce
Enjoy!
I used kidney beans + chickpeas. Two cans of beans could be used as opposed to chickpeas and beans.
There are few recipes simpler than rice and beans. However, this bowl has a world of possibilities depending on the veggies and toppings you choose to add. Please play around with the ingredients and use this as a guide to create a yummy bowl!
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 3
Cost 12.18
Ingredients
1bag of spinach
1/2bag of ricejasmine, brown, wild rice
1onion
2zucchinisor veggie of choice
1can of chickpeas
1can of beans- kidneyblack, northern, or your fav
Instructions
Chop the zucchini and onion
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and beans
Cook the rice
Sauté the zucchini and onions
Use oil and seasonings of choice
Add the spinach to the pan with the onions and zucchini. Cook until spinach is wilted or cooked to your liking. (Option to leave spinach raw and have it as a base to the dish.)
Add the beans to the pan as well to lightly cook.
Add optional toppings such as Sriracha, curry sauce, cheese, lettuce, salsa, etc.
