Summer is Here! It’s Time for Light Summer Dishes That are Fun and Easy to Prepare

Summer is Here! It’s Time for Light Summer Dishes That are Fun and Easy to Prepare

(ARA) - Summer is here, making it the perfect time for healthy, delicious meals that are a snap to prepare and require virtually no cooking. I mean, who wants to spend a sweltering summer day in the kitchen with the oven on? On days like these, I take my own advice and keep it simple.

All you need is fresh ingredients and a little creativity to get started. I keep my arugula, mint and mixed greens fresh and delicious in my Amana Easy Reach Plus Refrigerator. With its temperature-controlled drawers, the refrigerator helps me prepare meals that only use the freshest ingredients possible. And the Amana Easy Reach Plus has its freezer on the bottom, meaning everything in the fridge is on top where I can get to it. Brilliant.

Now, these dishes are perfect for a picnic, simple summer dinner or even a party. They’re also light; I know the last thing I want to do on a 100-degree day is eat a heavy meal! Besides, it never hurts to eat healthy meals at the height of beach season!

Here’s an easy salad recipe that I’ve created especially for my friends at Amana. You can also find it on www.amana.com.

Mixed Greens Salad with Mozzarella, Mint, Blood Orange and Prosciutto

(Serves 6 to 8)

For the Olive Oil and Blood Orange dressing, you’ll need:

• 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange
• A handful of zest of blood orange
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• A dash of balsamic vinegar

Put all ingredients in a jelly jar and shake. That’s it! Now for the rest of the salad. Try to get hold of buffalo mozzarella. I like to crumble a little bit of dried chili over mozzarella, but I’m a chili freak -- if you’re not, skip this step! And use any mixed greens you fancy. For this one, I tossed mint with arugula and pea shoots. Lovely.

If I make this for lunch I’ll use one nice blood orange (or a ripe peach if you’ve got one), a ball of mozzarella and a couple of slices of prosciutto. Peel and section a blood orange and spread it around a plate. Rip the mozzarella into small pieces and place on a plate with the blood orange sections. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Lay the slices of prosciutto over the top. Dress your pea shoots, arugula and mint with a little blood orange juice and olive oil dressing. Grab your fresh greens -- I’m taking mine from my Amana refrigerator, so I know they’re lovely -- and throw them on top of the plate. You can also shave some slices of Parmigiano–Reggiano on top.

Chicken Kebabs

(Serves 6 to 8)

Now, on to the main course! I think kebabs are a perfect summer dish, since they’re so easy and light. And if you’re cooking for a summer party, kebabs are a fun meal for your guests.

This recipe is for chicken kebabs, but feel free to substitute lamb or fish if you like. They all can be broiled, grilled or cooked on the barbie.

• 1 pound 2 ounces of free-range boneless chicken breast
• 4 zucchini, sliced very thinly lengthwise
• 6 to 8 skewers or sticks of fresh rosemary, lower leaves removed, tips kept on

For the marinade:

• 1 handful of fresh cilantro
• 1 handful of fresh mint
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 6 scallions
• 1 red chili
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Blanch the zucchini strips in salted boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and cool. Blitz all the marinade ingredients (except the olive oil) in a food processor, then loosen to a paste with a little olive oil. Add the marinade to the chicken and place in your Amana Easy Reach Plus refrigerator for up to an hour to let all the flavor of the marinade really soak into the chicken.

Weave the zucchini strips in between the chicken pieces on the rosemary sticks or skewers. Grill for about five minutes, turning regularly, until cooked. Feel free to cut a piece open to check if they’re done.

How to Turn Rosemary Sticks into Fun Skewers for Your Kebabs

Get a bunch of fresh rosemary. Keep the leafy tops on and run your fingers down the stalk to remove the rest of the leaves. Sharpen the tip of each stalk by cutting across at an angle. Your rosemary stick is ready to use as a skewer for delicious kebabs!

Courtesy of ARA Content