Summer is fast approaching and the outdoors are calling. Fresh air and fresh foods from the sea or the local fresh market are great choices for meals. Add local fruits and veggies for side dishes, and these meals will be as colorful as they are tasty.
If peaches are showing up in the local market now, as they should be, make a peach salsa to go with fish dishes, and if pineapples are plentiful, try the fruit salad below as a side dish for these light summer meals.
Summer Crab Rolls
Ingredients:
- 1 lb lump crabmeat, drained
- 1 tsp Tabasco green pepper sauce
- 1 tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 Tblsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tblsp chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup low-fat mayo
- 1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
- 1-1/2 Tblsp butter, softened
- 12 potato dinner rolls, cut in half horizontally
- lettuce leaves
- tomato slices
- avocado slices
Directions:
- Combine crabmeat, pepper sauce, juice, mustard, chives, mayo, and onion in bowl; toss well.
- Spread butter onto sliced rolls. Spoon 1/4 cup crab mixture onto each bottom half of the rolls. Lay out a piece of lettuce, 2 slices of avocado, and tomato slice on top of crab mixture. Serve with Pineapple Salad.
Makes 12 small sandwiches (serves 6)
Pineapple Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 cups pineapple (cut in 1 inch cubes)
- 1 cup halved red grapes
- 1/2 cup canteloupe
- 1/2 cup honeydew melon
- 4 Tblsp orange juice
- 2 Tblsp honey
- sprinkle of salt
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 4 Tblsp toasted almond slices
Directions:
- Combine pineapple, grapes, canteloupe, honeydew in bowl.
- Combine orange juice, honey and salt together. Drizzle over fruit.
- Sprinkle coconut and toasted nuts over fruit. Serve with crab rolls, salmon or portobello burgers.
Salmon Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1 lb salmon fillet, skinned and chopped
- 1 Tblsp Tabasco green pepper sauce
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
- 8 toasted slices of your choice of breads (focaccia, wheat wrap, potato roll, etc.)
Directions:
- Combine salmon, onion, basil, salt and pepper in bowl. Toss well.
- Combine pepper sauce and egg white in bowl, whisk. Add to salmon mixture, stirring well.
- Make four equal balls, shaping each into a patty. Add to nonstick pan after coating with olive oil cooking spray. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Serves four.
Portabella Mushroom Burgers
Ingredients:
- 4 sandwich rolls
- 4 Portabella mushroom caps
- 1 Tblsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tblsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup low fat mayo
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1/8 red pepper flakes
- 2 cups salad greens
- 1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers (can use bottled)
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in nonstick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper on mushrooms and saute 3-5 minutes, or until tender, turning once. Add garlic, saute for less than a minute and remove from heat.
- Spread 2 Tblsp of the mayo mixture (1/4 cup mayo, 2 tsp lime juice, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 minced garlic clove mixed well) onto one side of bread. Top with salad greens, cheese crumbles and 1-2 Tblsp of roasted red peppers. Add mushroom to each roll. Serves four.
Simple and low-fat, yet delicious and full of flavor, summer meals don't have to be complicated or high in calories to taste great. For more ideas on light summer cooking, try these:
Vicki F. Chavis - Growing up in Asia, Europe and North America left Vicki with a love of cuisine, history, language, fashion and travel. Today she writes on ...
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