Hello friends! I hope you are enjoying your summer and are not freaking out about the rapid passage of time in this light-and-warmth-filled season and the inevitable return to cold and darkness that shall return to this earth in mere months. I kid, I kid.

I’ve had a great summer cooking and grilling delicious foods and decided to share a few favorite recipes that have emerged. I would LOVE to hear back from you on what you’ve been cooking and eating this summer, too!

***

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have been making this recipe almost weekly this summer! The simple yet flavorful meat recipe tastes great in a lettuce wrap, on top of a bed of quinoa (or another grain), or eaten cold out of a Pyrex dish because your blood sugar is incredibly low. I like to top mine with shredded carrots, lots of cilantro and even some fresh basil and/or mint leaves, and serve it alongside grilled broccoli and steamed edamame. • Recipe by Bon Appétit

Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken Thighs

I made this recipe last week and really enjoyed the delicious marinade/sauce! This recipe would be great with chicken breasts rather than thighs, or even over a plank of grilled salmon. I boiled my marinade that the raw chicken took a lil’ bath in until the sauce became pretty reduced because I was really worried about poisoning myself. The good news is that the sauce came out delicious and I didn’t die! •  Recipe by Bon Appétit

Strawberry Snacking Cake with Salted Mint Whipped Cream

I made this delicious cake at the beginning of strawberry season in Ohio (June) so I can’t guarantee it will taste as good with grocery store berries, but I really loved this cake! I felt like the cake was going to be really sweet, so I decided to make a contrasting salted whipped cream with fresh mint! If that kind of freaky-fresh addition tickles your fancy, below are the directions to make it salted mint whipped cream! • Cake recipe by Bon Appétit

Salted Mint Whipped Cream

• Make syrup: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/4 cup sugar, 2 cups of packed mint leaves and stems, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Remove from heat; steep 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Let cool (makes about 1/4 cup).
• Whip it good: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whip 1 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in 1/4 cup syrup and 1/2 tsp salt; re-whip cream to stiffen and incorporate salt. Taste and add more salt until the cream really zips!

Grilled Pizza

This year I got a grill and I have taken off on the fun adventure of figuring out what I can and cannot grill successfully! One of my greatest experiments was grilling the delicious pizza above. After following a recipe for crust (prep it in the morning or right when you get home from work) and these directions for grilling pizza, I topped my pizza with homemade basil pesto, ground turkey sausage, the creamiest and lightest local goat cheese, and a grating of lemon zest. The pizza was melty and crispy and beyond good! I made the crust recipe again when a friend came over for dinner, and we each enjoyed customizing our pizzas with different toppings and sauces. What a fun summer meal that allows you to have homemade pizza without warming up your whole house! • Recipe by Eating Well

My Friends All Have Allergies Blueberry Crisp 

This past weekend, I whipped up this blueberry crisp for a brunch I was having with a variety of friends. Because several of them have different allergies (eggs, dairy, gluten), I wanted to have a dish that all of them could eat. That’s where this blueberry crisp comes in! I’ve been making this for a few years now, and I love the flexibility of having it with different fruits based on the season. It tastes great cold with yogurt for breakfast or warm with melty vanilla ice cream for dessert – you can’t go wrong! Super easy to make and delicious with fresh local berries or frozen ones in the winter. I love a blueberry/blackberry combo! • Recipe by Dinner, A Love Story

Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Feta and Tahini

Boy oh boy, this salad was tasty! It was fresh, bright, lasted for days, and went well as both a main dish and a side. If you’re feeling stuck in a flavor rut, I bet this recipe will get you out of that real fast! I could see this being delicious with other herbs other than cilantro (parsley, basil, mint) and served on a bed of kale for so many veggies! • Recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Burst Corn and Tomato Galette 

This is the perfect July/August unexpected treat dinner dish! A galette seems intimidating at first but really it can go in the oven looking ugly and come out beautiful and rustic and delicious. I love the combo of sweet corn and tart cherry tomatoes in this recipe, and can’t wait to make it again this summer. • Recipe by Smitten Kitchen

(Healthier) Peanut Butter No Bakes

I have an incorrigible sweet tooth, but I’m training for a marathon and am trying to avoid scrafing down a tub of ice cream every week. Cookies are a great way to keep my sweet tooth in check, but it’s just too darn hot to turn the oven on in my second floor apartment! That’s where these no bake cookies come in. I used dark chocolate chips and Dutch process cocoa in mine, which made them even MORE chocolately and delightful. Everybody wins! • Recipe by Featherstun Nutrition

***

Thanks for following along! Let me know if you try any of these and PLEASE send along stuff you’ve been making, too!