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Summer Meals Without the Grill or Oven

Posted by Sarah K. on 21st Jul 2020

To Grill or Not to Grill? That is the Question...

Summertime is not always the easiest time to cook. After a long hot day, turning on the oven to pre-bake or getting the grill ready may not be your favorite thing to do, so that means getting a little more creative with your summer dishes. Don't fret -- if you're thinking that you'll be limited to eating cold pasta salads, you're wrong. For many of these dishes there will still be some cook time, but just a little less or if you love salads and prefer eating something on the chilled side, then you're in luck! 

Where to Begin? 

For starters I recommend finding yourself a good cookbook with a variety of recipes. At VKS we have a few favorites that I highly recommend for some inspiration. Here's a couple of favorites and way I like them. 

Platters and Boards by Shelly Westerhausen provides a unique look into creating attractive and delicious cheese and charcuterie boards. With over 40 different options to feel inspired from, you'll soon find yourself preparing fanciful cheese and charcuterie boards to impress your friends and family. Not to mention, the more you add to your platter -- the more it feels like a complete meal versus having a hamburger or hot dog. For me, this cookbook is a big thumb's up.

Recipes include: Beach board with quick pickled vegetables, Caprese platter, Clean out your pantry smorgasbord, Dog days of summer board * (personal favorite) & more!

Looking to pickle? We've got you covered Shop Pickling 




For all the salad lovers, you're going to enjoy Kat Mead's Big Salads.This cookbook provides over 60 recipes that make the most out of seasonal ingredients and give you the option to make your salad vegetarian, vegan, or have the meat of your heart's delight. As someone who enjoys an occasional salad, this cookbook is perfect for creating unique and interesting salads for my palette.

Recipes include:Griddled peaches with watercress & ricottta salata (v), Tomato & burrata with basil and walnut pesto (v) ,Papaya salad with coconut-poached chicken ,Warm tiger prawn cocktail salad* ( personal favorite) & more!


Need a salad spinner or a salad bowl? Shop Salad




My absolute favorite cookbook at VKS is, Grain Bowls by Anna Shillinglaw Hampton. This cookbook provides numerous recipes that are so easy to make that you will think of yourself as a food guru. I say "food guru" because all you need for many of these recipes are 4-5 ingredients and you really can't mess up the food presentation with such a limited amount. This cookbook is also incredible because it pairs ingredients that you might normally think work together, but oh do they. Take for example the quinoa watermelon and feta grain bowl -- exquisite

Recipes Include:Wild rice & salmon bowl,Cuban pork & mango bowl,California chicken bowl, Bibimbap bowl* (personal favorite) & more!


A rice cooker can help you easily achieve all these incredible bowl recipes and helps with meal prepping. Shop Rice Cookers


Keep it Chill & Enjoy!

Remember, you can still enjoy the heat and sizzle of the grill , or the warm and toasty feeling of the oven, but if it's 90 degrees out you might want to try something refreshing and cool.  Check out all of our amazing cookbooks & more at Vermont Kitchen Supply and thanks for reading!