Summer’s here! That means plenty of fresh vegetables to choose from at the market. Looking for a new way to serve some of your summer favorites? Here are 12 ideas to get you cooking!
Breakfast
1. Southwestern Breakfast Tacos | The Wheatless Kitchen: These tacos make the perfect weekend brunch dish, and they’re really simple. They come together in just 15 minutes! They’re also completely customizable, so feel free to make the recipe your own by tweaking the taco ingredients to your household’s liking.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 247; Total Fat: 14g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 212mg; Sodium: 78mg; Carbohydrate: 17g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 2g; Protein: 10g
2. Power Greens Breakfast Skillet | Elle Penner: Start your day off right with this veggie and protein-packed breakfast skillet. It’s loaded with dark, leafy greens and sweet, caramelized onions.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 285 ; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 271mg; Sodium: 357mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 4g; Protein: 17g
Smoothies
3. Red Cabbage Smoothie | Elle Penner: The most shocking thing about this smoothie (besides the gorgeous color!) is how undetectable the cabbage is with just a cup of blueberries, one banana, and a little bit of vanilla yogurt mixed in.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 194 ; Total Fat: 1g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 3mg; Sodium: 86mg; Carbohydrate: 44g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 29g; Protein: 6g
4. Simple Green Protein Smoothie | Elle Penner: This breakfast smoothie is perfect after a morning workout. It’s also easy to throw in a travel mug and head out the door to start your morning commute.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 309; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 6mg; Sodium: 95mg; Carbohydrate: 63g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 47g; Protein: 15g
“Noodles”
5. Roasted Butternut Squash Papardelle | Cook Smarts: This pasta dish comes together in just 35 minutes–perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 592; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 9g; Cholesterol: 168mg; Sodium: 150mg; Carbohydrate: 85g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 19g; Protein: 16g
6. Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai | The Wheatless Kitchen: This Pad Thai keeps all of the flavor and comfort of the traditional dish while getting more vegetables in by using spaghetti squash in place of rice noodles.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 290; Total Fat: 13g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 43mg; Sodium: 801mg; Carbohydrate: 23g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 21g
7. Yellow Squash Noodles in Tomato Basil Sauce | Healthy Nibbles & Bits: Looking for a way to use your fresh basil, but don’t want to make a heavy pasta? We’ve got you covered.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 380; Total Fat: 19g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 12g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 326mg; Carbohydrate: 48g; Dietary Fiber: 13g; Sugar: 25g; Protein: 11g
Crowd Worthy
8. Beet Burgers with Garlic Sriracha Aioli | Dietitian Debbie Dishes: Besides amazing taste, beets are an excellent source of folate, rich in fiber, potassium and Vitamin C, and a good source of iron.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 282; Total Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 40mg; Sodium: 252mg; Carbohydrate: 17g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 8g; Protein: 6g
9. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos | Cook Smarts: Sauteed sweet potatoes make a perfect, hearty filling for tacos when you want a quick and easy meat-free meal. These tacos are chock-full of fiber and protein and are perfect for a last-minute weekday dinner.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 439; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 685mg; Carbohydrate: 75g; Dietary Fiber: 17g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 14g
Summer Salads
10. Roasted Cauliflower Salad | Eating Bird Food: Nutritious and filling! This salad works great as a light lunch or dinner. You get a healthy serving of spinach (one of our favorite superfoods) while the lentil sneaks in some protein and added flavor.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 525; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 379mg; Carbohydrate: 93g; Dietary Fiber: 26g; Sugar: 48g; Protein: 20g
11. Apple & Quinoa Kale Salad | The Wheatless Kitchen: Perfect for lunch or dinner, the generous serving size will fill you up without weighing you down.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 589; Total Fat: 39g; Saturated Fat: 5g; Monounsaturated Fat: 25g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 421mg; Carbohydrate: 53g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 19g; Protein: 11g
12. Cool Cucumber & Red Onion Salad | The Honour System: Whip up a quick side salad in no time! This one has only five ingredients–and you only have to chop up two of them.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): Calories: 117; Total Fat: 9g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 7g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 3mg; Carbohydrate: 7g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 0g; Protein 2g