Contributed by Info Guru Lisa Pratto
The heat of summer can be unbearable and cooking is often the furthest thing from our collective minds.
You still need to eat, though. One cannot live on cereal and milk alone. Relax. There are plenty of non-cook recipes available so that you can have a decent meal and not have to worry about slaving over a hot stove.
10. Cream Cheese Dips
The epitome of non-cook recipes is the ubiquitous cream cheese dip. Grab a block of cream cheese and dump anything from a jar of gourmet pesto to a bottle of BBQ sauce on top of it. Add some crackers et voila.
9. Salad
OK. Granted, salad should be higher on this list, but it can take forever to chop and prep a good salad. It is definitely one of the great non-cook recipes.
8. Couscous
Technically, couscous requires you to boil water, but you can use an electric tea kettle, the microwave or even the coffee pot to do so. If you toss in some vegetables and maybe some leftover chicken from the night before, you have an awesome non-cook, meal.
7. The Deli Counter
After a hot day of work, head to your local upscale market and hit the deli counter. Salads, rotisserie chicken and charcuterie await you and your tired taste buds. Enjoy.
6. Cookies
Believe it or not, there is a whole category of cookies dedicated to non-cook recipes. You can Google it and be amazed at all the sugary calories you can consume without turning the oven on.
5. Smoothie
There is nothing better on a sweltering day than to dump a bunch of fruit and ice cold milk into a blender. Smoothies are filling and, if you get creative with your ingredients, very yummy, too. Think chocolate milk, a banana and a generous scoop of peanut butter. What? There’s protein in it.
4. Hummus
This Middle Eastern treat is a combination of garbanzo beans (chick peas), garlic, olive oil and tahini. You can whip up a batch in your food processor or grab some already made at the grocery store. Add a box of pita chips and sit next to the air conditioner.
3. Bruschetta
Another quick and easy way to avoid cooking is to slice up a loaf of French bread and top it with a variety of non-cook bruschetta recipes. The traditional version involves tomato, garlic, basil and olive oil but you can top yours with an olive tapenade or anything else your heart desires.
2. Sandwiches
The Earl of Sandwich sure knew what he was doing when he asked for the very first one. Whether you prefer a simple peanut butter and jelly on white or you like to pile it on like the infamous Dagwood, sandwiches are tasty and non-cook recipes for new ones are everywhere.
1. Canned Meat
That sounds kind of gross, but, really, it works great in a pinch. Of course, canned tuna does its job whether stuck between two pieces of brad or inside a tomato, but think beyond the tuna. Canned chicken is fabulous and canned salmon can be a real treat in a nicely chilled Caesar salad.