The Taste of Summer: Simple & Refreshing Recipes for Hot Days

The sun is out, so why are you inside in a hot kitchen? Preparing summer meals shouldn’t be a sweaty chore. Lighten up, with our summertime recipes that highlight fresh, nutritious seasonal produce, are easy to prepare, and deliver all of the satisfying and delicious flavors you crave.

Summer is all about fresh produce; it’s nutritious, delicious, and available in abundance. Fresh vegetables and fruits are also extremely convenient if you need to put something together quickly, whether it be a lunch, snack, or appetizer. And when you serve a platter or charcuterie board of fresh produce with dip, even the fussiest kiddo will gobble the goodness!

As a general guideline, you should include at least four types of veggies and/or fruits. Use a variety of textures, colors, and flavors. For example, crunchy orange carrots and light green celery pair well with cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, and green or red grapes. A lightly roasted vegetable will add some smoky flavor, while including a pickled veggie will provide tartness.

Your dips are an essential element to a charcuterie board, and nothing is more convenient and tastier than our Simply Organic® dip mixes, all made with organic herbs and spices! And like our Ranch Dip Mix, they’re all easy to prepare and super versatile

In a medium bowl, mix the contents of one Simply Organic® Ranch Dip Mix packet with 2 cups sour cream. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh vegetables, chips, or crackers.

Using the same ranch dip mix, you can…

• Make a Lighter Dip: Substitute 2 cups plain yogurt or non-dairy alternative in place of the sour cream. Or use half yogurt and half low-fat sour cream.
• Make a Wing Dipping Sauce: Prepare dip and add blue cheese crumbles.
• Make a Ranch Cheese Ball: Combine dip mix with 8 oz. cream cheese.

Popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, hummus is a vegetarian go-to for everything from sandwiches and dips to deviled eggs and salads. Though it’s a year-round favorite, hummus is especially satisfying when hot, muggy weather has you craving protein in a lighter form. Here’s how to make your own.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas. If using canned, drain
• 1/4 cup tahini 
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Garlic Granules
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Sea Salt
• To taste, Frontier Co-op® Black Pepper
• Juice of 1-1/2 large lemons
• Cold water, as needed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, to garnish
• 1 tablespoon Frontier Co-op® Za'atar Seasoning
• Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

1. Put the chickpeas, tahini, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a blender or food processor (a blender will give you a much smoother hummus).
2. Begin to blend, tasting and adjusting spices and lemon juice to your liking.
3. If desired, add the cold water to create a smooth purée.
4. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Garnish with za’atar, paprika, parsley (and extra chickpeas, if desired).
6. Serve with fresh vegetables, pitas, crackers, or naan.

This simple grilled chicken skewer recipe is great for a crowd or fussy kids. You can build these skewers with your favorite assortment of vegetables for grilling; we use onions and peppers for how their flavor complements the creamy ranch dip. Not sure what to make with those four mushrooms and the partial broccoli bunch? Making skewers is a great way to use up a bit of this and a bit of that, too.

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 Simply Organic® Ranch Dip Packet
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 white onion (purple and yellow onions are also options!)
• 3 bell peppers (assorted colors, if you have them)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, add yogurt, dip mix, and lemon. Whisk to combine, then reserve 1/2 cup.

2. Add chicken to yogurt mixture and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.

3. While the chicken marinates, cut the vegetables into 1-inch pieces. Soak the wooden skewers in water, if using.

4. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken and vegetables onto skewers.

5. Grill for 10-12 minutes, turning skewers once. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

6. Serve skewers with reserved ranch dip.

You can create this beautiful and nutritious masterpiece in less than 15 minutes! Our Vanilla Fruit Salad is an easy, quick recipe that the whole family will love. Simply Organic® Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract elevates your favorite fruits to a new level. Plus, there’s no sugar added and this recipe is allergen friendly – vegan, gluten free and nut free.

Ingredients

For the Fruit Salad:

• 2 cups strawberries, quartered
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup mango, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup green grapes, sliced in half
• 1 cup kiwi, peeled and sliced into half moons
• 1 cup cantaloupe, diced into 1-inch cubes (or use a melon baller)
• Fresh mint for garnish (and optional mix-in)

For the Dressing:

• 1 teaspoon Simply Organic® Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

Directions

1. In a large serving bowl, combine strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, mango, grapes, kiwi and cantaloupe.

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vanilla extract, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt.

2. Pour dressing over fruit and toss gently to coat.

3. Just before serving, garnish with fresh mint.

Air fryers have gained immense popularity, for good reason. You can enjoy all the flavor and texture of deep-fried foods with significantly less oil, making it a much healthier cooking method. Use your air fryer to make this succulent cilantro lime pork tenderloin and sweet corn, served with cilantro lime honey glaze, all perfectly seasoned with our Cilantro Lime Sheet Pan Seasoning Mix.

Ingredients

For the Pork & Corn:

• 1 packet Simply Organic® Cilantro Lime Sheet Pan Seasoning
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 4 ears sweet corn, husks removed
• 2 tablespoons oil

For the Cilantro Lime Honey Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lime juice or 1/2 fresh lime, juiced

Directions

1. Set your 4-6 quart air fryer to 375°.

2. Reserve 2 teaspoons Cilantro Lime Seasoning from packet for Cilantro Lime Honey Glaze.

3. Combine remaining seasoning with oil. Coat the pork and corn, turning each piece to coat their entire surface.

4. Place pork in air fryer and cook for 15 minutes, per air fryer directions.

5. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Mix reserved seasoning with honey and lime juice.

6. After the 15 minutes cooking time, remove pan from fryer and coat the pork with glaze. Add corn and cook for about 10 minutes more, until center of pork reaches 145°.

It takes just 10 minutes to make this delicious, satisfying drink that is definitely not your mother’s margarita! It’s got a vibrant, feel-good twist, infused with the warm, earthy notes of our Regenerative Organic Certified® Turmeric and Ginger. These powerful spices not only support the health of the soil and the farmers who grow them, they also add a wellness boost with flavor that pairs beautifully with sweet, juicy mango. Finish it off with the optional chili-salt rim for a bold, spicy kick that’ll take you — and this margarita — to yet another level.

Ingredients

For the Margarita:

• 2 cups frozen mango chunks
• 3 ounces tequila
• 1 ounce orange liqueur
• 2 ounces lime juice
• 1 ounce agave
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Regenerative Organic Certified® Ground Turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Regenerative Organic Certified® Ground Ginger

For the Chili-Salt Rim: (optional):

• 1 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Frontier Co-op® Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt
• Lime wedges
• Fresh mint, for garnish

Directions

1. To rim the glasses, on a shallow plate combine chili powder and salt.

2. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass; gently shake off excess, then dip rim in chili mixture.

3. For the margarita, in a blender, add mango, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, agave, turmeric and ginger. Blend on high speed until completely smooth.

4. Pour into glasses and enjoy immediately.