Bye-Bye, Summer!

As summer comes to a close and the unstable and rather horrendously schizophrenic weather starts to settle into a more consistent pattern, the beginning of fall brings with it a newly appreciated delight by way of warming hearty meals, like broths and soups to get us through the cooler days. Hopefully, there will be future posts where I get to show off some of my main autumnal into winter dishes, but first, let’s look at some of the beautifully light summer dishes I have served up this year for the family.

Possibly one of my favourite summer lunches, ever, is a decent serving of filleted salmon on a plate of tomatoes and leafy green salad leaves.

Salmon with Rocket Salad, Red Onions, Sliced Red Peppers. Dressed with Black Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar

Red Chilli: Adding a little spice. So many variations to creating awesome salmon dishes.

Halloumi: Light Lunch kinda salad day.

We enjoyed grilled halloumi and sliced pepper salads for light lunches when the weather was just too hot and nobody wanted to slave over the stove.

Filling & Vegan: Delicious brown lentil, spinach and chilli salad.

This year I really rediscovered my love for lentils of all varieties; we have especially been enjoying the brown ones. They have this wonderfully meaty texture and could be a good substitute for those trying to give up or reduce their meat consumption. The above salad makes a great vegan dish.

We also had a few treats along the way! I tend to cook gluten free, as it has been the best health choice for my daughter, who is rather sensitive to wheat.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Strawberries & Cream

A friend recommended using buckwheat flour and the result was an absolutely delicious pancake. Wonderfully nutty in flavour; it is an absolute upgrade from the gluten free flours out there, which are generally made from either potato starch or ground rice.

Summer has always been the season of exotic fruits and vegetables. I like to buy seasonal produce where I can and summer time means mangoes, mangoes and more mangoes! As a family, we cannot get enough of this all too easily enjoyed fruit.

Mango Crazy: The sweetest mangoes imported from Pakistan.

So, here you have a little breakdown of just a few dishes on our summer menu. I'll be posting a few tasty and interesting recipes in the coming (lets be optimistic) months. On that note and with a smile on my face, bye-bye summer heat-waves... Until we meet again next year, where perhaps you might be a little less severe.