Dinners for Cool People

Summer brings a new way of cooking: quick, effortless, and fresh meals that don’t require much heat. Here are cold foods for dinner that will keep you cool and nourished. You’ll have no trouble eating all summer appropriately long if you have these simple cold meal ideas in your arsenal.

Following are some cold foods for dinner:

Strawberry Gazpacho

Although tomatoes are in season in some parts of the nation, strawberries make a pleasant alternative to the traditional Spanish chilled vegetable soup.

Watermelon-Peach Salad with Fig Vinaigrette

The superb fig vinaigrette is the only thing better than the luscious watermelon and peaches in this salad. Fig preserves are jammy and sweet with a faint savory taste, and they serve as a flavor foil for sour vinegar and thickening for this dressing, allowing it to cling to all ingredients. The peppery arugula adds just the right amount of heat. Make a second batch of the vinaigrette and marinate chicken or brush salmon with it before grilling. This is among the best cold foods for dinner.

Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken and Cucumbers

Enjoy the ultimate summer supper with a simple tossed pasta stuffed with chicken, cucumbers, and peanuts.

Green Gazpacho

Gazpacho gets its heft from fresh bread, making it a heartier summer entrée soup. However, the most satisfactory results can be obtained using bakery bread (supermarket bread can be overly soft and sweet). A crustless whole-grain sourdough would be perfect here, bringing just enough sharpness to balance out the other flavors. Substitute toasted bread cubes and sliced cucumber for vegetarian main course prawns. It is one of the best among cold foods for dinner.

Mexican Corn Salad

This dish transforms Mexican street corn into an enormous salad. The combination of colors and sensations in this salad—crisp golden corn, luscious cherry tomatoes, peppery radishes, and creamy nuggets of cheese—makes it a sight to see. This potluck-worthy side is simple to prepare ahead of time, and it improves in flavor overnight. Mix in the cilantro right before serving to make the most beautiful presentation.

Striped Yogurt-and-Sorbet “Ice Cream” Sandwiches

Although these yogurt and sorbet sandwiches aren’t a meal, they are a popular summer treat. The best part about it? Each one contains only 193 calories.

Fig and Greens Salad

This arugula salad is packed with protein thanks to chickpeas, goat cheese, and walnuts, making it a filling meatless main. In addition, dried figs have the highest fiber content of any fruit, with more fiber per serving than any other fruit.

Chicken and Honeydew Salad

Dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes, thanks to rotisserie chicken and pre-diced honeydew; pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) and tortilla strips add a delightful crunch factor.

Cucumber and Green Tomato Gazpacho

This vibrant and delightful soup will keep you cool on the hottest summer days. A traditional Spanish practice of adding a little bread soaked in water thickens the soup without muting the flavors or making the finished dish excessively heavy.

Cold Noodle Salad with Sesame Crab

The only cooking you’ll do for this recipe is a quick simmer of the noodles and peas. Keep an eye on how the noodles are cooked: you don’t want them to be too soft or mushy, but you do want them to have a delightful, chewy texture.

Chicken Shawarma Bowls

Inspired by the Middle East, this bowl is about big flavor with little effort. The elements are brought together by a garlicky, tahini-spiked yogurt that takes only minutes to produce. For easy make-ahead meals, assemble a couple of bowls at the start of the week.

Tuna, Avocado, and Pickled Onion Sandwich

This sandwich is all about good fats with omega-3 fatty acids in the tuna and monounsaturated fat in the avocado. The first is beneficial to brain function, while the second is beneficial to heart health. Tuna and avocado, as well as pickled onion, roasted almonds, and saline, pea-green Castelvetrano olives, are all wonderful together. To support the filling, you’ll need a solid sourdough loaf from the bakery area of the supermarket.

Spinach, Hummus, and Bell Pepper Wraps

That’s a supper we can get behind: fresh, tasty, veggie-packed, and done in under 10 minutes. Fresh bell peppers and spinach create a delightful crunch, while hummus provides a winning combination of protein and healthy fat for lasting power. Feta cheese with tomatoes and basil offers a salty flavor and Mediterranean flair.

Orange-Almond Chicken-and-Cabbage Bowls

This vibrant, no-cook chicken and cabbage bowl is the ideal solution: it’s quick, versatile, and low-calorie yet still filling. A skill worth having is the ability to cut a fresh orange into segments; the segments provide a delicious pop to any dish.

Strawberry-Chicken Salad with Pecans

This main-dish salad takes advantage of the season’s best strawberries.

Smashed Chickpea Toasts

This creamy, crunchy, and toothsome combination of finely mashed chickpeas, mayo, pickles, celery, and onion is reminiscent of tuna and egg salad. It’s best served as an open-faced tartine or toast, but it can also be sandwiched between two slices of bread or served with whole-grain crackers.

Mixed Grain, Cherry, and Snap Pea Salad

Bulgur, quinoa, and brown rice form a nutty, delightfully textured grain base in this salad; for a gluten-free version, delete the bulgur and double the quinoa. Fresh snap peas with red onion add extra crunch. Fresh cherries are used in place of cherry tomatoes because they have similar tart-sweet juiciness on the tongue. This is among the best cold foods for dinner.

Crunchy Cucumber, Feta, and Almond Salad

The most enjoyable aspect of a fantastic salad is the texture. Freshness is symbolized by crunchy and crisp vegetables, which taste as colorful as they look. Crisp romaine hearts, sliced cucumber, and finely chopped almonds provide crunch to this salad (which lend much more texture than sliced or slivered nuts).

Tichi’s Gazpacho

This is a great dish to use with ripe, peak-season food from the farmer’s market. Here, high-quality olive oil will make a significant difference. A trader sells Spanish extra-virgin olive oil for a low price, but any tasty olive oil would suffice.

Open-Faced Prosciutto and Plum Sandwiches

The sweetness of the fig preserves balances the sharpness of the plums. Choose plums that are red or purple and have bright, blemish-free skin that is firm and plump to the touch. The best part about it? Dinner will be ready in precisely 7 minutes.

Cheese Grits

Top your grits with sliced strawberries and hazelnut butter or a handful of blueberries and an ounce of chopped raw almonds. Alternatively, for “Cheese Grits,” combine mashed banana with cooked grits and top with cinnamon and chopped walnuts.

These are the healthiest meals to eat in the winter and are beneficial for your health. However, there are some foods and drinks to avoid in the winter, such as all cold drinks in the morning and night, heavy food at night, and no heavy food in the morning. These are the complete overview of cold foods for dinner.