Losing Your Appetite to the Heat? Here Are 7 Easy Meal Ideas To Keep You Cool

Combat the summer heat with these filling no-cook meal recipes.

This summer has been relentless and it doesn't look like the scorching sun will let up any time soon.

The sweltering heat also has a direct impact on your gut and appetite.

It’s just too hot to eat the regular dal, roti, sabzi or ho-hum sandwiches, and moreso to spend time in the kitchen, in front of the flame, cooking these elaborate meals.

If you relate, try these interesting, if a bit unusual, meals till the temperature starts dropping again. They are cooling, healthy and delicious.

Leftover Aloo Chaat

Have last night's zeera aloo sabzi at hand? Just take it out of the fridge and add:

• 2 tbsp crushed chivda or roasted papad

• 1 tbsp of imli sauce

• 1 tbsp yoghurt

• Handful of raw/slightly steamed sprouts (any), boiled kala channa or green moong dal (if you have it handy)

• Few slices of cucumber

• Few strips of cottage cheese (if you can source or make it), or crushed cheese

• Chill for half an hour

Dig in!

Egg Salad

Do you keep extra boiled eggs handy in the fridge? Then this one is for you.

In a bowl toss:

• 2 boiled egg; chopped

• ½ cup boiled carrot; finely diced

• ½ cucumber; finely diced

• ½ cup spring onions

• 2 cups boiled and mashed potatoes

• 2 tbsp of low fat mayonnaise or hung curd.

• Salt and kali mirch (peppercorn) to taste

• Any other vegetables you have handy

• Mix all the ingredients

Chill and have

Beet Greens Pesto Bowl

In a food processor, combine:

• 4 cups of beet greens (remove the stems)

• 4 cracked garlic cloves

• ½ cup walnuts

• 3 tbsp grated parmesan

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• Process the ingredients while streaming in up to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil until desired consistency.

• Store the pesto in an airtight container in the fridge. 

• Take 2 tbsp of the pesto and mix in.

• Assorted steamed cooked veggies

• Chopped cashews

• Half an apple

Add a few slices of avocado and enjoy

Oats and Quinoa Porridge

• Roast quinoa and oats (1/4th cup each) lightly for a few minutes.

• Add some regular or almond milk

• Cook on slow flame for 5 minutes till done

• Add honey to taste

• Add some cinnamon and nutmeg,

• Mix in chopped nuts and 1 tbsp flax seeds

Chill and have.

Fruity Sandwich

Make a paneer and fruit sandwich.

• Take thin slices of brown bread,

• Sandwich them with mashed and lightly seasoned paneer

• Placed slices of mango/melon/strawberries

• Add some sliced red pepper

Enjoy!

Bengali Phal-aahar

Chopped fruits, soaked chivda (rice flakes), and dahi (or milk) mixed together. Looks almost like muesli, right? Yeah, but it tastes remarkably different and is really simple to make.

• Wash 1 cup chivda

• Drain and set aside for 15 minutes

• Meanwhile, peel and chop a few assorted fruits and nuts

• Mix it into cup of dahi

• Add grated ginger (for a zing and health) and jaggery (optional)

Salmon Sandwich

Combine in a small bowl:

• Boneless salmon

• Chopped cucumber

• Few tbsp of yogurt,

• 1 tbsp of lemon juice

• Spread a thin layer of butter on the sides of sandwich buns

• Line with lettuce

• Fill with salmon mixture

Chill before you eat.