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.

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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

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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.

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