Very light summer dinners: 5 easy and delicious recipes

These recipes are very easy to make but bring incredible results that add sophistication to your menus. Do you dare to try them?

In summer we fancy light dinners but we find it very sad to end up taking the same vegetable recipes as always. These summer dinner recipes are very original, light and easy to prepare. Take note of the step-by-step and… Enjoy!

POLENTA PIZZA AND GOAT ROLL

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4 PEOPLE):

• 50 g maize semolina
• 450 ml broth or water
• 4 red tomatoes, sliced
• 100 g vegan curl cheese
• 75 olives pate
• 1 onion, chopped
• a few sprigs of fresh dill
• olive oil, white pepper and salt

PREPARATION (12′ + 30′ COOKING):

1. Sauté the onion with a good splash of oil. Add the broth and, when it boils, gradually add the polenta while stirring. Cook for a few minutes, go through the mixer, return to the heat for a few more minutes and, when thickened, pour into a tray painted in oil.
2. After an hour, unmold and cut into portions. Spread each one with pâté, place the cheese on top of slices, thin slices of tomato, and drizzle with oil.
3. Bake the pizzetas over medium-high heat for ten minutes and at the time of serving garnish fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories: 256
• Carbohydrates: 10 g
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 21 g
• Cholesterol: 8 mg.

COUSCOUS WITH RASPBERRY AND CUCUMBER RAITA

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4 PEOPLE):

• 200 g wheat or corn couscous, precooked
• 240 ml of water (or the amount indicated on the package)
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot
• half a glass of peas
• 100 g raspberries
• half a teaspoon curry
• 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• salt

For the raita (yogurt sauce):

• 40 g cucumber
• 50 g vegetable yogurt
• 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• the juice of half a lemon
• salt

PREPARATION (25′ + 5′ COOKING):

1. Place the couscous in a large bowl and bring the water with the oil, salt and curry to a boil. When cooked, pour over the semolina and stir for a couple of minutes so that it does not hydrate en bloc and is loose. Let cool, even from one day to the next.
2. For the raita, grate the cucumber and let it smell with salt. Then mix with the rest of the ingredients and reserve in the fridge.
3. Wash the leek wash, remove the green part and cut into thin slices. Peel the carrot and cut it into small cubes. Pass both vegetables through the pan along with the peas, previously cooked if they are not fresh, and mix with the couscous.
4. Silver, season with the raita, spread over the raspberries and decorate with some mint leaves and a slice of cucumber.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories: 195
• Carbohydrates: 14 g
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 13 g
• Cholesterol: 5 mg.

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH BLACK BEANS

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4 PEOPLE):

• 500 g pear-type tomatoes
• 200 g green asparagus
• 150 g cooked black beans
• 300 g Swiss chard (green part only)
• 1 garlic clove
• olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper and salt

For the sauce:

• 100 ml milk
• 125 ml olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• salt

PREPARATION (15′ + 30′ COOKING):

1. Preheat the grill. Split the tomatoes in two and place, face up, on a baking tray painted in oil. Salt and pepper and grill for six or seven minutes. Turn off the oven and reserve hot.
2. Meanwhile, peel the asparagus cutting them from the yolks down, cut the hardest part of the stem and steam for fifteen minutes, making sure they are al dente.
3. Put a little olive oil in a pan and, when it is hot, add first the chopped garlic and a little later the green part of the chard, well drained and chopped thickly. Sauté with a pinch of salt for five minutes and drain. On individual plates distribute drained chard, tomatoes, asparagus and, on top, black beans.
4. Prepare the sauce by placing the ingredients in a measuring glass. Let stand for a while and mix with a mixer leaving the beater arm for a minute at the bottom of the glass and then raise it little by little emulsifying the sauce. Pour over the recipe and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories: 489
• Carbohydrates: 26 g
• Protein: 13 g
• Fat: 37 g
• Cholesterol: 3 mg.

WOK PEPPERS WITH CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4 PEOPLE):

• 150 g cauliflower in bunches
• 2 peppers (one red and one yellow)
• 2 stalks chopped celery
• 200 g peas
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 4 sliced spring onions
• 2 tablespoons dried arame seaweed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 200 ml vegetable broth
• 250 ml soy milk
• 60 ml fried tomato puree
• olive oil, herbal salt and salt

PREPARATION (20′ + 15′ COOKING + 30′ SOAKING):

1. Soak the algae in water and salt for half an hour. Meanwhile, sauté the spring onion and cumin over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the cauliflower, turn up the heat and sauté for another two minutes. Add the sliced peppers and celery and leave a little more.
2. Add the broth with soy milk, peas and, after a while, tomato, drained seaweed and herbal salt. Stir well, garnish with chives and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories: 188
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Protein: 9 g
• Fat: 10 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg.

MUSHROOMS WITH CREAM CHEESE

INGREDIENTS (FOR 4 PEOPLE):

• 8 large mushrooms
• 100 g vegan mascarpone cream cheese 
• 30 ml vegetable yogurt
• half a clove of garlic
• the rind of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• A few leaves of chervil

For the sauce:

• 2 medium red peppers
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 50 ml coconut milk
• olive oil
• salt

PREPARATION (12′ + 30′ COOKING):

1. To prepare the sauce, roast the peppers in the oven at medium temperature for about 30 minutes. When they are, let cool, remove the skin and seeds, and place in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend everything until you get a creamy and uniform texture sauce, and set aside.
2. While the grill is preheating, clean the mushrooms with a kitchen brush, cut the stems at head level and place on an oil-smeared baking sheet. Grill them for about 10-12 minutes, remove and set aside so that they do not get too cold.
3. Meanwhile prepare the cream cheese by beating the mascarpone along with the yogurt and garlic. Fill the mushrooms with this cream and arrange on the plates on a bed of pepper sauce. Garnish with lemon rind cut into thin strips and chervil leaves, and sprinkle with black sesame seeds before serving.

VARIANT:

This recipe is very tasty if prepared with fresh shitakes instead of the classic mushrooms.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Calories 191
• Carbohydrates: 4 g
• Protein: 9 g
• Fat: 15 g
• Cholesterol: 26 mg.