One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to learn a new recipe. Specifically ones that are light, full of color and flavorful, which are just what you want in the summertime.
In the summer of 2020, I transitioned into being a vegetarian. This made me a lot more willing to learn how to cook, and excited to try new recipes, I would have never done in the past.
I have always been a very picky eater, so I was unsure about how being a vegetarian was going to go. Two years later but I am still going strong, and it has made me more willing to try new things.
When I first became a vegetarian, one of the recipes I tried was for a quinoa salad. I really loved it, and the meal has been a staple in my recipes ever since.
Essentially it is quinoa, cooked and cooled down, with fresh chopped veggies, like cucumber, carrots, pepper, tomatoes and avocado with a soy sauce and ginger dressing, and cooked tofu on top.
The dressing has sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger paste, minced garlic and a little bit of lime or lemon juice.
The exact measurements can be found in this blog but I’ve adjusted it to my liking and just made it from memory now.
The meal is fun, colorful, and easy to make and store for leftovers (which is especially helpful as a busy college student).
One thing that is helpful to keep in mind when making a new meal, is that it can be changed. Just because the ingredients are there, doesn’t mean you have to follow everything step by step.
That is something I wish I knew earlier when I started cooking. Adjusting recipes you find, to fit your taste and palate is completely okay. This has helped me combat some of my picky eating.
Another really nice light food I like to make in the summer is a cucumber Thai peanut salad. This recipe is really refreshing and I usually eat it with a veggie burger, and maybe some potatoes to complete the meal.
The next meal I have is one that I want to try. Quiche is something I never thought of making at home, but these little snacks look really good, and easy to make. Even though the recipe calls for meat like sausage, and ham, I’m just going to exclude those from the recipe. However if you’re looking for those meat replacements, try finding a vegetarian breakfast sausage, and use that instead.
That is another trick I wish I had learned earlier. It goes along with the idea that recipes can be changed. But I don’t have to specifically find a ‘vegetarian recipe.’ I can just look up a new recipe, and can figure out how to change it to fit my diet. When something calls for meat there are things like eggplant, tofu, and vegan/vegetarian substitute meats that you can use to make the meal fit your lifestyle.
I’m still trying to break out of my picky eater mindset, but finding new things, and learning how to make it work for me has helped me over these past few years.
I also want to talk about baking, and some fun recipes for summer desserts.
Baking is a lot different than cooking because you do actually need to follow the recipe exactly or it wont work. Which is definitely something I struggle with.
I think it is so fascinating that baking is a science, the act of making brownies is chemistry and that makes me feel cooler when I do it, even if they’re from a box.
In the past, the fanciest I’ve gotten with baking is making s’mores over the fire, or brownies out of a box.
But It is something that I do think is fun, I just never really got into it. So here are some recipes that might help me transition, especially because the whole measuring aspect is hard for me, and if you’re like me, then these might inspire you too.
Strawberry Cheesecake, this just looks like something that is light and refreshing, which is what I’m looking for this summer in my baked goods. Maybe in the winter I’ll decide to actually use the oven when baking, but I’m going to stick with this for now. I can imagine making this and decorating it pretty with a friend to enjoy on a sunny afternoon.
Angel Food Cake, this is something that I have actually made before. Or at least helped make it. I have some fond memories with this recipe. We would make it every year for my sister’s birthday, and I always got to top it with the berries. A fun summer twist you could do with this, is to go pick your own berries to use for the topping. I did this last year with a friend of mine. We went strawberry picking and then made an angel food cake to go with the strawberries.
Banana bread is the first thing I ever learned how to bake. Banana bread is so fun, and easy to make, and there are a bunch of different ways to change it up and make it your own. I think it’s a great way to use up bananas that are about to go bad, and put them to good use. But, the next time you make banana bread, try adding something new like strawberries, or blueberries in as an additional flavor. Also this is just a personal preference, but I make my banana bread in a muffin tin. I just think it’s more fun that way.
I hope this blog helped you get inspired to try new things this summer, or maybe revamp some old recipes. All the free time that comes during summer, cultivating a new hobby that you can share with yourself and others, is a great way to fill your time.
Hi Everyone! My name is Madeline Bataille. I am going into my Senior Year as a Journalism and Spanish 
Major with a Minor in Gender and Women’s Studies. This will be my second semester with Campus Rec’s marketing team and my first time as a Program Assistant. I started last semester in a hybrid position as a photographer and blog writer. Now I will be helping to oversee these teams for the upcoming year. You can find me around campus drinking coffee from 193 Coffee House. Or doubling as the Photo Editor for The Good Five Cent Cigar. Over the summer, I am studying abroad in Spain to help complete my Spanish major. But for the time I will be home, I like to spend it outside with my friends, and help my sister plan her wedding!