7 no cooking, cold-yet-satisfying dinners

ideas to keep us cool and full!

Hi friends,

It’s been incredibly humid where I live and getting hotter by the day. I imagine this is the same for a lot of you. So I thought I’d share some ideas for dinners that don’t require cooking* and are cold-yet-satisfying, which I feel like doesn’t always happen with cold food. Like sometimes a salad is a great appetizer or side dish but not like a meal. So everything in the list below has SUBSTANCE — things like mayo, salami, cheese, etc. — stuff that makes us feel full and taken care of. I also suggested a side thing to go with each main thing, not because every meal needs multiple things, but more to remind us all (myself included) that not every part of what we eat has to be something homemade or even that novel. Sometimes a bag of chips is just the thing. You’ll also notice I’m not very creative about my dessert suggestions (it’s just ice cream over and over because that’s all I want for dessert in the summer/all of the time). Lack of creativity aside, let the seven different ice cream vessels remind you that dessert is essential!

*About the no cooking. What I mean by this is that none of these meals involve cooking anything with heat. No pots, pans, or roasting dishes. No ovens, grills, or stovetops required. Meaning, these meals are cold to eat, but also won’t heat up your kitchen in the process. That said, I don’t believe that cooking is only defined by applying heat to things. Figuring out what to eat, shopping for ingredients, cleaning and chopping those ingredients, assembling things, cleaning up afterwards…that’s COOKING!!!

Okay, here’s the chart of ideas and see below the chart for more specific notes (and below those notes, a few complete recipes with exact measurements for paid subscribers!). Thanks for being here.

Notes on each meal:

1. Shrimp salad rolls / cucumber + avocado salad **recipe with exact measurements below for paid subscribers**

   Think of shrimp salad rolls as fancy tuna sandwiches or more affordable lobster rolls. To make them, buy pre-cooked shrimp at the store. Roughly chop them, mix with mayo + finely chopped celery. Add a little finely chopped onion (or scallion) and season with salt, pepper + lemon juice. Add whatever else you’d like (Old Bay, Sriracha, gochujang…whatever!). Pile the shrimp salad into hot dog buns and enjoy! If you’re willing to deal with a little bit of heat, it’s really nice to griddle your hot dog buns in a buttered skillet before filling them.

   For cucumber + avocado salad, I’ve offered a recipe for paid subscribers below. The gist of it is to mix sliced cucumbers + diced avocado and dress with a mixture of juice from a jar of kimchi and mayo. There’s also this ‘obsessively good avocado cucumber salad’ via

   deb perelman
   via…me! The dressing is mayo, lime juice + hot sauce which is a wonderful combo.

2. Turkey sandwiches / potato chips

   You don’t need notes from me here!

3. Chef’s salad with 1000 Island dressing / crackers

   When I was growing up, my family ate at diners a lot and both my mom + dad often ordered a chef’s salad and then I started to, too. Something about the combo of cold iceberg lettuce + sliced cheese + sliced deli meat + mediocre tomatoes + 1000 island dressing is just perfect to me, especially with some crackers to use for mini sandwiches with the stuff from the salad (a.k.a. what I used to do as a kid). If you want to make your own dressing, something like this recipe is perfect! A chef’s salad is the perfect vehicle for all the random bits of things you have in your fridge…

4. Greek salad + hummus **recipe for homemade hummus with exact measurements below for paid subscribers** / pita chips

   I eat SO MUCH Greek salad during the summer because it is just so fast and hits the spot. I like serving it with a creamy bowl of hummus and lots of pita chips to make it all a bit more substantial. For Greek salad, I like big chunks of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, plus thinly sliced red onion. Of course big chunks of feta! Drown it all in a red wine vinaigrette that has tons of dried oregano and you’re good to go. For hummus, of course you can just buy it…or for paid subscribers, see below for my recipe for homemade hummus which is really just an excuse to stock up on Soom tahini.

5. Bagels, lox + cream cheese / sliced tomatoes + onions

   You don’t need notes for this either! It’s a perfect meal!

6. Cold rice noodle salad / watermelon with salt + chile flakes

   Soak bún go (rice vermicelli — like this!) in hot water until softened, then drain and dress with nuoc cham (like this) or drizzle with peanut sauce (like this). Top with tons of fresh herbs + thinly sliced vegetables (cilantro, mint, Thai basil, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, etc.) and something substantial (cold cubes of tofu, shredded leftover chicken, pre-cooked shrimp…whatever!). So delicious! Serve with cubes of watermelon sprinkled with sea salt and chile flakes.

7. Antipasto chopped salad **recipe with exact measurements below for paid subscribers** / store bought focaccia with lots of olive oil + salt for dipping

   I think of an antipasto chopped salad like an Italian chef’s salad. To make it, combine chopped romaine, chopped store bought roasted peppers + marinated artichoke hearts, olives, salami + provolone. Dress with a garlicky, dried oregano-y vinaigrette. Complete recipe below for paid subscribers! Serve with store bought focaccia with plenty of olive oil + salt for dipping. If you’re in the Hudson Valley, you can get everything you need for this meal, including excellent focaccia, from Rossi’s (or just don’t even make this and get one of their sandwiches…seriously the best in the world). If you don’t live in the Hudson Valley you can live vicariously through us by browsing Rossi’s online menu which includes the best cross section photos of their perfect sandwiches…can you tell how much I love this place??!

Okay, stay cool my friends! xo

Paid subscribers (a) support my work and I appreciate it so much!! and (b) sometimes get bonus content like extra recipes. Today for paid subscribers, I’m offering:

1. Cucumber + Avocado Salad

2. Homemade Hummus

3. Antipasto Chopped Salad

Want these recipes? Consider becoming a paid subscriber today!