No-Cook Summer Dinners

Stay cool with no-cook meals that are crisp, wonderfully light and made for hot summer evenings on the porch.

There’s no better season than summer to indulge in a little laziness, particularly where cooking is concerned.

When the weather’s picture-perfect or the mercury’s high, the last thing we need is to spend quality time with our stoves. Here are some great no-cook meals anchored with simple recipes and rounded out with items available from your local super. Add a crisp, cool wine, a porch, a fan, and dinner is served.

Italian Antipasto Plate

• Caprese Salad with Peppers (below)
• Garbanzo Bean Salad
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
• Slice Prosciutto, Salami or Cappicola
• Arugula
• Crusty Italian Bread
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Chilled Melon

Middle Eastern Mezze Plate

• Tabbouleh Salad (below)
• Dolamades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
• Kalamata Olives
• Hummus
• Feta Cheese
• Fresh Pita Bread
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Baklava

—By Stacey Morris, a writer in upstate New York.

(08/07)