Must-try summer recipes

It’s that time of year again – with the sunshine comes social season! Catching up with your fave people is always great – and with delicious food, it’s even better! Here are some of my favourite recipes for you to try. Super easy, super yum, and hopefully something you’ll whip up again and again!

Kumara, bacon & orange salad: For a quick and easy lunch

Sounds like an odd combination, but the addition of the orange is really refreshing! Omit if you reeeeally can’t get your head around it. This is great for a quick and easy lunch.

Ingredients:

2 medium-large kumara, cubed
4 rashers streaky bacon
1 orange, peeled and chopped into cubes
½ red onion, diced finely
½ bunch coriander, chopped (optional)
¼ c each pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds
3 tbsp aioli (or to your preferred salad/dressing ratios)
salt & pepper to season

Method:

1. Roast or boil the kumara until soft – boiling is faster (about 10 min); roasted takes longer (45 min – 1 hour at 180C), but maintains its “togetherness” a bit better!
2. Pan fry the bacon. Place on paper towels once cooked to absorb excess grease.
3. Once kumara and bacon have cooled, combine in a bowl with cubed orange, red onion, coriander, pumpkin and sunfllower seeds, then gently mix through the aioli. Season with salt & pepper if desired.
4. Enjoy!

Bacon & egg cups: For breakfast on the go

Ingredients:

12 rashers bacon
8-12 eggs
splash of milk (optional)
handful spinach, finely chopped
½ c mixed veges (either frozen or chopped veg such as capsicum)
sprinkle pumpkin seeds
sprinkle grated cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Line a lightly greased muffin tin with the rashers of bacon – chop each rasher into thirds if needed to make lining easier. Blind bake for 5 minutes.
3. If using less than 12 eggs, mix eggs with a splash of milk in a separate jug.
4. Remove from oven, fill with spinach and mixed veg.
5. If using 12 eggs, crack one egg into each muffin tin. If using less, pour egg mixture into each, evenly distributing between the tins.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds & cheese if using on top during last 5 minutes of baking.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from tins.
8. Eat on their own or with a bit of relish – yum!

Lemon, soy & ginger beef stirfry: For a delicious dinner

Ingredients:

200g rump steak, sliced evenly into finger-sized strips
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp crushed ginger
1 onion, finely diced
splash soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp/splash fish sauce
2 medium carrots, chopped into rounds or fingers
1 large broccoli, cut into florets
½ red capsicum, sliced
½ yellow capsicum, sliced
¼ c pumpkin seeds
¼ c sunflower seeds
coriander (optional)

Method:

1. To speed up the process, lightly steam the carrot and broccoli first either in a steamer or in the microwave.
2. Using a little oil, fry onion, garlic & ginger on a medium heat.
3. Add sliced rump steak and turn up heat. Mix quickly as the meat begins to brown.
4. Add soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce & lemon juice, then turn heat back down to medium and add fish sauce. Continue to stir throughout.
5. Add steamed broccoli and carrot, and continue to stir fry until steak is cooked to your liking.
6. Add capsicum in the last few minutes of cooking and mix in.
7. Serve with fresh baby spinach, steamed bok choy and/or steamed rice. Sprinkle seeds & coriander on top before serving.

Green smoothie: For a quick afternoon or post-workout pick me up

Ingredients:

1 big handful baby spinach or kale
1 small-medium banana
1 golden kiwifruit
1 orange
2 slices pineapple
¼ cucumber (approx. 1 ½ inches long), chopped
ice
optional boosters: greens powder, pea protein powder, goji berries, chia seeds, frozen blueberries (omit ice if using frozen fruit)

Method:

1. Blend spinach and water together until smooth – this gives your smoothie a better texture!
2. Add cucumber, ice and any frozen fruits (hard ingredients), blend until smooth.
3. Add banana, kiwifruit, orange, pineapple (soft ingredients) blend until smooth.
4. Enjoy!

Thai-inspired Chicken Burgers: For barbecues with a twist

(This recipe is adapted from I Quit Sugar)

These are a family fave, and utterly packed full of flavour. A delicious twist on the good old kiwi burger!

Ingredients:

500g chicken mince
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp crushed or grated ginger
bunch coriander, chopped
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
squeeze of lime juice
salt & pepper to season
2 tbsp aioli
½ chopped red cabbage
baby spinach
avocado (optional)
burger buns

Method:

1. Mix chicken mince, garlic, ginger, sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and half the bunch coriander together. Add salt & pepper.
2. Leave to infuse in the fridge for at least half an hour (or overnight if you’re really organised!).
3. Before cooking, shape into even sized patties (make one extra patty – see number four below!). Fry at medium-high heat on one side until you can see the patties have cooked halfway up the sides – then flip and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Open one patty to check it’s been cooked through – if so, feel free to eat it (no one will know you pinched one!).
5. Mix remaining chopped coriander with aioli and a squeeze of lime juice to make coriander slaw. Add salt & pepper to taste.
6. Butter and lightly grill burger buns, then add a layer of coriander slaw, baby spinach, red cabbage, burger patty, then spread avocado on the top bun before sandwiching it all together.

One minute microwave choc chip cookie in a mug: Aka the most dangerous recipe in the universe

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter (melted)
1 egg yolk
2 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
1/4 c flour
2 tbsp choc chips

Method:

1. Mix melted butter (cooled so it doesn’t pre-cook the yolk), egg yolk, vanilla, sugars and salt together in a microwaveable mug.
2. Fold in flour and choc chips until combined.
3. Microwave for 1 minute (in a 1100w microwave, may need to adjust power).
4. Enjoy with ice cream!
Optional: Make it naughtier (better?) with a tablespoon of kahlua … Sorry not sorry!

So there are some of my faves – what’s your go-to summer recipe?

See more:

Written by Bunny T

A mama of two who advocates for mental health awareness (yes girl!), Bunny is a badass babe blogging about womanhood, motherhood and the adventures that happen in between. You’ll usually find her exercising (running after kids), partying (drinking coffee) and rocking out (sleeping).