Light Summer Meals

As I have mentioned, it has been dreadfully hot where I live. Consequently, we have been eating a lot lighter lately. This week I tried out a dish for Chicken in Lettuce Wraps, which was delicious. It is a copycat recipe of the amazing dish served at PF Changs. It is made with ground chicken and takes around 20 minutes to put together, which is also ideal in hot weather.

I used a pound of ground chicken, and my husband and I each had a serving like the one pictured above. There was tons of the chicken mixture leftover which was great for lunch the next day. You can wrap the mixture in butter lettuce leaves as we did, or try wrapping it in a flour tortilla. Not as low-calorie, but I bet it would be delicious. Serve with a side of pineapple or melon and it is a perfect meal.

So, let me tell you about the author of the recipe. She is an adorable girl named Chungah Rhee, born in Queens into a traditional Korean household. While in college studying to be an epidemiologist she started a terrific blog site called Damn Delicious. She has also written a cookbook by that name, which is excellent. Everything I have made from it has been great. She also posts a lot on Instagram. Her style is fast and easy, although she makes use of her slow cooker for some great simple recipes as well. She puts out new recipes on Instagram and her website frequently and I love following her. She also has two adorable Corgis named Butters and Cartman, and she shares pics of them often. Clearly, she has dropped the plan to be an epidemiologist with the start of her current successful business ventures.

How about you? Do you eat differently in the summer? What are your favorite things to eat in the heat?

 

Comments

[Mary]

I'm glad you posted this recipe. I have tried a few of her recipes, and we really like them as well.

At our house, it's a year-round thing of trying to eat lighter and healthier. Sometimes we win; sometimes we lose. It's a never-ending thing!

[Cathy]

Thanks for the recipe tip as I love those things at PF Chang's so I'll have to give it a try. We have corgis and I follow a bunch of corgis on Instagram, so I "know" Butters and Cartman.

[Paula]

If you love Damn Delicious try her Chicken in Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce. It’s so good, my husband’s favorite and he asks me to make it frequently. Thanks for the heads up on Instagram. I’ll follow her there too. Btw I have a Corgi so I think it’s kismet.

[Carolyn]

Our absolute favorite summer meal is a chicken caprese sandwich. We get the short Italian rolls from the supermarket, use a little mayo (or a lot in my husband's case!) and layer them with thinly sliced chicken, either rotisserie or grilled, slices of Jersey tomatoes and strips of basil from the garden, roasted peppers if we have them and fresh ground salt and pepper. It's summer on a roll!

[Jan]

Those dishes sound good. I'm planning to take a look at her blog this morning! We had cold broccoli salad last night. It's our summer go-to for dinner during the hot months.

[T Holzer]

Damn Delicious is one of my go to sites for great recipes!

[Robby H.]

Nigella Lawson has a similar recipe with slightly different flavors that we enjoy. Thai Crumbled Beef (although we've made it with both ground turkey and crumbled tofu). We definitely eat lighter in the summer. It's not unusual for me to grill chicken in the morning while it's still cool on that side of the house and then we have it in a salad or pasta salad later in the day.

[Leota Krantz]

Many thanks. Downloaded her website. Yeah. Really need more fresh low calorie recipes for me and hubby.

[Sandra Clarke]

Thanks for inspiring me in quilt making & yummy recipes! I will try this!!

[Kerry L]

Love Damn Delicious! So glad you featured her! Like you we are roasting with no rain! I think I am done with summer for this year.

[Jennifer in Indy]

That looks like a great dinner! We were just saying last night that we are looking forward to cooler weather to have soups, chili and baked potatoes for dinner!