Looking for easy summer recipes?
Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you are doing great. We finally reached the weekend, and it was a super busy week for me. With the end-of-year school exams coming up so fast, I am definitely getting more and more busy every day. That is exactly why I tried today to make something healthy, light, and just perfect for summer meals.
If you know me, you know that I absolutely love salads of all kinds. I eat every type of vegetable out there, so I always make sure to use them in all of my recipes.
Our recipe today has two parts: a fresh summer vegetable salad, and a homemade chicken shawarma with a super delicious and healthy sauce that is perfect for kids. Personally, I always avoid street food and fast food. Even when I am very busy, I prefer to cook a quick, homemade meal for my family.
Vegetable Salad Ingredients:
To make this simple salad, you will need:
○ 3 carrots
○ Green beans
○ 2 beetroots
○ 2 boiled eggs for decoration
How to Prepare:
First, chop all the vegetables into small pieces. For me, the absolute best way to cook them is steaming instead of boiling. This way, the vegetables keep all of their healthy nutrients and benefits.
For the salad dressing, you will need:
○ Homemade mayonnaise
○ Plain unsweetened yogurt
○ A little bit of olive oil
○ A pinch of black pepper
○ A little bit of white vinegar
○ Finely chopped parsley
Mix all these dressing ingredients well until you get a smooth texture. Once the vegetables are steamed and ready, mix them all together in a bowl, drizzle the dressing on top, and decorate with the boiled eggs. This dish is served cold, making it perfect for hot days.
What can I cook in summer?
If you are wondering what to cook when the weather gets warm, homemade wraps are always the answer. There are so many recipes for homemade shawarma on YouTube channels, but today I want to share my own special recipe that I always make with love for my little family.
Homemade Shawarma Ingredients
Here is what you need for the chicken and marinade:
○ Chicken breast, cut into very thin strips
○ green bell pepper
○ red bell pepper
○ hot chili pepper
○ clove of garlic
○ onion
○ unsweetened yogurt
○ Spices: turmeric, ginger, paprika, black pepper, and salt
Step-by-Step Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix the plain yogurt with the turmeric, ginger, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Add the thin chicken strips to this mixture and coat them very well. Leave the chicken in the fridge for two hours so it absorbs all the wonderful flavors from the marinade.
When you are ready to cook, heat a pan and chop the green pepper, red pepper, garlic, and hot chili pepper. You can skip the chili pepper if you do not like spicy food, but it truly gives the recipe a delicious kick. For the onion, we will actually add it raw without cooking because it gives an amazing crunch and flavor. Just slice it into thin, long strips.
Once the peppers in the pan soften up, add the marinated chicken mixture. Leave it to cook until the chicken is done and has absorbed all the tasty juices.
The Special Shawarma Sauce:
While the chicken cooks, prepare the sauce using:
○ Homemade mayonnaise
○ unsweetened yogurt
○ A little bit of olive oil
○ A pinch of black pepper
○ A little bit of white vinegar
○ Finely chopped parsley
○ 1 mashed clove of garlic
Mix everything together until you get a perfectly smooth sauce.
Now, it is time to assemble everything. I could not find ready-made shawarma bread at the store, so I made my own homemade tortilla bread instead. The folding method is very simple and well known. Spread a little bit of the white sauce we made, add the cooked chicken, put some french fries inside, and wrap it tightly.
The Secret to the Perfect Crispy Red Shawarma:
To get that amazing restaurant-style red color and extra crunch, brush the outside of your bread right before pressing or grilling it. Here are the best ways to do it:
●The Ultimate Flavor Trick (my Secret): Use the leftover oil, juices, and sauce right from the pan where you cooked the chicken. It gives the bread a gorgeous color and an incredible boost of flavor.
●The Spiced Oil Mix: Mix a little vegetable oil with a spoonful of paprika and a pinch of garlic powder, then brush it on.
●The Red Garlic Sauce: Mix a little chili paste or paprika right into your garlic sauce and spread a thin layer on the outside.
When the oil hits the hot pan, it fries the bread just enough to give it that beautiful red-gold color and the perfect crunch! Serve this wonderful dish with the white garlic sauce, and enjoy your meal. I really hope you try it this way because it is honestly so delicious.
If you are visiting my blog for the very first time, welcome! I am Nourell, a mom and a housewife. I love sharing my daily diary, simple recipes from my kitchen, and reviews for products that I personally use.
I would absolutely love to connect with you in the comments below. Tell me, from which country or city are you visiting my blog today?
Sending you many doses of sparkle from Sparkledose!
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Oh, wow, that sounds delicious! It's supposed to get hot this week and this will be perfect! :)
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