Summer is in full swing, and should be celebrated with these amazing recipes that our Editors are raving about. Use these staff faves for everything from backyard cooking to keeping dinner cool on warm nights.
Plant-Based Pizzazz
Frozen, fruity, and boozy, this next-level margarita will be the star of any summer soiree or Fourth of July cookout. Roasting peak-season strawberries intensifies their sweetness and elevates the flavor. Aquafaba, the viscous fluid from canned chickpeas that you normally rinse down the drain, has become the silver bullet to making plant-based whipped topping.
Struggling to cook healthy? We'll help you prep.
View Recipe: Roasted Strawberry Margaritas with Aquafaba Whip
Pancakes for Dinner
Is there any time of day when a pancake isn’t welcome at the table? These sweet and savory cakes are a sumptuous choice for breakfast, dinner, or a quick snack on the go. Dried chorizo adds a welcomed hit of richness and spicy, smoky flavor.
View Recipe: Spanish Chorizo Corn Cakes
Keep Cool
This is an ideal recipe for ripe, peak-season farmers market produce. High-quality olive oil will make a big difference here. You can find Spanish extra-virgin olive oil at reasonable prices at Trader Joe’s, but any flavorful variety you have on hand will work.
Sweet and Seasonal
Creamy, luscious, perfectly sweet with a touch of tart, this simple frozen yogurt was a clear staff favorite. A combination of half-and-half, plain whole milk yogurt, and a little corn syrup gives the frozen yogurt its super-smooth, almost velvety mouth feel.
View Recipe: Vanilla Frozen Yogurt with Fresh Cherry Swirl
A Taste of France
A big main-dish salad is exactly how we like to eat when temperatures start to climb. This summery take on the classic Niçoise is a riot of colors and textures, and it was quickly devoured by everyone in the test kitchen.
View Recipe: Summer Salmon Niçoise Salad
Cook's Secret
Browned butter is the quick cook’s best-kept secret: Less than two minutes in the pan caramelizes the milk solids in butter for a fragrant, nutty note in any dish. If your chicken breasts are larger than 6 ounces (some can be as big as 12 ounces), halve the two breasts horizontally instead of pounding them thin. Serve over a bed of whole-wheat couscous, whole-grain polenta, or brown rice.
View Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Garlic Tomato Sauce
Try Out Tofu
Our plant-powered riff on huevos rancheros is just as flavorful and hearty as the classic. Cooking crumbled firm tofu in a skillet achieves the fluffy texture of scrambled eggs, while turmeric adds the quintessential golden hue. Soy chorizo is full of zesty south-of-the-border spice, making it almost indistinguishable from traditional Mexican pork chorizo.
View Recipe: "Huevos" Soy-Cheros
Add a Little Spice to Life
Put all those peppers you grew or grabbed at the farmers' market to great use in sauce that are so potent, only a dab'll do.
