Since it’s blazing hot in basically every region in this country, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite, tried-and-true, no-cook meals.

Turning on the oven or stovetop all day is nearly blasphemous in the summertime, so stocking up on raw vegetables and other easy ingredients has become my new priority.

First up: the simple salad.

If you think salads should be relegated to side dish status because they’re not filling, then you’re not doing it right.

I used to feel that way about salads until I began loading them up with canned beans or beets, sliced avocado, raw nuts, assorted vegetables, and healthy fat-laden homemade dressings.

One of my favorite salads features baby spinach, beets, walnuts, goat cheese, and an easy tahini-balsamic dressing.

Next: cold soup.

I’ve only made one cold soup in my life, and it was watermelon gazpacho from this NYT article. Mark cringes when somebody says cold soup (by definition, he argues, soup is hot), but I think he would agree that yogurt-based or chilled soup-like-creations trump high-heat versions when it’s hovering close to 100° outside. I’d like to try a traditional gazpacho or cold cucumber/yogurt soup in the near future.

Third on my list: raw “pasta.”

I’ve shared a recipe for zucchini “pasta” and raw marinara here, but I also like to top the zucchini with a cream-based sauce with avocado, lemon juice, and garlic (using Oh She Glows’ avocado cream as a guide). Zucchini and summer squash are some of my favorite summer vegetables, and it’s eerie how a simple spiralizer or julienne peeler can transform them into raw “pasta.” They’re also neutral enough in flavor to take well to almost any kind of sauce.

Last up: simple snack plates.

Sometimes, you just don’t have the appetite for a full meal, which is why I’m often perfectly satisfied with an assorted mix of crackers, cheese, deli meat, raw vegetables, hummus, and fruit for dinner. Add a glass of wine, and nothing else is required!

Question for you: What are some of your favorite no-cook meals?