I’m not much of a foodie – I don’t cook, I’m not one to scope out 5-star restaurants, and I don’t get late night cravings (like foodie calls). However, there are some foods and drinks I love come summertime that are easy (seriously, I can’t cook) and inexpensive to make.

  1. Cowboy Caviar – forget that it has the word ‘caviar’ in the name, this isn’t chic or fish related, instead it’s a quick and cheap version of a bean dip.
    • Recipe:
    • 1 can of black-eyed beans
    • 1 can of black beans
    • 1 can diced tomatoes -drained and rinsed (or substitute 8 oz. of freshly chopped tomatoes)
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (jarred or fresh)
    • a bunch of cilantro finely chopped
    • 4 stalks of green onion chopped
    • 3/4 cup of Italian dressing
    • Mix together and chill for an hour. Serve with torilla chips.
  2. Iced coffee – a great way to beat the heat (if you like coffee, that is). This recipe is originally from The Pioneer Woman:
    • Recipe:
    • Steep bag of ground coffee in cold water for 8 hours+
    • drain pitcher of steeped coffee into new container using fine mesh strainer and cheese cloth
    • Enjoy with half & half or sweetened condensed milk
    • Add some flavored syrup to it – you can find flavored syrups at Smart and Final
  3. Turkey Tacos – I’ll admit, I don’t make these myself because it involves cooking, but these are not too difficult to make. And this is one of my all-time favorite dishes. Serve with some shredded monterey jack cheese and green leaf lettuce on soft corn tortillas and YUM!
    • Recipe:
    • cook 1 lb of ground turkey, then mix in the following spices and ingredients
    • 1/2 red onion – diced
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
    • 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon of minced jarred garlic
    • 1 cup tomato sauce  – let simmer until thickened
  4. Margaritas – I just learned how to mix an “on the rocks” margarita and it’s quickly becoming my favorite alcoholic beverage. The key here is using the right ingredients like Dr. Swami and Bone Daddy’s Top Shelf Margarita Mix.
      • Recipe:
      • 2 ounces of silver grade tequila (you can reduce the amount as long as you increase the Bone Daddy’s to equal 6 oz.)
      • 4 ounces of Bone Daddy’s (this stuff has everything else needed for a margarita including the triple sec and lime juice in perfect proportions)
      • pour over ice in a shaker and shake
      • pour over ice in a glass and serve

    Bone Daddy's Margarita Mix
    Bone Daddy’s Margarita Mix
  5. Rice cake breakfast treat – If you’re not lactose intolerant, this dairy mixture topped with preservatives and fresh berries on caramel flavored rice cakes is delicious:
      • Recipe:
      • Dairy mixture: 8oz of soft cream cheese mixed with 8oz of cottage cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir together to blend.
      • Spread the dairy mixture on top of a caramel flavored rice cake
      • add a thin spread of preserves, preferably berry of some kind
      • top with berries –  raspberries, blackberries, and sliced strawberries -enjoy

    Breakfast rice cake.
    Breakfast rice cake.

Notice that most of these are served cold, only two require “cooking” if I count the coffee. Easy, delicious, and inexpensive summer dishes and drinks.

What are your favorite summer foods?

3 Comments

  1. Paul @ The Frugal Toad Reply

    Strawberry shortcake is without a doubt my favorite summer dessert! We are going camping this summer and will have to try some of these recipes!

  2. Money Beagle Reply

    Might have to try the maragritas, I’m a sucker for a good one! Or three 🙂

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