À La Carte: Apartment melting? Same.

Cold peanut udon salad, vegan Niçoise salad, vermicelli tofu bowls + more 🥵

This week in New York, we entered a particular time of year we refer to as “hot as f*ck”. Rene and I had yet to put our window AC’s in, and my weekly recipe photoshoot (i.e. a full day of cooking) happened to coincide with Thursday’s particularly high temps. I opened every window in every room and turned on every ceiling fan - and reader, the apartment was still a furnace.

It seems that every year I forget just how stifling it can get. I forget there are three whole months when I can’t wear jeans or eat hot food. This week, I was reminded of this season, and of the importance of having recipes to rely on that are [relatively] quick-cooking and result in cold/room temperature dinners.

Below are 5 summer go-to’s that are simple but still meet my complete-meal formula (carb + protein + fat + vegetables).

1. Cold Udon Noodle Salad

While the noodles and edamame boil, you chop a bunch of crunchy veg (bell peppers, cucumbers, cabbage) and mix up a creamy peanut butter dressing. This cold but satisfying salad is ready in just 30 minutes.

2. Tofu Niçoise Salad

Niçoise salad (i.e. a staple of Nice, France) often features tuna, anchovies, or other seafood. This plant-based version has seared tofu instead. The punchy caper-shallot dressing brings all the elements together.

3. Edamame Quinoa Salad

Even quinoa haters will find themselves enjoying this high-protein salad. The crunchy veg, abundance of fresh herbs, and nutty peanut-sesame dressing mask quinoa’s bird-food personality well.

4. Vietnamese-Inspired Vermicelli Tofu Bowls

Chilled rice noodles, marinated tofu, carrots, cucumbers, peanuts, and crispy shallots come together with a sweet-tangy rice vinegar dressing.

5. Pearl Couscous Salad with Chickpeas

Think of this as a Mediterranean pasta salad with crispy chickpeas, kalamata olives, and fresh herbs. Great for weeknights, but also picnics and cookouts.

Planning to make one of these? Tell me how it goes in the comments section or tag me with your creation on Instagram.