It’s Too Hot to Cook. Make These 10 Cold Dishes Instead! – One Green Planet

When the weather gets hot, humid, and sticky, the last place we want to be is in the kitchen, standing over a hot stove. While it would be a dream come true to have every meal in an air-conditioned vegan restaurant, that isn’t reality for most of us. We still need to cook and prepare dinner for ourselves and our families. That doesn’t mean, however, that we have to eat salad every night (though salads are delicious). There are plenty of amazing dishes that are best when served cold. In no time at all, we can whip up a satisfying chilled soup in the blender. Check out How to Make Yummy Raw Blender Soups for all the details. Cold soups are refreshing, healthy, and there are so many options, we can have a different kind every night. Learn How to Make Fresh, Healthy Gazpacho to Cool Down This Summer. Don’t worry, soups aren’t the only cold dishes that can keep us out of the kitchen all summer. We have lots of idea,s including yummy noodles. So when it’s too hot to cook, make these 10 cold dishes instead!

1. Warming Carrot Ginger Soup

This Carrot Ginger Soup is raw so it’s perfect for the warm weather. The combination of ginger, cayenne pepper and fresh herbs boosts your metabolism so the soup is warming to the body but won’t turn your kitchen into a sauna.

2. Raw Corn Cream Soup

Summer brings us lots of fresh corn and zucchini. Blend them to make this delicious Raw Corn Cream Soup. Made creamy with avocado and seasoned with saffron, this will be your new favorite summer soup.

3. Chilled Peanut Noodles

Peanut butter makes everything better including noodles. These Chilled Peanut Noodles have a delicious sauce to put over noodles or anything else you can think of because…c’mon, it’s peanut sauce. Yum!

4. The Best No Noodle Pad Thai

Spiralized beets and carrots sub for noodles in this raw dish that will leave you feeling light and refreshed instead of weighed down. A spicy coconut sauce with peanuts and avocado will have you declaring this The Best No Noodle Pad Thai ever!

5. Raw Spaghetti With ‘Bolognese’ Sauce

Who says hearty, meaty dishes have to be hot? This Raw Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce has zucchini noodles topped with a sauce made from meaty walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes for a cool twist on the classic sauce.

6. Super Healthy and Zesty Raw-Vegan Pad Thai

If you’re used to Pad Thai dishes that are rich and hot, you’ll love this Super Healthy and Zesty Raw-Vegan Pad Thai. It’s a refreshing combination of raw kelp noodles, crunch fresh veggies and a delicious sweet and tangy sauce.

7. Cold Rice Noodles in Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

Choose your favorite noodles – rice, whole-wheat or zucchini – and top them with this creamy and spicy peanut sauce. These Cold Rice Noodles with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce are comforting with an unexpected but welcome zing of spice and flavor.

8. Watermelon Gazpacho with Beet Noodles

Change up your summer watermelon by having it in a spicy soup. This Watermelon Gazpacho gets a kick from jalapenos which perfectly balance the sweet watermelon. Beet noodles add substance and more beautiful color to this summer dish.

9. Soba Noodle Salad with Avocado and Mango

This Soba Noodle Salad says summer on a plate. Delicious and healthy cold soba noodles are mixed with the sweet and sour tang of mango and lime, creamy avocado and fresh, bright mint. Forget lettuce, this will be your go-to summertime salad.

10. Raw Vegan Curry With Marinated Mushrooms and Onions

If you think enjoying a bowl of vegetable curry means cooking, this will change your mind. This Raw Vegan Curry has marinated mushrooms and onions and a delicious curry sauce made in the blender for a light and fresh dish. You may never cook curry again after eating this.

See? There’s no need to get all sweaty in the kitchen when you can make any or all of these amazing cold dishes. For even more recipes, see 15 Fresh and Cool Raw Soups for the Summer. Stay cool!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is known to Support various health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, improving heart health, enhancing mental well-being, achieving fitness goals, meeting nutritional needs, managing allergies, and promoting gut health, among others. Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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