Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Summer Recipes: On-the-Go Meals

With the warmer weather on the way, comes barbecue and cook out season. Even if cookouts and festivals may look a bit different this year, we can still enjoy the tasty treats of summer!

One aspect of cooking that has always been a challenge for me is finding the time to research, prepare, cook and then actually enjoy the masterpiece! I have always liked to cook, but felt I never had time to really enjoy the cooking process until the pandemic came when we were forced to stay home and learn new things to keep occupied. Without being able to go out to a restaurant or entertainment attractions, we found new hobbies and interests. One of mine turned out to be cooking. In charge of selecting cookbooks at the Greenburgh Public Library, I love to find new and exciting recipes for the public to enjoy, but never had the chance to fully delve into them and experiment.  A positive effect of having more time at home was getting to experiment with new meals and recipes! Through my cooking adventures, I learned that not every meal needs to be elaborate and take hours to prepare. 

With our fast paced lives, sometimes it's hard to find cookbooks that offer quick and easy meals that are packed with nutrition. Here are a few recommendations for those of us who are always on the go!
 

One Pan & Done by Molly Gilbert

In One Pan & Done Molly Gilbert expands her repertoire into sheet pans and more with 135 brand new recipes. She shows you how to use your oven to your advantage, letting it do most of the work to turn out juicy, crispy roasts, succulent vegetables, rich stews, flaky fish, and, of course, sweet treats. Think of it as fast slow-cooking, but with the benefits of baking, roasting, and broiling for concentrated, intense flavor every time. The best part is that with Molly's simple, hands-off recipes, you'll have time to savor your meal and enjoy your company. Whether you're an over-scheduled parent, a busy young professional, or even an accomplished cook, you deserve food that's big on flavor, but simple on steps. With Molly's recipes, you get in the kitchen, and you get out. 


 

Everyday Dinners by Jessica Merchant

Get family dinner on the table in thirty minutes or less without sacrificing beauty or flavor, thanks to this go-to guide to meal prepping from the beloved blogger and author of The Pretty Dish. Jessica Merchant, the blogger behind the wildly popular site How Sweet Eats, turns her attention and sparkle to the world of meal prepping to create quick weeknight dinners. With her down-to-earth style, can-do attitude, and gorgeous photography, Jessica presents Everyday Dinners, a meal prep book for busy families trying to get dinner cooked and on the table in thirty minutes. Along with plant-based, one pot, and slow cooker recipes, Jessica also includes weekly dinner plans, ideas, tips and tricks, to keep cooking easy and quick!



 

Keeping It Simple by Yasmin Fahr

After a long day at work, heading home to cook a fussy, complicated meal is the last thing anyone wants to do. Keeping It Simple is the ultimate collection to have on hand for these moments. Featuring over 60 quick and easy, drool-worthy one-pot dinners you can whip up in the time in takes to have a glass of wine (or two, let's be honest), Yasmin Fahr has got you covered. Inspired by her column for Serious Eats, One-Pot Wonders, Yasmin sets out to arm readers with sneaky gems and low-key showstoppers that work every time, and a promise that they will learn at least one new move to up their skills in the kitchen. The ultimate goal is to get dinner on the table quickly, but also to create something truly delicious as a weeknight reward.

 

Plant-Based on a Budget by Toni Okamoto

Eat vegan--for less! Between low-paying jobs, car troubles, student loans, vet bills, and trying to pay down credit card debt, Toni Okamoto spent most of her early adult life living paycheck to paycheck. So when she became a vegan at age 20, she worried: How would she be able to afford that kind of lifestyle change? Then she discovered how to be plant-based on a budget.  Through her popular website, Toni has taught hundreds of thousands of people how to eat a plant-strong diet while saving money in the process. With Plant-Based on a Budget, going vegan is not only an attainable goal, but the best choice for your health, the planet--and your wallet.  



 

Healthy One Pan Dinners by Dana Angelo White

Weeknight dinners can be a chore, especially when they require multiple pots and pans. Simplify dinner with 100 easy recipes that come together quickly and require only one sheet pan, skillet, Dutch oven, multicooker, or slow cooker. Healthy recipes feature fresh, whole food ingredients and lightened up versions of family favorites. Healthy One Pan Dinners makes weeknight cooking attainable with- - 100 recipes for satisfying, one-pan dinners that will please the whole family, along with nutritional information and helpful tags to identify Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Under 30 Minutes, and Freezer-Friendly meals.