KathEat’s Staples for Summer

I couldn’t be more excited to feature Kath as today’s guest post while Bo and I are scuba diving through wrecks and reefs of Bermuda. Kath was the very first blogger I followed and discovered her blog when searching for a healthy recipe on Google. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with her at Healthy Living Summit, BlogHer, and during her trip to New York City where I first met her over a year ago!

Even though Loco is busy playing on the king size bed in Bermuda, he hopes you enjoy Kath’s healthy summer staples!

Greetings from KERFland, where our three Bears are enjoying simple summer meals! School just ended and they just started their summer internships – Churton is working as a cashier! They’re also looking forward to another summer visit to Grammy Buzz’s this year!

Summer cooking attitudes are split in two:

1) Days when you have all the time in the world to cook a fun meal or bring a delicious side dish to a picnic to fill out a table of homemade foods

2) Days when you are having so much fun outside that you don’t want to spend any time in the kitchen

Here are a handful of my favorite recipes for summer that work well for both!

Green Quinoa Salad with Shrimp + Feta

I’ve made this salad a handful of times to take to summer picnics. It’s full of warm weather veggies plus tasty shrimp in a nice quinoa base. It’s easy to make and tastes even better when made in advance.

Kale Chips

OK, so these require turning on the oven, but they’re ready in 10 minutes and they make the perfect accompaniment to dogs and burgers. When you put all of your fill into a triple-decker burger, you want something light on the side. Kale chips provide volume and crunch for minimal calories and maximal nutrition.

Summer Herb Soup

This soup cooks itself in the crockpot and is fantastic with a generous sprinkle of goat cheese on top. Best of all, it uses those awesome summer vegetables like zucchini, tomatoes and squash.

Homemade Bean Burgers

One of my favorite recipes I’ve ever invented! I love these burgers because they come together in minutes using pantry staples. And unlike rare ground beef, you don’t have to worry about the internal temp – the ingredients are all cooked so you get to cook them as long as you want. They’re also very flexible in flavor profile – add any herbs or spices you like, or for a fun twist, add in some crunchy cooked bacon!

Hope the Healthy Happier Bears are having a blast in Bermuda! The KERF Bears are pretending their in the tropics here in Virginia by swinging from the trees!