Midwest Living Summer 2022 Recipes

Heap a platter with butter lettuce, poached chicken, green beans, avocado, berries, chives and basil. (The cooked components are easily made ahead.) Admire your creation, then douse it in berry-pink vinaigrette.

This bright, refreshing recipe is the ultimate no-cook party food. Cincinnati chef Jose Salazar shares the secrets to the ceviche served at his restaurant Mita's. 

Tip: In ceviche, the acid in lime juice alters the proteins in fish, mimicking what happens during cooking. But it's still technically raw, so use only the freshest, high-quality seafood. Salazar suggests buying sustainable seafood from Whole Foods Market or a fishmonger.

Tea leaves speckle the shortcakes and infuse the whipped cream, giving this favorite summertime dessert a pinkies-up twist.

These ice cream sandwiches will take you back to hot summer days as a kid. Use a light touch when you assemble them, as the rich cookies are a bit fragile.

Pizza night just got an upgrade. Use purchased fresh pizza dough for ease and top it with fresh mushrooms and peppery arugula.

Related: Easy Homemade Pizza Recipes

Made with a gin-based liqueur called Pimm's No. 1, this old-timey summer cocktail calls for fizzy lemonade and a salad bowl of garnishes—strawberries, cucumbers, oranges and herbs.
 
Related: Easy, Breezy Drinks to Keep You Cool All Summer

Chermoula is an herby, lemony sauce found across North Africa. When making kabobs, remember that some ingredients cook faster than others. Keeping skewers segregated by ingredient will yield perfectly flaky fish, tender zucchini and not-mushy tomatoes.

Mojo is a Caribbean marinade made with citrus and garlic. If this jumbo chop cut dwarfs your appetite, cut the meat from the bone and share. The peppy pineapple and mango salsa almost hogs the spotlight—it's good enough to eat like a salad.

This tangy-sweet condiment is a clever use for slightly jostled or past-peak berries. Serve with a charcuterie board or spoon them over toasted bread with goat cheese, honey and thyme leaves.
 
Related: Throw a Strawberry Party with These Recipes!

Eat this peak-summer dish as a side or a meatless main. Eggplant and bell peppers are grilled au naturel—all the fun comes in the finish, when the vegetables are showered in mint, basil and peanuts and drizzled liberally with a sauce called nuoc cham.

This versatile recipe pairs equally well with breakfast dishes, entrees—even desserts. Our favorite application? Chop it after roasting to top toast spread with goat cheese.

Related: Easy Work-from-Home Lunches You'll Make on Repeat

When it's too hot for lentil soup, put the quick-cooking pulse to good use in this nutritious, meat-free salad.

Tuesday can have tacos. Make Saturday shawarma night, with a warm pita wrapped around spice-crusted chicken thighs, parsley-flecked Israeli salad and a swoop of the creamiest tahini.

Pesto gets an assertive makeover when you trade the basil for peppery arugula. Toasting the walnuts adds depth to the pesto's flavor.

Romesco is a garlicky Spanish sauce made of almonds, tomato and roasted red peppers. Here, it takes the place of ketchup on a spiced lamb burger topped with goat cheese. (Note: You can definitely make this burger with ground beef if you aren't a fan of lamb.)

This jam-swirled recipe is inspired by one from David Lebovitz' cookbook, The Perfect Scoop, that also calls for sour cream. If you're feeling adventurous, serve with a little cracked black pepper on top.
 
Related: Irresistible Ice Cream Recipes

This recipe is fresh and fast—just what you need on a hot summer's night (or any night at all). Wilting the arugula into the warm pasta softens its peppery flavor.

A traditional margarita calls for tequila, orange liqueur and a tart jolt of lime juice (plus a sweetener, if you like). Stop at that—or start playing. Our any-flavor recipe has you covered!