It’s summertime! The season of barbecues, swimming, vacations, mesmerizing sunsets, boat rides and lounging at the beach. If you’re anything like me, you try to spend as much time as possible outdoors during these spectacular warmer months.

The last place that most of us want to be when it is so beautiful outside is slogging away in our kitchens preparing complicated dinners. Summer dinner prep should be simple and require minimum fuss. Some of my favorite dinners to prepare during the warmer months require almost no thought and just a few easy steps.

While I confess that most of my favorite recipes for the summer months require the use of an outdoor grill, I also have a few tasty and simple “indoor” recipes for days that we need a break from the grill.

Today, I am sharing one of my recent favorite concoctions: Chipotle Chicken Meatballs with Crunch paired with an Easy Asian Salad. These two recipes are a perfect pairing of spicy and slightly sweet. The food is incredibly quick to make, super healthy and scrumptious! Best yet, the recipes take practically no time at all to prepare – so you can get yourself back outside to enjoy the glorious warm weather!

Chipotle Chicken Meatballs With Crunch

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, Paleo and Low-FODMAP diet friendly.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need:

• Large mixing bowl
• Measuring cup and measuring spoons
• Chopper or knife (if not buying pre-chopped celery)
• Baking dish

Ingredients:

• 1 package of ground chicken (14 oz. – 20 oz.)
• 1 cup of chopped celery or red peppers (If you are following a strict Low FODMAP diet, use the red peppers instead of celery. Feel free to substitute with onions if you are not following a Low-FODMAP diet)
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons of ground chipotle seasoning (feel free to substitute chipotle for any other spicy seasonings in your pantry) Note: I like my food moderately spicy; use less or more depending on your tolerance for spiciness.
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Oil to coat the baking dish and 2 tablespoons to sprinkle over the meatballs

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with the oil of your choice (I typically use avocado oil but check out this article for some other ideas: The Best Oils for High Heat Cooking).
3. Add the ground chicken to the large mixing bowl.
4. Pour in the 1 cup of chopped celery. (To save time, I buy pre-chopped celery at the store but you can also use a food chopper or knife to finely chop the celery.)
5. Add the cinnamon, chipotle seasoning, black pepper and salt.
6. Mix all of the ingredients with your hands.
7. Form meatballs and place them in the coated baking dish. (The recipe makes 12-15 medium to large meatballs.)
8. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the meatballs. (For extra zing, sprinkle a little extra chipotle seasoning over the meatballs.)
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Remove and serve … and pair it with Easy Asian Salad below.

If you are someone who is obsessed with grilling just about everything during the summer months, do not fear; instead of forming meatballs, you could always make chicken patties with this recipe and pop them on the grill!

Easy Asian Salad

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, Paleo and Low-FODMAP diet friendly.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need:

• Salad Bowl
• Measuring Cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag/container of mixed greens (organic preferred) Note: If you are cooking for 3 or more, double this recipe.
• 1/4 cup of mandarin oranges (in water not syrup)
• 1/4 cup of blanched slivered blanched almonds (purchase a bag with no added ingredients or salt; if you can’t find a bag at your regular grocery store, they also sell these online at retailers like amazon.com.)
• 1/4 cup of chopped celery (use red peppers instead if you are following a strict Low FODMAPS diet)
• (If you are not on a Low-FODMAP diet, add 1/4 cup of green or white onions)
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• Healthy salad dressing of your choice (I use olive oil and fresh lemon)

Instructions:

1. Empty 1/2 bag or container of mixed greens in a salad bowl.
2. Add the chopped celery and slivered blanched almonds to the bowl.
3. Mix the salad
4. Sprinkle the black pepper over the salad
5. Drain the water from the can of mandarin oranges. Add the oranges to the top of the salad.
6. Dress conservatively with the dressing of your choice.

Enjoy!