Summer recipes aren’t just something for your mate’s Dad to be the self proclaimed master of. Impress your friends without having to grill a chicken and drink in white New Balances. Summer is for cooking, whether it’s yourself or food is up to you.  

Potato Salad

Ingredients:

800 grams boiled potatoes, cut into cubes

1/3 cup bacon, cooked and sliced

1/3 cup peas and corn (optional)

3 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced (optional)

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon honey (optional, for sweetness)

Method:

Add potatoes, bacon, peas, corn and egg to a large mixing bowl.

Add all potato salad dressing ingredients to a small jar, tightly screw on the lid and shake together. Pour over the potatoes and mix together well.

Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups watermelon, chopped

3 kiwifruit, chopped

2 cups grapes, halved

2 cups strawberries, chopped

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup mango, pitted and diced

2 oranges, sectioned

Dressing (optional):

½ lime juiced

1 tablespoon honey

Method:

Place all fruit salad ingredients in a large bowl.

If using the dressing, mix honey and lime and pour over 

fruit salad. 

Gently toss to combine.

Roast Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

6-8 cups chopped vegetables (kumara, potato, carrot, capsicum and zucchini)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt & pepper

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Dressing:

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

Juice of 1/2 an orange

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Add the chopped vegetables to a large mixing bowl and add the olive oil, oregano, garlic powder and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.

Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well to combine.

Add the roasted vegetables, spinach leaves and feta to a large 

serving bowl. 

Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy.

Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, diced

1 red capsicum, diced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Chicken Marinade:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

3 tablespoon dark soy sauce

3 tablespoon honey

Method:

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.

Place the chicken in a bowl and pour on three quarters of the marinade (saving the rest for brushing on the chicken during cooking). Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

When you’re ready to cook, heat your BBQ until it’s hot.

Thread a piece of chicken onto a skewer, followed by a piece of capsicum, a piece of chicken and a slice of onion. Repeat until you use up all the skewers and chicken. Discard any of the marinade left in the bowl.

Place the skewers on the BBQ and grill until cooked through. Turn 3 to 4 times during cooking, and brush with the reserved marinade half way through cooking. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Prawn and Chorizo Skewers

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

16 medium prawns, peeled, deveined, tails intact

110g chorizo sausage, sliced

Salt and pepper

Lemon wedges, to serve

Method:

Combine mustard, olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Stir in thyme leaves. 

Thread a prawn and slice of chorizo sausage, and repeat until the skewer is full. Season with salt and pepper. 

Heat a little oil on BBQ over medium to high heat. Add the skewers to BBQ and cook through, turning every minute or so. 

Serve with lemon wedges and a drizzle of mustard dressing.

Thai Green Curry Mussels

Ingredients:

1.5 kilograms of mussels

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 medium brown onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 4 tablespoons Thai green curry paste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 can (400ml) coconut milk

Salt & pepper

Lime wedges, for serving

Steamed rice, or toasted bread, for serving

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, or for about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add 2 tablespoons of the curry paste, fish sauce, and brown sugar and cook until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Add the coconut milk, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Taste and add more curry paste as needed.

Add the mussels and cover, stirring the mussels every minute or so, until the mussels are opened. Transfer the mussels to serving bowls, discarding any unopened mussels. Pour the broth over the mussels and serve with lime wedges and bread or rice.

Sangria

Ingredients: 

1 (750ml) bottle of red wine 

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup brandy

1 orange, sliced

1 apple, sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 ½ cup lemonade

Method:

In a large pitcher, mix together wine, orange juice, and brandy. Stir in oranges, apples, blueberries, and strawberries. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve, or approximately 2 hours. Top off with lemonade before serving. 

Kiwi Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ‘Cyclone’ Paddle Pop

2 shots of vodka 

1 cup of cranberry juice

Method:

Using a fork, push the Paddle Pop off its stick and into a blender. 

Add vodka and cranberry juice and blend.

Alternatively, you can simply combine one Paddle Pop to one Long White Raspberry Vodka (330ml) and serve.

Ambrosia

Ingredients:

1 kilogram of your favourite fruit yoghurt

500ml of cream

1 bag (180g) of marshmallows

1 punnet of strawberries

Anything you bloody want – Nexus’ preference is to add chocolate, grated.

Method:

Whip cream till you get soft peaks, then add the yoghurt and mix until it’s well combined. Slice strawberries and cut marshmallows in half. A

dd marshmallows, fruit, and chocolate. Spoon into either a large glass bowl or individual serving bowls.