Healthy Summer Recipes

Summer is a fantastic time for fresh fruit and vegetables, there are so many tasty things to eat this season that it can be a struggle to come up with new and interesting ways to cook, mix and prepare them.

Summer sees all sorts of delicious fresh food ripe and ready for mixing up into new recipes. In summer it's really easy to create healthy recipes that are super enjoyable to eat, as there's so much produce available to use, and fruit and veg are packed full of beneficial vitamins and minerals at this time of year.

Keep things truly simple by having one large salad every day, this will do wonders to cleanse your body of toxins and keep you full of energy and vitality. Experiment with what you put in your salad recipe - try out different ingredients to personalise it to suit your taste buds: radishes, rocket, asparagus, peppers, boiled egg, dill, lettuce, sundried tomatoes, flaked smoked mackerel, cucumber.

Keep healthy by enjoying food sat outside, and with friends. Take time to eat your food, and laugh and share, you'll digest better and slower, taking in more of the nutrients as well as enjoy the experience of eating. This is the secret of the French, Italians and Greeks!

♥ Summer Berry Ice Cream

This recipe is quick and incredibly healthy. It's perfect for summer days when you want a little bit of sweetness, but don't want to binge on sugar loaded dairy...it's great for kids and adults alike, and is easy to adapt.

1. Blend up 2 cups of raw cashews (not salted) in a blender until it produces a fine texture, then 1/2 cup of filtered water and cream together.

2. Add in 2-3 bananas, 1 tbsp fresh ground flax meal (so good for you, and helps with texture) and 1-2 cups fresh summer berries. Add some dried fruit for added texture.

3. Blend together. The consistency should be like a thick milkshake, if not, add more bananas to thicken, or add more filtered water to thin it out.4. Put in an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers instructions, or put in a container, place in the freezer and stir every hour until frozen.

Notes: You can use more bananas and no nuts, if you have a nut allergy. You can use frozen bananas, frozen berries and very little water to create an instant soft scoop ice cream. And feel free to add and edit flavours, try maple/walnut, pear and vanilla, strawberry and mint.

Healthy summer recipes should be simple to create, use as little heat as possible and be jam-packed full of fresh summery flavors. The following recipe is a favorite of many people, as it's convenience and high quality taste make it the perfect summer meal.

♥ Healthy Crab Cakes

Of course the best and most British way of eating crab is to have it spread directly onto wholegrain toast. But, when you're in the mood for something a little more adventurous and flavorful, nothing can beat a good crab cake.

1. Mix 450g crab meat together with 75g breadcrumbs and 65ml milk. Scrunch together and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add 1 beaten egg, 3tbsp mayonnaise (organic preferably), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 finely sliced green salad onions, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.

3. Scrunch together and then form patties with your hands - this should be enough mix for 4 crab cakes.

4. Place in the fridge until you need to use them, or for at least 30minutes to help keep shape whilst cooking.

5. Fry in some olive oil / butter for about 2-4 minutes on each side until browned.6. Serve with lemon wedges on top of crispy salad leaves and next to a big bowl of mango lime chopped salad.

Notes: To change the flavour, substitute mustard and onions for: lemon juice, garlic and cayenne pepper, chives, parsley, diced bell pepper, wasabi paste, soy sauce, and any other delicious ingredients you imagine.

Other fun summer recipe ideas:

- Fruit kebabs: put tasty fresh large diced fruit onto a skewer and garnish with fresh mint leave and a drizzle of yogurt
- Broad bean hummus - boil them and place them in a food processor with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and enjoy!
- Tortellini - the ultimate summer pasta dish, fast, fresh and Mediterranean, with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle of Parmesan
- Fajitas - the best thing to make when you are having a large family gathering, grate some cheese, slice some vegetables and chicken, and enjoy creating your wraps with dollops of guacamole and tomato salsa.