Colourful collage of summer food and drink items. The upper portion includes a close-up of a vibrant mixed salad with diced vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and green onions. Below, there are grilled shrimp skewers with bell peppers and red onions, and a glass of orange-colored drink garnished with a pineapple slice and a piece of lime. The image has a gradient background transitioning from light blue to yellow. On the left side, there is a smiling face emoji with star eyes, and below the i

Summer recipes to smash this season

By NCS

When summer finally arrives (because y’know, we’re still waiting for it to be consistent!), the last thing we all want to be doing is hanging out in a hot kitchen over hot pots and pans waiting for our food to be ready. Summer calls for refreshing, simple, and delicious food, preferably made quickly - even better if it can be made outside on a barbecue! So settle in and take a look at some of our favourite summer recipes, give them a try and don’t forget to tag us with the end result on our Insta @NCS!

8 min read

Drink it up, summer recipes 101

Let’s get things started with a couple of different sips. We’ve got a sunshine smoothie and a tropical breeze punch. Oof, get a palm tree and a deck chair and that’s near enough perfection!

Sunshine smoothie

What you’ll need:

  • A blender
  • 1 cup frozen mango chunks
  • 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt (optional, for creaminess)
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk or water
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (optional, for sweetness)
  • Ice cubes (optional, for extra chill)
A tall glass filled with freshly squeezed orange juice, garnished with a sprig of mint on top.


How to make it:
This one is super simple… just chuck everything into the blender and whizz it up! If you want your smoothie extra cold, toss in a few ice cubes to the mix too. Blend it all together until smooth and creamy. If it’s looking too thick, pour in a little more orange juice or coconut milk until it’s how you like it. Then pour into a glass and serve. If you want to make it extra fancy, why not garnish with a slice of fresh orange, or sprinkle some shredded coconut on top.

Tropical breeze punch

What you’ll need:

  • A large pitcher or punch bowl (could even be a mixing bowl!)
  • 2 cups pineapple juice
  • 2 cups orange juice
  • 1 cup mango juice
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup grenadine syrup
  • 2 cups ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
  • Slices of pineapple, oranges, and/or limes for garnish
  • Ice cubes
A row of six mason jars filled with fruit-infused water sitting on a table. Each jar contains a variety of fresh fruit slices including watermelon, lime, lemon, orange, and strawberries and mint leaves. There is a straw in each drink.


How to make it:
Another super simple recipe! Pour the pineapple, orange, mango, and lime juice and grenadine syrup in your pitcher/bowl. Stir it all together and then pop it in the fridge for at least an hour. Just before you serve it, add the ginger ale/lemon-lime soda and stir gently to combine. You can add ice cubes to the punch itself or to your glasses, pour and serve! To garnish, why not try chunks of pineapple, fresh orange slices, or lime wedges. 

Chomp chomp chomp on summer salad recipes and more

Time for some mains! Get your taste buds ready for a delicious rainbow quinoa salad, delectable cajun shrimp kebabs, and quick and easy veggie wraps. Fire up the BBQ, and get going!

Rainbow quinoa salad

What you’ll need:
For the salad:

  • 170g uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 150g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 140g cucumber, diced
  • 1 bell pepper (any colour), diced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • Big pinch of fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
  • 70g toasted pine nuts or almonds (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Two bowls filled with vibrant vegetable and rice dishes are placed on a light-colored surface. Each bowl contains a mix of rice, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado slices, diced tomatoes, leafy greens, and lime wedges, garnished with fresh cilantro.


How to make it:
Firstly, it’s time to make the quinoa. Rinse it under cold water and drain well. Then pop it in a saucepan over a medium heat, with your veg broth or water. Bring it to a boil and then down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes until the quinoa is cooked and the liquid reduced. Leave to cool completely. (If this all seems too much, you can always buy a couple of packet of pre-cooked quinoa and use that instead!)

Once cool, chuck the quinoa in a large mixing bowl with your tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, coriander/parsley, and nuts if you’re using them. And give it all a good toss. Then it’s time for the dressing. And this is really easy…just whisk everything together!

Pour your dressing over the salad and mix it together well. Give it a taste and adjust your seasoning to taste. You might want to add some more salt, pepper, or lemon juice. You can eat this straight away, or chill in the fridge for 30mins or so before tucking in. 

Cajun Prawn Kebabs 

What you’ll need (to make six kebabs):

  • Wooden or metal skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking)
  • 500g large prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 1 bell pepper, 1 red onion, (or any veg you like really!) chopped into big chunks
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:
Time to season your prawns! Put your prawns, cajun seasoning, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl, and mix well so all the prawns get coated evenly. Then stick your bowl in the fridge for at least 30mins. While the prawns marinate, get your BBQ going! Alternatively, you can do this with the grill in your oven, just set it to a medium-high heat.

After 30 mins of marinating time, take the prawns out and get assembling. Thread a prawn, then a veg chunk/tomato, then a prawn, then a veg chunk etc, until you’ve got a nice full skewer. Make sure to leave some room to hold it though!

Then it’s time to “shove another shrimp on the barbie, mate!”. Place the kebabs directly on the barbecue grill, or on your oven shelf underneath the grill (with a baking tray on a shelf underneath to catch any drips). Grill for about three minutes a side, or until the prawns are nice and pink, and the veg is tender and lightly charred. Take the kebabs off the grill, and serve on a big plate, with fresh coriander/parsley sprinkled on top. 

Veggie wraps

What you’ll need (to make four wraps):

  • 4 large tortillas (flour, whole wheat, gluten free…it’s up to you!)
  • A pot of houmous
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • ½ cucumber, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • ¼ red cabbage, grated
  • Big handful of fresh spinach or lettuce leaves, chopped
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • And/or any other veggies you enjoy eating, chopped!
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
A person holding a vegetable wrap cut in half, showing the colourful and fresh ingredients inside. The sandwich is filled with lettuce, rice, red beans, diced vegetables, and topped with a generous amount of orange sauce


How to make it:
First up, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper to make an easy dressing. Then, chuck all your veggies in a big bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top, and mix together well. 

Put a wrap on a plate, and put a good dollop of houmous in the middle. Spread it out, leaving a border around the edge. Then, put an even portion of your veg mix on the top and tightly wrap the tortilla, folding in the sides so nothing pops out! Eat whole, or cut in half, it’s up to you!

Get a little sweet with summer dessert recipes

Top off your feast with a summery sweet treat…or two! Make room for chocolate dipped fruits and coconut lime popsicles. A match made in sunshine heaven!

Chocolate dipped fruit

What you’ll need:

  • A collection of fruit (strawberries, bananas, pineapple chunks, grapes, etc.)
  • Dark, milk, or white chocolate chips or chocolate bars, chopped
  • Optional toppings (chopped nuts, shredded coconut, sprinkles, etc.)
Two ripe strawberries are dipped in melted chocolate, the chocolate coating is dripping down and forming small pools at their base.


How to make it:
First up, wash and dry your fruit of choice. Make sure whatever you’re using is fully dry, as any moisture can cause the chocolate coating to seize and you don’t want that!

Next up, melt your chocolate. You can do this in 30 second intervals in a microwave, stirring in between. Alternatively, you can heat a small amount of water in a saucepan, and place the chocolate in a bowl on top. Just make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and no water can escape out the sides of the saucepan. Heat until chocolate is fully melted. 

Then, line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper. Take your bowl of chocolate and carefully dip each piece of fruit into it, using a fork or a toothpick and make sure it gets even coated. Let any excess choc drip off, and then place the fruit on the baking tray.

If you want extra toppings, sprinkle them on immediately. Then it’s time to put the fruits in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set, for at least 15 minutes. And then, enjoy!

Coconut lime popsicles

What you’ll need:

  • Ice lolly moulds
  • 1 can (400ml) full-fat coconut milk
  • 125ml coconut cream
  • 2 limes, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup (adjust to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Three green ice lollies are lying on top of a bed of ice cubes, surrounded by slices of yellow lemon and fresh mint leaves.


How to make it:
Easy and delicious! In a bowl, mix together the coconut milk, coconut cream, lime zest and juice, honey/maple syrup and vanilla, until well combined. Give it a quick taste test and make any adjustments, by adding more honey/maple syrup if needed. 

Then, pour the mixture evenly into ice lolly moulds, leaving a little space at the top for when they freeze. Put sticks into the mixture, and then pop them in the freeze for at least six hours, but ideally overnight, until fully set. Then unpop them and eat!

Got the cooking bug and want to learn even more life skills? Sign up to an NCS experience today - either away from home, in your local community, or online! Check out our experiences here. 

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