5 Nourishing Side Dishes to Make This Summer

As summer starts transitioning to fall, produce is at its best. In this post, I’m sharing 5 simple and nourishing summer sides to enjoy during these late summer days.

With the abundance of vibrant and perfectly ripe produce in August, I tend to get a bit carried away at the farmer’s market and produce section. If you’re looking for some simple and delicious ways to use up the amazing produce this time of year, I’m sharing some great options below.

Mexican Corn Salad — Photo by Sue Bee Homemaker

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Sue Bee Homemaker

After looking through a ton of recipes for corn salad, I landed on this one. It’s easy, a little creamy and a great meal prep side dish because it tastes even better once it sits overnight. I actually used frozen corn in a pinch for this and loved it but grilled corn or corn off the cob would be even better. If you have a Mexican market nearby, they might have a tastier cotija cheese than you’d find in a food store. This would be extra good as a topping on grilled shrimp or chicken tacos too.

Grilled Peach Salad with Prosciutto (and Burrata)

Real Food With Sarah

This is a really simple recipe using ripe peaches, arugula, prosciutto and burrata. It would still be delicious if you don’t have or don’t want to use prosciutto, and you can swap the burrata for a good feta or goat cheese too. I love the simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic.

Asian slow with shredded cabbage and carrots. — Photo by Veggie Society

Asian Peanut Slaw

Veggie Society

I love all the different variations you can do with slaw. This one mixes cabbage, carrot, scallion and cilantro (optional for those who find it tastes like soap) with a sauce of creamy (I might use natural chunky for texture!) peanut butter, soy sauce (or Tamari) and coconut milk + a few more tasty adds ins. For more spice I would add sriracha too. You could make this into a rice bowl by adding rice (Forbidden rice would be great) and a protein like ground chicken, tofu or shrimp.

Greek Salad

Mediterranean Dish

Ripe peppers, tomato, cucumber, olives and red onion tossed with a good creamy feta (I like Organic Valley block feta) is a crunchy and satisfying summer side dish. I once read that a secret to Greek salad is mixing some feta in with the dressing to make it thick and creamy. I’ve tried it and it’s delicious. I made this recently with a shawarma spiced chicken burger and it paired perfectly.

Black bean salad with avocado, chopped peppers, cilantro and red onion. — Photo by The Toasty Kitchen

Avocado Black Bean Salad

The Toasty Kitchen

This bean salad is another great meal prep idea for easy weeknight sides. Canned black beans makes it easier, and letting it sit longer allows the flavors to meld. You can swap the tomatoes for bell pepper if you prefer, or add them to the mix too. It’s best to add the avocado to serve so it doesn’t turn brown.