I can’t believe it’s September already. Where did the summer go?! Even though I’m ready to move on to the next season here in New England, I know that I’m going to miss all of the delicious summer-inspired foods that I’ve been enjoying over the past few months.
With autumn on its way, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorite summertime recipes! 
Pasta Salad
Zucchini Ribbon Lasagna
Homemade Hummus
Quinoa Salad
Rotel Dip
Creamy Barley Salad With Apples
Peanut Butter & Banana Soft Serve
Trading Up Downtown Giveaway
I don’t know about you, but summer means ice cream to me! I rarely eat it in the colder months, but when it’s hot and humid outside, it’s ALL I want to eat! It’s just so delicious!
So, in honor of the final days of summer, I’m hosting an ice cream-inspired giveaway. If you’re curious about how your favorite flavors score on the NuVal scale, check out my previous post to see if yours made the list.
Here’s what you’ll win!
An adorable ice cream dish, a scooper, and a set of four brightly-colored place mats. Perfect for the end of summer, right?
To enter: Just leave a comment on this post about your favorite summertime recipe. I’ll randomly pick a winner on Tuesday morning. Good luck!
Developed by an independent panel of nutrition and medical experts, the 
Two hours before lunch and now I’m starving after looking through these tasty recipes. I think my favorite will be Peanut Butter & Banana soft serve.
I love roasted garden veggies, especially zucchini green beans. I’m sad to see them go
However bring on the pumpkins!
I will miss my roma tomatoes and fresh basil from my garden… I think we have bruschetta at least once a week during the summer…
I will miss summer burgers and fresh corn on the cob. This summer I made Iowa Girls brushetta burgers and they were sooooooo summery and sooooooo amazing.
I love that banana soft serve … but my all-time favorite summer recipe would have to be my Mom’s potato salad. (Not healthy, loaded as it is with Miracle Whip, but delicious.)
I also LOVE corn on the cob, but there’s no recipe involved with that.
Avocado tomato salsa is phenomenal!
That’s easy–salmon on the grill with a raspberry-mustard glaze. The easiest and best summer dinner!
Favorite summertime recipe is all the ice cream I churned up this Summer! Can’t really do that in a dorm :-/
I would have to say my Cotija Grilled Potato Salad is my current summer favorite (recipe: http://sweetersalt.com/2010/08/03/cotija-grilled-potato-salad/). I’ll be making it for a Labor Day party this weekend!
Laura
Oh my goodness!! Well my favorite summer time recipe is my mothers Watergate Salad.. YUM
Favorite of the summer would have to be grilled peaches. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bbq-with-bobby-flay/cinnamon-grilled-peaches-recipe/index.html) Yum!
My favorite summertime recipe is super simple tomato soup. just cut up fresh tomatoes, simmer for about 10 minutes, and add a little Italian dressing. Very good and quick!
[...] I’m hosting an end of the summer giveaway on Trading Up Downtown [...]
Panzanella salad and fresh cherries. Oh how I will miss cherries!
My favorite summertime recipe is a simple caprese salad…heirloom tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella with a bit of EVOO and Balsamic drizzled on the top. YUM!
Chocolate covered frozen bananas – simple and delicious!
my favorite summer recipe is strawberry short cake!
I love making cold salads in the summer, and eating a nice fresh grilled salmon, that’s been chilled.
My favorite summer recipe is a quinoa salad with quinoa, black beans, avocado, sweet potatoes, lime, cumin, and cilantro. Light, fresh, and delicious!
I love strawberry salad in the summer!
I love orzo, spincah salad with cherry tomatoes and feta!
Summer fruit is what I will miss the most – particularly strawberries
I have got to go with the fruit (berry) salad. There is nothing better then really fresh strawberries, rasberries, blueberrys, and kiwi (ok not a berry) mixed together.
Definitely miss the fresh fruit in the winter.
For summer I love anything on the grill with a nice pasta salad on the side!
I made a summer salad recipe recipe, based off one I found on Lia Cucina’s blog (Summer Chopped Salad) and I loved it!
My favorite summertime snack is a BLT! When the tomatoes are so fresh and there is a ton of basil growing in my flower pots right outside it’s simply the best.
using fresh basil from my lil herb garden as a layer on sandwiches, thrown in salads, or to make homemade pesto is one of my favorite summertime treats!
My favorite non-dessert summer time recipe is SUPER SIMPLE:
2 garden fresh tomatoes
2 garden fresh cucumbers
Slice veggies into wedges. Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper. Enjoy!
I can’t get enough!
Tabbouleh is my favorite summertime recipe:)
My favorite summer recipe is Caprese paninis with fresh basil and tomatoes. Fantastic!
My most favorite summer time recipe would have to be roasted summer veggies (such as squash, zucchnni, mushrooms, and carrots). Throw on a little olive oil and some coarse sea salt and you’ll be eating veggies in no time! And then you don’t feel bad about eating that ice cream!
I doubt this counts as a “recipe” exactly, but I will miss perfect garden grown tomatoes that I love to eat just as they are!
Any kind of fruit salad is my favorite. A real recipe would probably have to be eggplant or zucchini manicotti using the eggplant/zucchini in the place of the pasta and stuffing it with yummy things like ground turkey, ricotta, and basil..yummm
sour cream+sugar+strawberriew, all mixed with a fork, very delicious!
My favorite summertime recipe this year has been my peach, tomato, avocado and red onion salad with a lemon-agave dressing. I absolutely love it!
My favorite summertime food are TOMATOES!!
Lemon-y orzo salad with tomatoes, cucumber and feta!
Too cute! I made a lot of banana soft serve this summer, adding a big scoop of PB for extra breakfast boost.
Grilled veggies on the grill with olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley thrown on at the end. Simple, delicious and healthy!
I love eating my homegrown tomatoes and basil! Its such a delicious combination!
Every August my family makes a few batches of home-made vanilla ice cream in an old-fashioned ice cream maker. It is a perfect treat for a hot August afternoon!
My favorite summertime recipe is Quinoa with fresh veggies from my garden.
I love grilled veggie kabobs! Of course, it’s always followed by grilled peaches and strawberries with some vanilla ice cream…so delicious!
Red wine with lots of fresh fruit! Super delicious!
My two favorite things in summer are fresh corn and homegrown tomatoes. Mix the two together and you have the perfect simple summer salad!
Fresh peaches, strawberries, and plums from the farmer’s market. Oh my gosh, so amazingly sweet!
Gosh. The produce! We get slim picken’s around here in the winter…. apples and more apples.. all.. winter… long. Fresh green beans and corn on the cob! Plus berries.I get the sads just thinking about it…
Cute ice cream dish though!
Well, I live in Florida, so thankfully, summer last a long time here. Sometimes, summer lasts all winter! Hahaha! I definitely miss CHERRIES when they go out of season!!!
I love giant fruit bowls topped with banana soft serve. Fruity goodness
Fresh fruit and veggies from the farmers market!
Fruit cobblers using fresh summer fruits like blueberries with a nice scoop of ice cream!!
Hi Tina! My favorite summer recipe is quite simple, but SO good:
1 mango, chopped
1/2 small red onion, sliced
2 ears fresh, cooked corn, kernels cut off
Handful of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 orange, 1 lime
S&P to taste
Mix and enjoy!!!!
I like quinoa and veggie salad!
I love to make a fruit salad with all the fresh fruits we have here in NC. Layer up all the different fruits, apples, grapes, Kiwi and whatever you have and sprinkle with fresh orange juice then dig in.
I created a great salad using Morningstar’s Tomato and Basil burgers (their “pizza” burger) on a bed of kale with some sliced cherry tomatoes, a sprinkling of tiny mozzarella balls sliced in thirds, a drizzle of olive oil and basalmic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Favorite meal so far! I could eat it every night – it’s that good!
Tomato sandwiches – all the way! And, my father used to eat fresh green beans with uncooked sliced tomatoes and a little slice of raw onion chopped in. It speaks to me!
I love grilling kabobs during the summer!
Fresh tomato salad with cucumber, red onion, basil, olive oil and vinegar. Simple but so good.
My favourite recipe this summer is apple-butternut squash soup! I’ve made it enough to tweak it to my liking, and it’s absolutely delicious! I guess it’s more of a hearty winter food, but I discovered it in the summer, soooooo I’m declaring it as my fave summer recipe
I absolutely love a simple heirloom tomato salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar on a bed of greens like spinach!
A fruit salad would be fabulous — full of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, and mango!
potato salad!
I love the abundance of fresh veggies growing in the garden. Anything “salad” is for me.
All of the summer fruit! I’ve also eaten frozen yogurt nearly every day this summer…yum!
My favorite summertime recipe is a meal made entirely on the grill…salmon, asparagus, peppers, onions, etc. The smell of grilled vegetables means summertime to me!
We love grilling corn on the cob! It’s so sweet and delicious on the grill.
Smoothies are my summertime favorite. Nothing better on a hot day than cooling down with a smoothie. They’re so versatile, it’s pretty difficult to get sick of them.
Its not so much a recipe, but grilling reminds me so much of summer. Give me some grilled veggies and corn on the cob and I’m a happy (summer) camper
I love burgers and corn on the cob on the grill! actually…anything on the rill!
My summertime fave is home grown tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and basil…yummy!
My favorite summertime recipe is chicken and veggie skewers on the grill!
not so much a recipe as an “enhanced food”…watermelon with salt & pepper!
I make a really yummy (and healthy) summer salad with corn, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, peppers and whatever else happens to be in my fridge at the time, and make a light lime vinaigrette for it — hits the spot all summer long!
chickpea salad…also grilled corn
Homemade ice cream, mix made by my grandma, hand cranking done by the entire family =)
My favorite summertime recipe is a simple salad of spinach, tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese with a balsamic dressing!
Summer is so great for fresh veggies from the farmers market. that being said, I made a LOT of roasted veggies and tossed it with fresh coconut milk and yogurt mixed with curry powder. Add a touch of toasted coconut, dried cranberries, and a squirt of maple syrup! YUMM!
I’d have to say that right now I’m loving overnight oats instead of my normal hot oatmeal. I use old fashioned oats, kefir, greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chia. Just let it set overnight in the fridge and you have a wonderful, refreshing breakfast for these hot summer mornings.
My favorite summer time recipe is using fresh basil and tomatoes from my garden and making homemade cheese. Then making salads and pizza with them as long as I can.. yum!!!
My fav is my homemade fresh fruit slushie:
Frozen melon, peaches and bluberries with a squeeze or 2 of lemon. No need for sugar. It is a very refeshing drink on a hot day.
My favorite summer dishes are fruit salads and caprese salad (there’s nothing like a tomato straight out of the garden! Yum!
i love gazpacho!!
watermelon! i could eat a whole one in a single sitting!
loveee smoothies!
My favorite summertime recipes are banana soft serve, smoothies, and green monsters. But you gotta love the ice cream too!
Great giveaway!
Cold weather = veggie-roasting weather, but summer has reunited me with salads! A pile of spinach with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, dried cherries, and cashews!
I LOVE oatmeal with fresh peaches and I make a delicious low-fat brownie trifle with fresh strawberries!
It isn’t really a recipe but I love a BLT made with a homegrown tomato. Simple ingredients, but sooo good.
My favorite summer recipe this past summer was grilled corn on the cob until slightly charred, then rolled in a dish of fresh lime juice and lightly salted. It is perfecto!
My favorite summer recipes have to be the ones my mom makes for cook outs. I think my favorite has to be her mandarin orange, pineapple, marshmallow, jell-o, and cool whip salad!! It tastes delish and it might not be the healthiest, but it is great in moderation!!
Grilled shrimp and a light summer salad. Yum!
I just love all the veggies of summer! we make fun stir fries in the summer
My favorite summertime recipe – easy….homemade popsicles – My youngest picks the flavor and helps make them – maybe that’s why they’re my favorite. Rootbeer flavor has been the best so far
My favorite recipe this summer is Mediterranean Pasta Salad that I first discovered at a family reunion in the beginning of August
http://keukalace.blogspot.com/2010/08/food-therapy.html
My favorite recipe is squash croquettes or anything with fresh corn in it. I wait all year to make these recipes because they taste best with produce straight from our garden!
I love cold foods in the summer, so I’m a big fan of salads: pasta salad, fruit salad, broccoli salad. Yum!
Anything with tomatoes!!
Tomato mozzarella basil on a fresh baguette and lemonade made with fresh lemons
I’ll miss the fresh berries for cobblers, but excited about the apples and pears that replace them!
Sundried tomato grilled chicken! The smokiness from the grill is the key to any summertime meal!
My favorite recipe to make in the summer is marinated grilled chicken with veggies. Yes, I can grill in the winter, but it’s so much more fun to grill in the heat with a nice, cold beer!
Veggies on the (outdoor) grill. Yum!
Nothing says summer to me more than just plain ol’ grilled corn. I love it!
overnight oats!!! with frozen banana “ice cream” YUMMY!
My favorite summer recipe is my mom’s yummy spaghetti with lots of grilled vegetables and her homemade spaghetti sauce. Oh, and of course homemade Ice cream!!!!
Favorite Summer Recipe? Any smoothie I can create and eat outside on my porch!!!
One of my favs is carrot salad, very refreshing!
YUM all those recipes look delicious. I think my favorite summer recipe I learned was the green monster!
I will miss sno cones stuffed with soft serve!