2 If you must eat a hot meal, make it a simple one.
The less time you have to stand sweating over a hot stove, the better. If you’re going to be sautéing vegetables, for instance, cut the veggies up into small chunks, because they’ll cook faster. Roast your peppers and other veggies at night, when it’s cooler, then use them with pastas, rice, or omelettes/frittatas during the rest of the week. And since roasting requires little attention (you just need to turn them once, then check on them near the end of the expected cooking time), you can get out of the kitchen while they’re cooking, to escape from that oppressive heat that will no doubt be generated by the oven.

3 Alternatively, grill!
There are many reasons to love grilling in summer. It lets you get outside to enjoy the sunshine and breezes. It produces healthy, flavorful food. And it’s a very easy technique to master. But the number one reason I love the grill: it’s the only time my boyfriend perks up at the idea of doing the actual cooking … which means I get to sit back, watch and relax while he tends over the fire. If you grew up associating barbecues with burgers, steaks, hot dogs and other meaty meals, you might be surprised to learn that there are plenty of tasty vegetarian grill options. Brush a big portabello mushroom with an olive oil-garlic mixture – top it with the usual burger condiments and accoutrements (cheese, pickles, onions, lettuce) and sandwich it in a sesame seed bun. Grill corn on the cob, make veggie kebabs, even fruit kebabs (pineapples taste terrific grilled) … have fun exploring the possibilities.

4 Take advantage of the plethora of wonderful fruits and veggies that are available during the summer months.
The fresher and higher in quality the ingredients are, the less you need to do to them to render them flavorful enough for a meal. Summer is a great time of year for finding high-quality fruits and veggies at dirt-cheap prices. Vegetables that are in season in summer include: eggplant, tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, corn, summer squash/zucchini, and herbs such as basil, dill and thyme.