Easy. Quick. Zero effort. Store cupboard ingredients. Plus a few fresh veg and fruit - summer is the season for them after all - and a sliver of meat or fish, or not. You've guessed - I'm on holiday.
Sunny days and eating out isn't the only thing on hols; you have to take a break from elabrate cooking as well. So let's get into the lazy summer spirit and cook effortlessly and nonchalantly.
First off, and that may not involve any cooking at all if you go for the meatless option, Vietnamese summer rolls. Thin rice skins, no deep frying and everyone rolls their own. Ahem. Well, I'm in Spain.
Oriental mood will stay with us if we put together light and fragrant fish stir fry, Thai style. Or swap the fish for chicken, change a few spices and make chicken chow mein, or pork, or tofu. The meat or non-meat element is totally ad lib.
Asparagus are still going strong even though new Cornish potatoes turned up weirdly large this year. Put them together in this excellent warm salad - with or without the bacon, according to your meat orientation. And since we're on potatoes, you can do much worse than the salmon and potato bake supper: just cook twice as many potatoes for the salad above and that's the following day sorted.
What if you don't want to cook at all? Absolutely fine: pick up a good rotisserie chicken and have it with spring cabbage salad. With lots of dill tossed into it. Or mint. Or both.
And finally, I know that baking is off limits when in holiday mode but sometimes strawberries are just screaming to be put into a dessert. Easy strawberry cake and even easier strawberry cake if you do want to make an effort. And if not - just eat them raw. Happy hols!