Weekly Meal Plan: What’s In Season In August

I’ve been feeling a little down about fresh produce recently (probably because my vegetable garden is not doing as well as I’d like) but with the arrival of the best tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and corn this August I’m all excited again about getting into the kitchen and cooking with the seasons bounty, starting with these five delicious weeknight-friendly, vegetable-forward dinners perfect for summer nights – and I’ve also included a few barbecue ideas for the upcoming weekend at the bottom of the post!

Monday: Tomato & Aubergine Curry

Aubergines really are at their best at the moment, and whilst this simple yet punchy curry uses tinned tomatoes, in the summer I’m want to switch them out for fresh – usually I don’t mind the skins, but if you wish to remove them from 400g of them to use in this curry simply score a cross in the top of each tomato, place them in a bowl, pour over a kettle of boiling water, and as soon as the water is cool enough to touch the skins, starting from the cross, will peel right off!

Courgette stir fry served over egg noodles.

Tuesday: Chilli Garlic Courgette Stir Fry

This simple, punchy stir fry is my new favourite way to use courgettes this summer. With a tonne of tangy sauce it is great for using up a glut, paired either with simply cooked egg noodles or a mountain of jasmine rice.

Wednesday: Roast Chicken with Honey, Peaches & Thyme

This has to be one of our favourite summer dinners, which also works with nectarines. The juices from both the chicken and the fruit meld together into a stunning pan sauce, perfect for mopping up with crusty bread.

Thursday: Courgette & Lemon Risotto with Burrata

I know grated courgette is more common tossed with pasta, but here it forms the base for a luscious risotto, lifted with basil and lemon, and if you fancy an extra special, it’s almost the end of the week treat, topped with a gooey burrata perfect for breaking and stirring into the risotto for extra creaminess.

Friday: Sardine & Pea Shoot Bruschetta

A little Friday fish, I know simply pan frying butterflied sardines to pile onto bruschetta in the summer when tomatoes and basil are at their juicy best. As you can tell from the picture, a nice chilled Friday night glass of wine is essential with this one!

And finally, as I (fingers crossed) think I’m finally going to have the opportunity to fire up the barbecue tomorrow, a few recipes you too can get grilling with over the weekend: Barbecue Steak Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce, Barbecue Pineapple with Rum, Chilli & Coriander, Roasted Nectarines with Amaretto, Barbecue Turmeric Chicken Thighs, Herby Lemon Garlic Barbecue Prawns, Skinny Sticky Barbecue Chicken, Barbecue Chicken, Bacon & Honey Mustard Skewers.

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