20 Recipes for the Perfect Summer-to-Fall Transition

Celebrate the change of seasons with 20 easy summer-to-fall transition recipes! From fresh salads and grilled favorites to cozy slow cooker dinners, these meals make weeknight cooking simple and delicious as the weather cools.

20 Recipes for the Perfect Summer-to-Fall Transition

Do you find that as the days grow shorter and evenings begin to cool, our cravings shift?  I still love the bright flavors of summer produce, but all of a sudden warm, cozy dishes are starting to sound irresistible. This round-up brings you the best of both worlds — easy dinners, quick meals, and comforting bites that make the seasonal shift seamless.

   Fresh & Bright (Still Summer at Heart)   

1.  Late Summer Fig Salad with Cucumbers & Feta

Sweet figs and crisp cucumbers tossed with salty feta — fresh, simple, and seasonal perfection.

2.  Summer Entertaining: Corn and Stone Fruit Salad

Sweet corn and juicy peaches/plums keep things light, but it pairs beautifully with grilled chicken or fish for dinner.

3.  Summer Stone Fruit Salad with Two Dressings to Love

Vibrant, juicy fruit that can be dressed light for warm days or richer as evenings cool.

4.  Creamy Summer Labneh with Peaches, Pistachios & Prosciutto

A mezze-style plate that’s fresh and elegant — serve with flatbread and salad for an effortless dinner.

5.  Orzo Black Bean Salad

A hearty salad that can hold its own as a meal — great warm or chilled, so it fits whatever the weather brings.

6.  Pesto Cucumber Wraps

No-cook, crisp, and refreshing, but hearty enough when paired with soup or roasted veggies.

   Quick & Easy Dinners   

7. Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

A 20-minute skillet dinner that adapts to whatever veggies are in your crisper — light or hearty, your choice.

8.  Presto Pesto Panko Chicken with Green Salad & Roasted Potatoes

Crunchy, herby chicken baked on a sheet pan — with salad for freshness and potatoes for comfort.

9.  Italian Layered Picnic Sandwich 

Sandwich night done right! Perfect when you want something satisfying without a lot of cooking.

10.  Mojito Chicken Bowls
A tropical twist that still feels filling and balanced — rice, greens, and fruit all in one easy bowl.

       Grilled but Cozy        

11.  Grilled London Broil with Grilled Nectarine, Corn, Tomato, & Burrata Salad

Summer’s last grilling hurrah, paired with fruit and cheese for a sweet-savory balance.

12.  Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Mediterranean Rice

Juicy grilled chicken with a tangy glaze, served with a hearty rice dish — light enough for warm days but warming enough for cooler nights.

13.  The Ultimate Summer Steak Salad with Zesty Avocado Chimichurri

A filling steak salad that doesn’t weigh you down — greens, protein, and a creamy avocado kick.

14.  Help-Yourself Greek Feast Platter

Mezze spreads are perfect transition meals — keep them light with veggies or heartier with grilled meats.

   Cozy & Comforting (Hello Fall)   

15.  Leftovers Transformed: Pearl Couscous Risotto with Chicken & Greens

Creamy, cozy, but lighter than traditional risotto — great for using up what’s on hand.

16.  Rustic Tomato Galette with Gruyere & Thyme

When tomatoes are still plentiful but you’re craving a warm bake, this rustic galette is the answer.

17.  Dump & Go Slow Cooker Chicken & Gravy

Effortless comfort — just set it and forget it. Perfect for busy back-to-school nights. 

18.  Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken with Bok Choy

Bold flavor, simple prep, and it can be served over rice or noodles — warm yet fresh.

19.  Spicy Beef & Macaroni Tomato Soup

Hearty enough for cool nights but tomato-bright enough to still feel summery.

20.  Golden Croissant French Toast with Honeyed Ricotta & Bananas

Brunch meets comfort — indulgent, cozy, but still bright with fruit. A lovely weekend transition treat.

No matter the weather, these recipes have you covered—bright for warm days, cozy for cool nights.

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Fresh Start: Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

A breakfast or brunch plate filled with protein and nutrient rich items.  It's healthy eating without restricted dieting!

Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

Are you one of those people that like a fresh, healthy start to the New Year!  While we try to eat healthy most of the time we always make an effort to get back on track after all the holiday indulgences!  Today's post is not a recipe but an inspiration on a healthy way to build your breakfast or brunch plate.  

Breakfast doesn't have to be filled with sweet pastry, pancakes, or waffle items.  Salad or veggies for breakfast? Of course! This plate is filled with protein, healthy fats, and nutrients.  Hopefully this will inspire you to change up your breakfast routine to include some different items.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need to re-create this?

• Eggs - make them scrambled, poached, or fried.  Good source of proteins, unsaturated fats, and vitamins.  My scrambles are here and here.

• Avocado - ripe sliced avocado provides healthy fats, vitamins, and potassium.

• Grapes - great source of vitamins, potassium, and antioxidants.

• Bananas - great source of potassium, fiber, and antioxidants. 

• Whole Wheat bread - great source for fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.  Can help in lowering cholesterol.

• Greek yogurt cream cheese - provides more protein and half the fat of regular cream cheese.

• Cucumber - filled with water for hydration, fiber, and vitamins.

• Tomatoes - great source of antioxidants and vitamins.

• Olive oil - rich in healthy fats

• Red Wine Vinegar - lowers blood sugars, nutrients, iron, vitamins.

Substitutions and Variations

• Whole wheat bagel topped with cream cheese and lox.

• Any type of fruit

• Avocado toast

• An omelet with vegetables mixed in.

• Have a side salad with a mix of vegetables along with your eggs.

• Hard boiled eggs.

• Add cheese cubes to the dish.

• Add a mix of nuts and dried fruit.

• Grilled asparagus and tomatoes.

• Slices of deli ham or turkey.

• Add greek salad with feta.

• Marinated or roasted chickpeas.

• Vegetable fritters - any type.

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Healthy Breakfast or Brunch Plate

To a plate add scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, toasted whole wheat bread that has been spread with Greek yogurt cream cheese and topped with sliced bananas.  Add a cluster of grapes, and a healthy serving of chopped cucumbers and cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Spring Fling: Melon Salad

My Melon Salad is a trio of luscious sweet melons laced with a lime honey mixture and topped with mint.  This is a salad that is perfect all Spring and Summer long!

Melon Salad

Everyone needs a simple yet scrumptiously delicious fruit salad in their arsenal.  This melon salad is just that and more.  Made with readily available cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon, this salad is dressed up with a petite dainty cut, and a jazzed up mint, honey, lime topping.

The small dice of the fruit makes this the perfect salad to serve for Mother's Day, a bridal shower, graduation party, a romantic picnic, brunch or summer party.  The taste is one everyone will enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• watermelon
• cantaloupe
• honeydew melon
• fresh limes
• honey
• orange champagne vinegar or champagne vinegar
• fresh mint

Substitutions and Variations

• Change the serving size by cutting the measurement in 1/2 for a 3 person portion or doubling for 12 people. 

• Leave out the mint if you don't prefer it.

• Use a melon baller tool to create pretty round melon balls.

• Leave the melons on a bite size or larger scale  

• Use other combinations of melon such as Snow Leopard, Sugar Kiss, Kiss Limon, there are a lot of summer varieties that will all work well.

• Use white wine vinegar if you don't have champagne vinegar

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Plan ahead as this salad will need to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend.

• For a shortcut, buy pre-cut melon and slice them into bite sized pieces or melon balls- you will need to adjust the lime honey mixture accordingly to the amount of melon.

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Melon Salad

Serves 6

1 mini seedless watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 honeydew melon
zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped

Peel and de-seed all three melons.  Chop the melons in to petite cubes, about 1/2".  Place melons in a large bowl and combine.

In a small bowl, which together the lime zest, lime juice, honey, and vinegar.  Whisk together until the honey dissolves.  Pour the mixture over the melon.  Add chopped mint and stir until it is all combined well and covered with the lime/honey mixture.  

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring once.  Serve in a large bowl or individual glasses/cups.

Winter Wonders: Winter Citrus Salad with Cinnamon Honey Drizzle

A variety of oranges, simply sliced, and drizzled with a decadent cinnamon honey will leave you wanting more of this easy Winter Citrus Salad!

Winter Citrus Salad with Cinnamon Honey Drizzle

I tend to gravitate toward the bounty of citrus that is available during winter.  We own a Cara Cara orange tree, a tangerine tree, and a kumquat tree and we can't wait until winter when they produce their delicious fruit.  It's only fitting that we utilize the abundance of fruit every way we can .  So when I saw this recipe over on SimpleBites.net I knew I had to make a version of this wonderful Winter Citrus Salad with Cinnamon Honey Drizzle.  

This dish is made with 3 different types of oranges, that are peeled and sliced, then drizzled with a cinnamon honey over the top.  Are you planning your Christmas meals yet?  This is a fabulous salad to serve for your Christmas breakfast or brunch.  It would also be a great dish at lunch as well.  The bright flavors really shine, and it is full of good for you ingredients and nutrients!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Cara Cara Oranges
• blood oranges
• navel oranges
• tangerines
• honey
• cinnamon

Substitutions and Variations

• Switch up the variety or oranges.  Clementines and tangelos will add a different dimension.

• Add in pink or yellow grapefruit if you like.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Here's the easiest way to cut orange slices

• Try to use seedless oranges

• Great side dish for breakfast brunch or lunch

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Winter Citrus Salad with Cinnamon Honey Drizzle

serves 3-4

2 Cara Cara oranges
1 blood orange
1 navel orange
2 tangerines

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

splash of water

Trim the ends from the oranges.  Cut off the peel starting from the top going down along the side to the bottom.  You want to cut as closely to the peel as possible so you don't cut away all the fruit.  Lay the fruit on it's side and slice the oranges into rounds about 1/4" thick.  For the tangerines, peel off the skins and try to remove as much of the with membrane as possible.  Separate into sections.   Note:  I used seedless varieties.  If your have seed try and remove them after slicing. 

Arrange the oranges on a platter overlapping.  Top with the tangerine segments.  In a small bowl add the honey, cinnamon, and a tiny splash of water.  Whisk to combine.  If the mixture is too thick to drizzle add another splash of water to loosen it up to your desire.  Drizzle honey over the fruit and serve.

adapted from SimpleBites.net

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

A handful of winter fruits turn in to an outrageously good fruit salad.  Top it with a sweet/tart lemon poppyseed dressing and you'll be craving this dish all winter long!

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

Fruit is essential in our house, and we eat a ton of it.  We are in heaven during the spring and summer months due to the abundance of fresh fruit, but come wintertime we feel a little cheated.  That is until I came across this recipe for a winter fruit salad.  The salad has a combination of pears, apples, tangerines, bananas, kiwis, and dried cranberries.  If that isn't good enough it is topped with this amazing dressing that includes lemon juice, honey, oil, and poppyseeds.  This salad is sooooo good that I've made it three times in that last 2 weeks!

This salad is perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and snacks.  Because of the lemon in the dressing the apples and pears don't turn brown so this would be great for a picnic in the park. 

However you decide to serve it make sure to do it quickly.  If you love fruit, this is going to be a new favorite in your household too!

When do I serve fruit salad?

• Brunch or breakfast
• Snack time
• After school snack
• Dessert
• Lunch as a side dish
• Use this to top waffles for breakfast or dessert
• Top Greek Yogurt with a big scoop
• Top ice cream for dessert
• Perfect over pound cake or angel food cake

What Ingredients do I need?

• apples
• pears - we love D'Anjou
• kiwis
• bananas
• tangerines or mandarin oranges
• dried cranberries
• lemon
• poppyseeds
• honey
• canola oil

Substitutions and Variations

• add dried cherries instead of cranberries
• add pomegranate arils
• use fresh orange juice in the dressing instead of lemon
• any of the fruit may be left out
• substitute you favorite pear
• use a tart apple instead of a sweet one
• add grapefruit segments instead of tangerines
• add orange segments instead of tangerines
• add blood orange segments instead of tangerines
• swap out pineapple for any of the fruit

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Double the recipe to serve a larger group
• This best eaten the same day however, the fruit salad will keep an extra day in the refrigerator but the bananas may tend to get a little mushy.
• The lemon juice in the dressing will keep the apples and pears from browning
• To make ahead prep the tangerines and kiwi, but I would cut the apple, pears, and banana pretty close to serving.

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Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing 

serves 4

Dressing

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon poppyseeds

3 Tablespoons canola oil

Pinch of sugar

Salad

1 Envy apple, cored and diced

1 D'Anjou pear, cored and diced

1 banana, sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and diced

2 tangerines, peeled and segmented

1/3 cup dried cranberries

To make the dressing: In a small bowl or jar whisk together lemon juice, honey, poppyseeds, sugar, and oil until well combined.

For the fruit salad: In a salad bowl toss together all of the fruit then pour just enough dressing over top to coat.  Start out with about 1/2 and add more if needed.  Toss to coat gently.  

Serve immediately for best results.

adapted from:  Cooking Classy