Sunday Seasonal: August (Week 2)

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Where I provide you with 2-4 new recipes every Sunday that are made with produce that are seasonal to that month.

I’ve been sharing monthly seasonal produce lists since 2023 and it’s officially time that I put those lists to work. I want to show you that your cooking can be not only gut healthy (reminder that I am a gut health dietitian), but also rooted in the season.

We want to eat foods that aren’t traveling too long to get to us, that’s how they lose their taste and freshness. Studies show that produce picked at their peak of ripeness are going to contain more nutrients when allowed to ripen on their parent plant. I mean, think about it logically, it’s like when you go apple picking every September/October. The apples taste immensely better than when you go to grab them at your local supermarket. So, it’s essentially the same concept.

This is my fun and creative way of giving you more gut friendly recipes while also staying in season.

From now on, you can count on a weekly Sunday Seasonal article to be sent directly to your email, so make sure to be subscribed and locked IN.

Welcome to Week 2 of Sunday Seasonal: August 16th

Raise your hand if you’re as much of a chicken salad fiend as I am.

I know chicken salad may not seem like the “healthiest” recipe, but in my gut health dietitian opinion, it’s all about what you make of it. This is my Simple Apple & Walnut Chicken Salad and it’s the perfect addition to your summer lunch or dinner rotation.

I focus on adding as much color as I can to make any chicken salad a more balanced and nutritious option.

This is my summer chicken salad version — I made sure to use seasonal produce such as apple, avocado, cucumber, and celery.

Yields: 1-2 servings

Portion: 1/2 - 1 bowl

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

This recipe is dairy free and gluten free.

What you’re going to need:

• 1 chicken breast (or 2 to use for another chicken salad recipe the following day)

• Avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil

• Salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder to taste

• 1 cucumber, finely diced

• 1 tbsp finely chopped walnuts

• ¼ cup finely chopped apple (I used honeycrisp)

• 1 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley

• 1 stalk of celery, finely diced celery

• ½ avocado, finely diced

• 1/4 cup Chosen Foods mayo (or mayo of choice)

• Salt and black pepper to taste

How you’re going to make it:

1. Bake the chicken: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the chicken breast(s) on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil). Season with salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then dice or shred into bite-sized pieces.

2. Prep the filling: While the chicken cooks, finely dice the cucumber, apple, parsley, celery, and avocado. Chop walnuts into small pieces.

3. Build the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cucumber, walnuts, apple, parsley, celery, and avocado.

4. Add seasonings: Add mayo. Start with 1/4 cup mayo and add more as needed based on your preferred consistency. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Mix until everything is well combined.

6. Chill and serve: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving for best flavor. Enjoy on its own, in a sandwich, lettuce wraps, or with crackers or carrots.

Now this recipe, may be my favorite one of the summer. Imagine this, it’s an early Saturday morning in August, you make this Asparagus & Tomato Egg Bake for you and your roommates/family/whoever, and enjoy it with a cup of coffee. Now, that’s a life worth living. This is the perfect recipe to meal prep too. You can store it in the fridge and reheat individual slices throughout the week.

The most important part of this recipe is a shallow pie pan, if you don’t have one I suggest investing in one so you can make plenty of egg bakes, quiches, or frittatas for yourself in the near future!

Yields: 4 servings

Portion: ¼ of the “pie”

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian.

What you’re going to need:

• 6 eggs

• 1/4 cup whole milk

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (I personally used Siggi’s skyr!)

• 1 tsp salt

• Black pepper to taste

• 9-10 stalks of asparagus, finely chopped

• ½ cup finely chopped cherry/sungold tomatoes

• 2 tbsp finely diced fresh parsley

• 1/4 cup crumbled feta

How you’re going to make it:

1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a shallow pie pan.

2. Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Greek yogurt, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Fold in the chopped asparagus, tomatoes, parsley, and feta. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

3. Bake: Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is lightly golden.

4. Serve: Let cool for 5–10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Potatoes are the foundation of happiness. Nobody could tell me otherwise.

It was a crisp, August evening here in South Florida and I knew it was the perfect night to fire up the grill and cook some steaks to medium rare (because that’s how I personally enjoy my steaks cooked).

But here’s the thing, you can’t enjoy a steak all alone — it’s a must to have some delicious side dishes. So, here is where these Lemon Sumac Roasted Potatoes were born.

Since it is summertime, I wanted to make sure I was staying seasonal with my choice of side dishes. So, I chose potatoes and arugula.

But, not all potato recipes can give us that summer energy. So, I knew I had to incorporate three ingredients to do so — lemon, sumac, and parsley! These potatoes are to die for. I even had my husband say that they tasted even better the next morning. That’s when you know you made a delicious batch of potatoes.

Make sure to follow the instructions to ensure they come out perfectly!

Yields: 3-4 servings

Portion: 1 cup potatoes

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.

What you’re going to need:

• 8-10 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 3 garlic cloves, finely diced

• 2 tbsp finely diced parsley

• ¼ tsp sumac

• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano to garnish

How you’re going to make it:

1. Boil the potatoes: Wash and chop Yukon Gold potatoes. Add them to a large pot of salted water and boil until fork-tender, about 20-30 minutes. Drain well.

2. Sauté: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the boiled potatoes to the skillet. Sauté for several minutes, tossing occasionally.

3. Add ingredients: Add the diced garlic, parsley, sumac, and salt. Sauté for 1–2 minutes, until fragrant. Leave potatoes undisturbed for 5-7 minutes to allow them to crisp and develop a golden-brown exterior.

4. Serve: Finish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and extra parsley if you would like. Serve warm. Enjoy!

& because I love you and you’ve made it this far— here’s the recipe to the Simple Arugula Salad and the Easy Weeknight Steak as well.

Simple Arugula Salad

What you’re going to need:

• 2 generous handfuls of arugula

• 2 tbsp freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)

How you’re going to make it:

1. Assemble: Grab a mixing bowl and add in arugula. Grate in parmigiano reggiano. Pour in olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

2. Mix: Mix arugula and the dressing components together until well-combined. Taste and adjust for salt.

3. Serve: Serve into separate plates. Enjoy!

Easy Weeknight Steak

What you’re going to need:

• 2 NY strip steaks (or steaks of choice)

• Salt & black pepper

How you’re going to make it:

1. Have at room temp: Remove the steaks from the fridge about 20–30 minutes before grilling. Make sure to pat them completely dry with paper towels.

2. Season: Rub both sides with salt and black pepper, don’t forget the edges.

3. Preheat grill: Heat your grill to high heat, around 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Have grill cleaned and oiled properly.

4. Grill: Place steaks directly over the heat. Grill for about 3–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness of steak choice (again, I used NY), until nicely charred.

5. Check temp: For medium-rare, remove the steaks from the grill when they reach 125–130°F internally. You want them to get to 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit as they rest (temp will rise).

6. Rest: Move to a cutting board and allow them to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. This is key! Ensure to slice against the grain. Garnish with Maldon flaky salt if you’d like. Enjoy!

Which recipe are you making first? Make sure to save this post and I’ll see you next Sunday for another Sunday Seasonal.

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xoxo,
Jasmin D the RD

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