Summertime is coming! I am so ready. This time of the year I just want to be done with the homework folders and the soccer practices and just kick back, relax, and stay cool.  We’ve already turned the air conditioning on (it’s supposed to be 84 degrees today) and I’m trying to watch our electricity usage so I don’t get an ugly surprise in my next electricity bill. I’ve learned so much about energy efficiency and how small choices can really impact your savings. (Check out some of my previous posts to learn more!)

This month we’re chatting about unconventional cooking methods and how they can save you from slaving in a hot kitchen, plus tamp down your electricity usage and save you some dough. Did you know that your kitchen accounts for 15% of your home’s energy usage? That’s a lot, and most of it comes from food prep.

There are some simple alternatives to firing up the stove or oven and heating up your kitchen. By using smaller, more efficient appliances like slow cookers and microwaves, you can save time and energy. A toaster oven, for example, uses as much as half of the energy of a full-size oven. You know what else I love about that? No pots and pans to wash. That means you save the labor AND you save money by not using as much hot water.

Have some fun trying new recipes in your slow cooker with the Mix & Match Recipe Ideas above. Want to get the kids involved? These printable Mix & Match Recipe Cards will help them be part of the meal planning process.

If you’re skeptical about cooking in the microwave because it just won’t taste the same, I’m here to tell you, it tastes the same. You need a couple of little handy gadgets that you’re going to find yourself using over and over again. This pasta cooker is the new love of my life. We eat a lot of pasta – it’s easy and the kids love it. Now instead of filling a pot, waiting for it to boil, and then having to wash that big pot, I can do it all in the microwave. Which means I can walk away while it’s cooking and do something else. Love that.

How do you like the grilled vegetables? I grilled them, yes, in the microwave. You’d never know! This microwave grill pan is so easy to use. I can’t wait to try some salmon or chicken on there. My family loved this recipe and I loved that it was a snap to make and I didn’t have to heat up the house by turning on the stove. Here’s my recipe:

Pesto Pasta and Grilled Vegetables {Microwave Meal}

Ingredients:

• 1 box of pasta
• Jar of prepared pesto (here’s my homemade pesto recipe)
• 1/2 yellow squash, sliced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Kitchen Gadgets Needed:

• Pasta Cooker
• Microwave Grill Pan

Directions:

• Fill the pasta cooker with water. Add the box of pasta. Microwave for 8 minutes and check. Be careful not to spill any hot water on yourself and use hot pads. If you use regular white pasta it will probably cook faster. I used pasta that’s high in protein and it took another 8  minutes to fully cook. So check after 8 minutes, then cook more if needed.
• While your pasta is cooking, slice the vegetables and toss them in a bowl with just enough olive oil to coat them, and the salt and paper. Pour onto the grill pan and spread in a single layer. (Tip: I put in the ingredients list 1/2 of each vegetable because that’s really all you can fit on the grill pan. But I didn’t want to save the other half so once I got the first batch done, I cut up the other half and just cooked it while we ate dinner.)
• After the pasta is done, remove it from the microwave and set aside. Put the grill pan in the microwave and cook for 5 minutes. Take it out, open the lid, and flip the veggies over. Put the lid back on and microwave for another 4-5 minutes or until veggies are tender and browned.
• When the veggies are done, drain the pasta through the lid taking care to not get hot water on your hands. Put a couple of spoonfuls of pesto (however much you like) right into the pasta cooker on top of your noodles and stir. Dump them out onto a serving dish. Put grilled veggies on top.

No meal is complete with out dessert, preferably chocolate. If you’ve got one of these silicone muffin pans you can easily whip up brownies. My kids were basically in heaven when I said I was making brownies. And no oven. These were cooked in 4 minutes!

No one is going to be mad at you if you add a little ice cream and some whipped cream and a cherry.  😉

Yield: 6

Brownies in the Microwave

Print

Need a sweet treat fast? These brownies can be made right in the microwave!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Total Time 14 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1. In a bowl (if you have one with a pouring spout that's perfect) combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt with a fork until the lumps are gone and it's well-mixed. Add the water and oil and stir until smooth.
2. Lightly spray the muffin pan with cooking spray. You might not absolutely need to do this, but it did make my brownies come out really clean.
3. Evenly pour the batter into 6 muffin cups. Cook in the microwave for 4 minutes.
4. Allow to cool just enough so that you can handle them and remove brownies from the muffin cups. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry!

Notes

Silicone Muffin Pan is needed for this recipe.

Using these smaller, more energy efficient appliances does NOT mean that you have to sacrifice your love of good food. These recipes are delicious and flavorful, and so easy. I have a bunch more slow cooker and microwave recipes for you here, or click the image above to print them out.

Need to post some reminders to the rest of the family to cut back on electricity use in your kitchen this summer? Print these out and let the kids post them in the right places!

We want to inspire you to keep the oven off and keep cooking delicious meals for your family while saving money. Check out the PPL Electric Utilities Taste the Energy Savings Blog for more recipe ideas, and follow their Recipes: Taste the Energy Savings Pinterest board for tons of energy efficient meals!

I’m also giving away this great prize pack to one reader (must be a PPL Electric Utilities Customer)

• Totally Bamboo 5-Piece Utensil Set
• 250 Best Meals In a Mug Cookbook
• Project Envolve Coffee Mug

This giveaway is only open to US residents ages 18+ that are PPL Electric Utilities customers. It will end at 11:59pm on May 19, 2015. Good luck!

See what the other Project Envolve Ambassadors created with their energy efficient cooking tools. Love these recipes!