After a long day at work, turning on the oven to make dinner when it’s 90 degrees outside may not sound appealing.

“By the time you work and get home and cook, it’s the hottest part of the day,” said Nancy O’Connor, director of education and outreach at The Merc.

But there are many alternatives for dinner that don’t involve heating up the kitchen and also use fresh produce that is abundant at this time of year. O’Connor said that winter and fall — when it’s cooler — tend to be the times that people feel like they want to stay inside and get cooking, but the ingredients aren’t as good then.

“We never want people to be turned off from cooking, especially when it’s the time of the year with the most bounty,” O’Connor said. “If there’s ever a time to rally, it’s now.”

Here are some tips to help home cooks beat the heat and still make great food:

Three summer dishes you can make without turning on your oven.

Buy an excess of ingredients and plan ahead

When you go to the farmers market, don’t buy just enough food for dinner that night, O’Connor said. Plan ahead and buy six to 10 ears of corn instead of two or three. Cook them all at once, and then use the leftovers later, for dishes such as a corn relish made with cucumber and green onions.

“It really does come down to planning,” she said.

She recommends doing any cooking that requires an oven in large batches during the weekend. Cook up a large casserole and then eat from it during the week instead of turning on the oven after work.

Work with fresh foods

Todd Schneekloth, executive chef at The Oread, said that chilled soups are always a great option to beat the summer heat and use produce. He recommended branching out from your typical gazpacho — tomato and cucumber — and trying some new combinations: chilled melon with fresh fruit, vanilla beans and mint; a gazpacho made with avocado or watermelon; a vichyssoise (cold soup) made with potato, leek, cream and onion with chive creme fraiche; or cucumber soup made with cucumbers, baby arugula, scallions, fresh lime and yogurt.

If chilled soup doesn’t hit the spot, O’Connor said to try dishes that use the whole fruit or vegetable, such as a caprese salad with tomatoes.

Include ingredients prepared at the grocery store

Beat the heat by buying oven-cooked ingredients at the store. O’Connor said it’s OK to buy ingredients such as chicken or salmon to supplement a dish prepared at home.

“Making it as simple as possible is so important,” she said.

Experiment

O’Connor said to try new ingredients, such as those that cook quickly on the stovetop. Grains are a good place to start, and quinoa is a popular option. Having grains cooked and ready to the go in the refrigerator makes serving a cold salad a snap, like using cooked bulgur to make the Middle Eastern dish tabbouleh.

“Just go back and look at the bulk department at the options,” O’Connor said.

Avocado chicken salad with Sriracha

Parmesan Quinoa with Peas

Ranch Pasta Salad

Recipes to try

Here are some more no-oven recipes to help keep you and your house cool while enjoying fresh foods.

Avocado Chicken Salad with Sriracha

2 cups cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped (this can be frozen chunk chicken cooked in the microwave)

2 ripe avocados

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon honey

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sriracha sauce

4 pita pockets

In a medium bowl, mash avocados, lime, honey and garlic. Mix in chicken and salt to taste.

Serve in or on pita, drizzled with Sriracha.

— Recipe from thelemonbowl.com

Parmesan Quinoa with Peas

1 1/2 cups quinoa, washed

2 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (less for a less spicy dish)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (shaved if possible)

1 cup fresh peas, shelled, or frozen peas

Bring quinoa and chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and cooked through, stirring occasionally. Quinoa will be finished when almost all liquid is gone from pan. Remove from heat. Stir in peas and Parmesan. Stir to heat up both. Adjust seasoning.

Ranch Pasta Salad

1 packet Hidden Valley original ranch seasoning

Milk

Mayonnaise

8 ounces rainbow pasta rotini

Water

Chicken bouillon

1 cup carrots, peeled chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup broccoli flowerettes

6 ounces fresh or frozen peas

Mix ranch according to package (whisk milk, mayo and seasoning and put in fridge, covered). Cover carrots with water in bowl. Cook in microwave until crisp-tender.

Cook pasta in water with chicken bouillon to taste until al dente. Drain pasta. Add drained carrots, peas and broccoli. Coat with ranch. Refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour or until chilled.