Our skin is the largest organ of our body and as such, it goes through a lot during our lifetime. Summer can especially be hard on our skin with more time spent outside catching rays and those long afternoons in the pool. All of which can leave us with sunburns and sensitive dry skin. Let’s not forget our generally more lax attitude towards food while on vacation (vegan burgers and ice cream, anyone?) and we’ve got ourselves a bad case of less than healthy-looking skin.

Thankfully for us, summer is a great time to get glowing skin. That is if we eat the right foods and treat our skin with the caution it requires. Speaking of which, check out our guide on How to Protect Your Skin This Summer the Green Way.

At this time of year, our gardens and local farmers’ markets abound with fresh gorgeous fruits and vegetables. It’s the perfect occasion to prepare and cook meals that will give our complexion a needed boost in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to truly help it shine. Did you know that These 8 Foods Will Completely Change Your Skin and Make it Glow and that Eating or Avoiding These Foods Can Take Years Off Your Face?

You can also include any of these 15 delicious recipes in your daily diet this summer and your skin will get the natural glow it deserves. All of these recipes can be found on our Food Monster App!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! 

1. Blue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl

Blue Spirulina Smoothie BowlBlue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl

Have you tried blue spirulina yet? Like regular spirulina, it is a great addition to smoothies and raw desserts, only instead of an algae green, it gives everything a kiss of bright blue color. Not only is spirulina a complete protein but it’s also rich in beta-carotene, iron, and b-vitamins. All of which are amazing for your skin. It helps it heal and fight off inflammation and harmful bacteria that cause acne. In this delicious Blue Spirulina Smoothie Bowl, bananas are blended into an ice cream-like texture, then swirled with bright, blue spirulina. Then, it’s topped with fresh berries, dairy-free yogurt, coconut, and star-shaped banana slices. This smoothie bowl is picture-perfect and will help give you picture-perfect skin. Check out Does Spirulina Help With Acne? and Top 5 Reasons You Need More Spirulina in Your Life if you want to know more about the benefits of this awesome algae.

2. Tropical Turmeric Smoothie 

Tropical Turmeric Smoothie

This Tropical Turmeric Smoothie is like sunshine in a glass. Made from bananas, mango, and orange, its tropical flavors are also boosted with anti-inflammatory turmeric. Top this with shredded coconut and cinnamon for simplicity, or get creative with fresh fruit and coconut whipped cream for a breakfast that’s more like dessert. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this fruit-filled smoothie. Packed with antioxidants and turmeric, this beauty is perfect for your skin. Did you know that adding turmeric to your diet regularly can help care for your skin? Along with the vitamin C in mangoes that serves to keep your collagen production optimal and b-vitamins from the bananas which keep it moist, this smoothie packs a punch of much-needed ingredients for healthy skin.

3. Grilled Avocado With Roasted Tomatoes

Grilled Avocado With Roasted Tomatoes

Grilled avocado with roasted tomatoes makes a great side dish or a quick, light meal. This easy-to-make Grilled Avocado With Roasted Tomatoes recipe is mostly raw and will leave you full without feeling fatigued. If you aren’t into grilling, simply roast the avocados along with the tomatoes. The ingredients of this simple meal are great for your skin because they give you a perfect combination of healthy fats, carotenoids from the lycopene (a powerful antioxidant), and vitamins A and C all of which contribute to giving your skin that healthy glow. Omega-3s and 6s from the avocado keep your sebum production optimal while the antioxidants prevent premature aging. This grilled avocado dish is one you won’t regret trying!

4. Mango, Chili, and Lime Quinoa Salad

Mango, Chili, and Lime Quinoa Salad

This creative Mango, Chili, and Lime Quinoa Salad will make you see salads as more than just a bed of greens. Fresh, juicy mango and sweet golden raisins are mixed with zesty lime juice and spicy diced chilis. The greens are tossed with quinoa, crisp red onion, and bell pepper, then combined with the fruit and topped with pecans and pumpkin seeds for crunch and protein. The antioxidants from the greens, mango, and raisins help your skin fight off the negative effects of oxidative stress caused by the sun and Pollution while the pecans and pumpkin seeds provide healthy fats that keep it smooth and plush. This salad is the bomb and great for your skin. What more do you want?

5. Rustic Pesto and Heirloom Tomato Tart

Rustic Pesto and Heirloom Tomato Tart

Heirloom tomatoes are some of the most impressively colorful fruits out there. They range from dark purple to sunshine yellow and can be as small as a Roma tomato or as big as a navel orange. You’ll find the best ones at the best prices in July and August when they’re in season, but no matter when you get them, use them quickly. Their shelf life is shorter than that of their classic red brethren. If you can’t find heirloom tomatoes in your area, you can make this Rustic Pesto and Heirloom Tomato Tart with Roma or plum tomatoes instead. No matter what kind of tomatoes you use, this beautiful dish will give you beautiful skin from the lycopene overload. Did you know that lycopene benefits your complexion by protecting it against damaging UV light and that its antioxidant effect may also prevent the deterioration of collagen (which gives your skin its youthful appearance)?

6. Cauliflower Brazil Nut Purée With Crispy Tofu

Cauliflower Brazil Nut Purée With Crispy Tofu

This Cauliflower Brazil Nut Purée With Crispy Tofu is a wonderfully nutrient-rich alternative to mashed potatoes. It’s also the perfect dish to get clear, glowing skin. It’s packed with selenium and antioxidants that will help protect your skin from sunburn and mitigate the aging effects of sun rays. Blended with garlic, thyme, ground pepper, and coconut oil, this purée is flavorful and comforting. Once topped with crispy, browned tofu, this dish becomes a complete meal that is sure to satisfy.

7. Raw Portobello Burgers With Collard Greens and Guacamole

Raw Portobello Burgers With Collard Greens and Guacamole

This Raw Portobello Burgers With Collard Greens and Guacamole is fast food, and it’s really good food too. The combination of mushrooms, greens, and avocado in this dish are amazing for your skin because it gives you Vitamin A, C, and a good dose of b-vitamins. If you didn’t know, these all play a part in keeping our skin hydrated, flexible, and inflammation-free. If you’ve never had a portobello burger before, your world is about to change. Throw whatever else you want on these bad boys. Fresh tomatoes would be epic, as well as some red onion. The textures in this recipe are so perfect for each other. You’ve got the meaty mushroom, the creamy guac, the fresh greens, and the amazing crunchy, savory, heavenly Hippie Garden Chips.

8. Smoky Tomato Almond Pasta Sauce

Smoky Tomato Almond Pasta Sauce

Smoked paprika is a total game-changer in this spicy, creamy Smoky Tomato Almond Pasta Sauce. It makes more than enough for two, so you can pile on the sauce without fear of not leaving enough for your dining companion. For a chunkier, pesto-like sauce, opt for whole almonds over an almond meal. Either way, this is a recipe that you’ll want to return to if you want to get nice healthy skin. The combination of tomatoes and almonds provides lycopene and vitamin E which help in keeping our skin youthful and free of blemishes.

9. Bohemian Summer Salad With Grilled Corn

Bohemian Summer Salad With Grilled Corn

This Bohemian Summer Salad With Grilled Corn is the perfect meal to cool off on a hot summer day; it’s light, filling, and fresh. The assorted greens are augmented with crisp radishes, crunchy nuts, ripe berries, creamy avocado, and a sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing then, the whole thing is topped off with a tender ear of grilled corn. This gorgeous salad has everything you need to get healthy glowing skin this summer. Greens, berries, and corn provide you with a good punch of Vitamin C and antioxidants which all help our skin produce much-needed collagen and fight off the effects of aging. Dig in, it’s the perfect summer salad!

10. Spaghetti With Green Tahini Sauce and Brazil Nut Parmesan

Spaghetti With Green Tahini Sauce and Brazil Nut Parmesan

If you love your greens (or know you should be eating more of them), but still love your pasta, you are going to love this easy Spaghetti With Green Tahini Sauce and Brazil Nut Parmesan dish. This is the perfect meal for your busy mid-week nights and is great for batch cooking so you have dinner or lunch sorted for the next day as well. The green basil tahini sauce is incredible too, and you could easily double it so you have extra to drizzle on salads and vegetables in the coming days. The greens in this meal combined with the Brazil nut parmesan will help your skin stay healthy and fresh this summer. That’s because they’re high in vitamin C, which is essential in collagen production and the selenium contained in the brazil nuts has even been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer by 50%. How amazing is that?

11. Summer Kitchari Bowl

Summer Kitchari Bowl

Kitchari is an important dish in Ayurveda. Made from mung beans and rice that is lightly seasoned, it’s promoted as a balancing dish, as well as being easy to digest. This simple bowl is also great for your skin as rice and beans both contain a high level of B-vitamins which contribute to the moisture and health of our skin cells. All that’s needed for this dish is one pot, and while this Summer Kitchari Bowl does take its time simmering, it doesn’t require much attention. So, while your kitchari is cooking, you can divide your attention among other things and still have a meal that’s delicious and filling.

12. Summer Tomato Bowl With Herbed Bread Crumbs

Summer Tomato Bowl With Herbed Bread Crumbs

Nothing says “Summer is here!” quite like an overly abundant tomato harvest. If your garden or produce market has been overflowing with these refreshing red fruits, you have got to try out this recipe! This Summer Tomato Bowl With Herbed Bread Crumbs can be thrown together in seconds. Along with the farm-fresh tomatoes are asparagus, bread crumbs, white beans, and a heap of fresh parsley. Not only will your taste buds thank you for making this tasty dish but your skin will too! The abundance of tomatoes also means an abundance of lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant that helps our skin fight off sunburns and skin inflammation. Talk about a win-win!

13. Magical Summer Rolls

Magical Summer Rolls

Beautiful, colorful, and absolutely magical-looking, these Magical Summer Rolls are the perfect light lunch for warm weather days. These summer rolls are lined with polka beets and golden beets, so not only do they taste delicious, but they’re also a feast for the eyes. Creamy, homemade almond butter sauce pairs perfectly with its crisp texture and fresh flavor. This recipe is a win-win. It’s beautiful for the eyes and will give you beautiful skin too! Almond butter is a good source of healthy omega-6s fats which, along with omega-3s, help in the production of eicosanoids, a bio-active lipid that regulates and reduces inflammation on the skin. Almond butter is also full of vitamin E, which plays an important role in preventing photoaging of the skin. Dip these rolls generously in the almond butter sauce to fight off the adverse effects of too many rays.

14. Bright Beet Salad With Quinoa and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Bright Beet Salad With Quinoa and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

If you’re getting bored of salads get ready to get excited – this Bright Beet Salad With Quinoa and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds is anything but ordinary. Especially not for our skin. Beets are a good source of folate, copper, and zinc, which all contribute to the development of elastin (the fibers that Support our skin structure). Moreover, zinc deficiency has been linked with acne. In this beautiful salad, ruby red beets are shredded, then tossed in a citrusy vinaigrette along with creamy chunks of avocado, carrots, edamame, hearty quinoa, and toasty pumpkin seeds. Then, the whole thing is drizzled with a tangy, lemony dressing that will rock your socks. Are you hungry yet?

15. Rainbow Chard Wraps With Millet and Chickpeas

Rainbow Chard Wraps With Millet and Chickpeas

Packed with protein, these Rainbow Chard Wraps With Millet and Chickpeas are super delicious and amazing for your skin! Did you know that collard greens are packed with vitamins A and C? Those vitamins are essential in keeping our skin smooth and healthy. vitamin C helps our body produce collagen which is the secret to youthful and supple skin while Vitamin A takes part in the production of sebum, keeping our skin hydrated. You can make these wraps as they are in this recipe: stuffed with chickpeas, carrots, cucumber, cabbage, mint, hummus, hemp seeds, and millet. Or you can switch out the millet and use quinoa, or add peanut sauce instead of hummus. These are versatile and can be switched up in any way. Enjoy!

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, and prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the ecological and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Weekly Vegan Meal Plans
• Plant-Based Health Resources
• Plant-Based Food & Recipes
• Plant-Based Nutrition Resources
• The Ultimate Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
• Budget-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes
• High Protein Plant-Based Recipes
• Plant-Based Meal Prep

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!