Caprese Salad seems like a winner here, as long a you can get your hands on some amazing farmers market tomatoes.

You can do some pretty decent fake grilling on a grill pan or cast iron skillet: I usually just cook for myself so it's my go-to method for 'grilling' vegetables. Ribs can also be made in the oven with great results.

Also, anything with Pesto is a summer classic, as Basil is in abundance in the summer.

That Summer Corn Salad is DELICIOUS - rocked my 4th of July weekend. The mint really brings everything together.

I also like a couscous salad with feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I think adding watermelon instantly makes a meal summery.

I often make a Lasagna Caprese in the hot summer months. It's easy, delicious, and requires little more than boiling water. Recipe, if you're interested: http://bit.ly/jlf2UB

Salads are great all summer long.

I typically top mine with roast chicken (from the deli), cheese or nuts.

Stuff like taco salad is quick to cook, looks great and makes me forget about the BBQ (at least for a while).

This week I'm going to try making up a Quinona salad of fresh chopped herbs, quinona, and feta; maybe with a tin of beans (rinsed and) thrown in.

My boyfriend has a grill and I do not so when I am cooking at my house in the summertime and I want that grilling feeling I make the barbecue-style chicken recipe I got from Amy Sedaris' cookbook, "I Like You - Hospitality Under the Influence." It's so easy, it's almost a non-recipe.

All you have to do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees, brush some chicken pieces with butter, bake for about forty-five minutes, then throw some sliced bell pepper on top and about fifteen minutes or so before the chicken is done cooking, add your favorite store-bought barbeque sauce. (Amy likes to combine an expensive brand with a cheap one) Serve with baked sweet potatoes and cornbread or baked beans and collard greens or whatever summer side dish suits you.

So nice to see this problem addressed. As an apartment dweller myself, grill season can be pretty depressing in the food world. I agree w/the folks above that you can't beat summer produce-fresh tomatoes (I like Early Girls) or cherry gold ones can't beat. There's a recipe from Eating Well I made all last summer that's for corn & basil pancakes that was simple and fresh. But if you crave the grill taste, I know a lot people sub their broiler for a grill-Mark Bittman actually wrote an article about it awhile back. So don't fret! You're not alone:)

Another fake grilling recipe that is deeeelicious is the cheater pulled-pork recipe that thekitchn wrote about last year (or the year before?). Here's the recipe: http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/main_pulledpork.shtml

i'm with Ketherian - quinoa! cooks up pretty quickly and is awesome in a salad with tangy mustard, arugula, and herbs. If you want that smokey taste without grilling, try adding smoked paprika or mesquite powder (http://www.thespicehouse.com/) to dishes. amazing!

green beans, corn, tomatoes and thinly sliced onions tossed with a simple vinaigrette is delicious as a side salad. top it with chicken and it makes a meal! the addition of goat cheese is also delicious!

Succotash--traditionally lima beans (your farmers; market muight have fresh limas, but you can find them forzen as well) and corn, but I also add tomatoes.
Raw (shaved thin) squash salad with herbs, nuts, cheese
Quinoa, cous cous, or orzo salad

When we don't feel like using the grill I break out a cast iron grill pan. Ours is by Lodge and I love it.

And this recipe for quinoa and corn mint salad is incredibly fresh and delicious!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-corn-mint-salad-10000001981779/

Please make this corn relish, it is SO delicious.

http://whitneyinchicago.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/corn_relish/

Or this buttermilk cake with summer fruit.

http://whitneyinchicago.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/red-and-blue/

Or pickle some sugar snaps!

http://whitneyinchicago.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/pickling/

I've got a whole list of my summer favorites here: http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/08/06/summer-favorites/

Some grilling, but lots of other options as well. My very fave is the cucumber tomato feta salad. I could eat that every day.

Never underestimate the power of George Foreman!

I can't believe it has taken me this long to remember ratatouille! With the summer bounty of tomatoes and squash, it's a real treat!

Any cold salads -- pasta salad (there's a good foodnetwork.com recipe for farfalle with zucchini, summer squash, basil and sundried tomatoes); couscous; quinoa; potato salad; lentils; israeli couscous; orzo...these are my staples in summer. Also, I find fish to be a nice light summer meal, and easy enough to cook without a grill....

ooh, and bean salads too, of course. And coleslaw.

I start making a slightly adapted version of this panzanella as soon as I can get my hands on perfect tomatoes and cucumbers at the farmers market, and it is so good I basically live off it all summer! http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/06/an-italian-solu-1/

I totally appreciate this post. We don't have a grill and loathe to use the oven when it's so hot. If you have a slowcooker, you can make pretty good pulled pork bbq sandwhiches, ribs and tacos. Add some charred vegetables, cold salads and you have a faux grill feast.

I agree with everyone who mentioned a cast-iron skillet as a go-to faux grill substitute. Get it super hot on the stove, and you can sear up a great steak just as well as you could on a gas BBQ. There's nothing like a simple steak paired with tomatoes, cucumber and basil tossed in olive oil and salt to offer a taste of summer.

Another recipe my wife and I turn to often is a Jamie Oliver creation that's so simple, but fresh and delicious in the summer (or anytime, really): steam or boil some sliced baby potatoes, toss with fresh dill, capers, red wine vinegar and salt. Then serve potatoes with slices of smoked salmon, and top with a mix of horseradish, plain yogurt and a little lemon juice.