Barbecue season is here! In honour of the season, the Healthy Start team has put together a list of some of their favourite summer recipes to help you make the most of the summer months!
Burkey Turgers (Sarah’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp. dried cranberries or dried cherries
- 1 tbsp. & 1 ½ tsp crumbled feta cheese /parmesan
- 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
- Whole wheat hamburger buns, split
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, cranberries and cheese. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well.
- Shape into four patties.
- Using long-handled tongs moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack.
- Grill, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side.
- Serve on buns with veggies on top.
Suggestion:
For children, put out a lot of toppings and let them choose the ones they want themselves.
Niçoise Salad (Gabrielle’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 1lb small potatoes , cooked and chopped
- 2 cups mesclun or spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup green olives
- 1 cup corn
- 3 eggs, boiled and chopped
- 1 can tuna
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Herbs, to taste
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, mesclun, tomatoes, green onions, olives, corn, eggs, and tuna.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a separate bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and herbs.
- Mix well and add to the first bowl as a dressing.
Serve immediately after preparing!
Salad Dog (Mélissa’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- Lettuce, chopped
- ½ tomato, diced
- Onion or green onions, chopped (optional)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- Mayonnaise
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 whole grain hot dog buns
Instructions:
- Cut up the lettuce, tomato, and onion.
- Mix altogether with the chopped eggs.
- Add salt, pepper and mayonnaise to the salad mixture.
- Warm up or toast the hot dog buns (on a BBQ grill or in the oven).
- Stuff the buns with the salad mixture and enjoy!
Variation:
Substitute the hard boiled eggs with chicken or lobster!
Asparagus on the BBQ (Jeff’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- Asparagus
- Other vegetables (e.g. zucchinis, bell peppers, onions, etc.), to taste
- Olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Instructions:
- Place the vegetables on a large piece aluminum foil.
- Add the oil, and salt.
- Wrap the foil around the vegetable mixture; make sure the foil is wrapped in such a way to ensure the oil does not leak out.
- Cook on the barbecue at medium heat, until the vegetables are tender.
Fresh Fruit Skewers (Karine’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 5 to 7 fruits (suggestions: bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, kiwis, mango chunks, etc.)
Instructions:
- Wash and peel the fruit.
- Cut the larger fruits into bite-sized pieces.
- Slide the fruit pieces onto wooden skewers.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Suggestion:
This is a great food item to get kids involved with making. Invite the children to create their own colourful fruit skewer creations!
Quinoa Salad (Isabelle’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
- 1 apple, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 150g goat cheese, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
Instructions:
- Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on original packaging. Let the quinoa cool.
- Add the apple, bell pepper, nuts, and cheese to the cooled quinoa.
- In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup to make the salad dressing.
- Add the dressing to the quinoa mix.
Tip:
Add chicken or another protein source for some added flavour.
Greek Salad (Mélissa’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 1 cucumber, diced into large chunks
- 1 tomato, diced into large chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced into large chunks
- Black olives, chopped
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Italian herbs (e.g. oregano, basil, thyme), to taste
- Lemon juice (optional)
Instructions:
- Cut the vegetables and mix together.
- Add the feta and herbs.
- Mix well.
- For dressing, add a little lemon juice and mix again.
Tip:
Let the salad sit in the fridge for a few hours to give time for the flavours to mix!
Raspberry Frozen Yogurt (Mélissa’s Favourite)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen raspberries (no added sugar)
- 1 cup vanilla yogurt
Instructions:
- Add the frozen raspberries and yogurt together in a blender.
- Blend until the fully mixed.
A tasty treat for a hot summer day!