Healthy BBQ Foods To Try This Summer
No matter the season, there will always be some lame excuse that people will give for not being able to eat healthily. During the summer, this is usually something to do with delicious BBQ at various celebrations and family gatherings during the summer.
But summer is actually a great time to eat healthily. Being at a BBQ this season is no reason to let your eating habits deteriorate. To keep up on your health, here are a couple recipes you can try.
Classic Lean Hamburger
A classic hamburger, minus the extra fat and cheese and using a special, tangy sauce for extra flavor. The ingredients you’ll need are:
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 1 tsp. canola oil
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 2 tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
- 2 tsp. dill pickle relish
- 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp. steak sauce
- 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
- 4 toasted hamburger buns
- 4 slices of tomato
- 4 green-leaf lettuce leaves
Start by preheating your grill to medium-high. Then, in a medium saucepan, combine the onion, 1 tbsp. of ketchup, and oil. Cook the mixture on medium-high for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low, and then cook uncovered for about 5-8 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let it cool.
While the onion mixture cools, stir the remaining ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar, and relish together into a sauce. Set this aside.
To the onion mixture, add the beef, steak sauce, and pepper. Gently combine it, but don’t overmix it. Form this into 4 patties. Oil the grill rack, then cook your burgers about 4-5 minutes on each side.
Once they’re done, slap them together with the lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise-ketchup sauce, and buns.
Grilled Pepper Salad
This flavorful salad works well as either a side or a relish. To begin, you’ll need:
- 4 halved, seeded, and stemmed bell peppers of various colors
- 1/4 cup of oil-cured black olives, halved and pitted
- 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
On medium-high heat, grill the peppers until soft and slightly charred, turning them once. Once they’re cool enough to touch, chop them up and toss them with the remaining ingredients. For a bit of extra flavor, you might consider using a low-fat salad dressing.
With a mix of healthy, savory, low-fat ingredients, you can eat healthy this summer, no matter how often you plan on grilling outside.
- Nashua Nutrition Admin