Healthy BBQ Ideas: Recipes to Wow Your Friends This Summer

Greasy burgers in calorie-and-carb-laden buns. Burnt sausages with a suspiciously low meat content. And let’s not forget those bright orange, processed to within an inch of their life cheese slices.

BBQ - it all tastes terribly good at the time.

But it also leaves you bloated and demotivated within minutes (and your veins won’t thank you for all that saturated fat).

Urgh.

We’re of the belief that the BBQ scene needs a serious shake-up; and we’re not talking depressing brown bread, or a limp salad with a side of uninspiring quinoa. We’re talking mouth-watering ‘good’ carbs, delicious lean protein and plenty of veg. Here’s what should be on your menu this summer…

Muscle-Popping, Taste-Bud Tickling Turkey Burgers

Served with avocado yogurt and sweet potato chips

Serves: 4

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 2tsp chilli sauce
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 lime
• 2 sweet potatoes (approx. 300g each), cut into 1.5cm-thick chips
• 1 avocado
• 75ml low-fat Greek style natural yogurt
• 4 wholemeal seeded rolls
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4tsp vegetable oil
• 500g turkey thigh or breast mince
• 28g coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves torn

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C (or gas mark 6) and pop in a baking tray with 3 teaspoons of oil. Blend the turkey, chili sauce, breadcrumbs, garlic, coriander stalks and ½ the lime zest; season according to your tastes and create 4 patties (these should be roughly 2cm thick).
2. Add the sweet potato chips to the baking tray, taking care to spread them out evenly; season and bake for 40-45 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp.
3. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and brush the turkey burgers with the left over 1 teaspoon of oil. Fry for 5 minutes, then place them onto a foil-lined tray in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Use a fork to mash up the avocado, yogurt, lime zest and juice; season and finish with a sprinkle of coriander.
5. Add the burgers to the buns and serve with the avocado yogurt. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves. Add a sliced tomato, red onion and baby gem leaves. Serve with chips and enjoy.

Corn with a Kick and a Dash of Coriander

Served with low-fat mayo, lime, chilli and feta

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 4tbsp finely crumbled feta
• 2tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 2tsp crushed chilli flakes
• 1 lime, cut into quarters
• 4 corn cobs
• 50g mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Cook the cobs in a large pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat but leave the corn to rest in the water until you’re ready to grill them.
2. Heat up a griddle barbecue. Just a few minutes before serving, take the cobs out of the water, dab dry and brush lightly with mayonnaise and chilli flakes. Season to your taste, then cook on the BBQ for 5 mins, flipping over regularly until those hunger-inducing grill marks appear.
3. Finish the cobs with a sprinkle of feta and coriander, and then serve immediately with lime wedges.

Impossibly Low-Calorie Lamb and Potatoes Kebab

Served with minty-fresh broad beans

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

• 200g baby new potato, halved
• 250g lean lamb, cut into 2½ cm dice
• 1 red pepper cut into large chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon - ½ juiced, ½ cut into wedges
• 600g fresh or frozen broad beans
• 2 tablespoon mint sauce

Directions:

1. Boil a pan of water, and then heat the potatoes for 8-10 minutes until tender. Once cooked, scoop out the potatoes, and keep the water on a gentle boil. Place the lamb, potatoes and pepper in a bowl, and blend in garlic, oil and lemon juice. Season, and then shake to mix.
2. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-to-high heat. Add the lamb, pepper and potatoes onto 8 kebab skewers. Once the pan is hot, grill the kebabs for 3-4 mins on each side until nice and charred.
3. Tip the broad beans into the boiling water and cook for 5 mins. Drain them off and then pop the beans out of their skins (or leave them in, if you’re struggling for time). Then top with mint sauce.
4. Serve the kebabs on top of the beans with lemon wedges. Mmmmm, fresh, zesty and delicious!

Something to Drink? How About a Summery Gin Punch?

Fruity and refreshing, this mix is sure to be a hit with your guests

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 500ml Gin
• 200ml Lemon Juice
• 75ml Elderflower Cordial
• 30ml Maraschino Liqueur
• 20ml Lovage Cordial
• 1000ml Cloudy Apple Juice
• Summer fruits

Directions:

1. Mix the ingredients together in a large punch bowl
2. Pop in plenty of summer fruits (strawberries, raspberries, cucumber, lemons) and a handful of ice.
3. Serve in tea cups over cubed ice.

If you’re weighing up other alcoholic drinks, remember that the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories per ml.

With the easy and fast recipes above, your guests will have NO clue that what they’re tucking into is chock-full of goodness. Who said that sticking with the health kick had to be boring?

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