4th of July Summer Barbecue

The 4th of July is the time to celebrate our country and its freedom. There's no better way to celebrate this day than having a summer barbecue with friends and family! Try these healthy choices on your next 4th of July celebration or summer barbecue.

Take a look at this article for more healthy barbecue choices:
Festive, Fun, Healthy 4th of July BBQ

Chicken Burger

Grilled Corn

Sweet and Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

Berry Meringue Tartlet

                                                               

Chicken Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns

 

Chicken Burgers are great alternatives to your typical beef burger. Try topping it with lighter toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and onions rather than mayonnaise. I like spicing my burgers with Sriracha hot sauce, Yum!

Makes 3 burgers

Ingredients:

16 oz Ground chicken breast

Soy Vay Marinade, or any marinade you like

Whole Wheat Deli Flats

Toppings (lettuce, onions, tomato, ect)

Directions:

1. Split ground chicken into three ~5 oz patties.
2. Drizzle patties with Soy Vey Marinade.
3. Grill Chicken patties until evenly cooked.
4. Place cooked patties on the Whole Wheat Deli Flats and top with toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for
1 Chicken Patty on a Whole Wheat Deli
Flat when recipe yields 3 servings 

Grilled Corn

 

Grilled corn is a great way to switch it up from your typical boiled corn. The grill gives the corn so much more flavor and no butter is needed!

Ingredients:

Corn

Salt and Pepper to taste

That's it! No butter, it tastes amazing all on its own

Directions:

1. Place husked corn on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, rotating it when kernels start to char. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for 1
medium sized ear of corn

Sweet and Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

 

I must give credit to my neighbor, Lynn, for this delicious recipe! So sweet and irresistible! 

Serves 8

Ingredients:

    Slaw:

    1lb Broccoli, chopped into small pieces

    1/2 cup Red onion, minced

    1/3 cup Golden Raisins

    1/3 cup Craisins 

    1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

    Dressing:

    1/3 cup Light mayonnaise 

    3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 

    2 tbsp Honey

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients listed under slaw
2. Mix all of the ingredients listed under dressing
3. Toss the slaw in the dressing and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Informations above calculated
for 8 servings

Berry Meringue Tartlets 

 

These Berry Meringue Tartlets are a jazzed up version of the traditional meringue cookie. I had so much fun making these cute tartlets... well sort of, haha! I made the mistake of not checking if the kitchen I was working in had an electric mixer. So I resorted to whipping the egg whites by hand! Wooo, what a workout! But it was totally worth it. These tartlets are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Fresh berries and whipped cream on top pull it all together.

Ingredients:

    Tartlets:

    4 Egg whites

    1/4 tsp Cream of tartar

    1/2 cup Granulated sugar

    2/3 cup Powdered sugar

    Topping:

    Reddi Wip Whipped Cream

    Assorted berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, ect.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 F 
2. Tear parchment paper the size of the baking sheet. On the back of the parchment paper trace a 4''-5'' in diameter glass with a pencil. Flip parchment paper over and place on the baking sheet. This will act as a template for when you pipe your tartlets.
3. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer until soft peeks form.
4. Next, gradually add the granulated sugar and then the powdered sugar while mixing.
5. Whip until stiff peeks form- you should be able to hold the bowl over your head upside down without anything falling on you.
6. Place mixture in a large ziploc bag, cut a large hole in the corner. 
7. Pipe inside the circles you traced earlier on the parchment paper. Then, pipe on top of the circles you just piped an outer ring along the border of each circle- this will hold the toppings on the tartlets. 
8. Place tartlets in the oven and bake for 1.5 hours.
9. Turn off the oven and let the tartlets sit for 2 more hours in the oven.
10. Take the tartlets out and let them sit until completely cooled.
11. Top the tartlets just before serving with 2 tbsp of Reddi Wip Whipped Cream and fresh, assorted berries and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for 
1 meringue tartlet with whipped cream 
and berries on top when recipe yields 
9 servings