If you’re reading this, then give yourself a clap on the shoulder, because you have survived yet another crazy, exhausting, stressful workweek. Now shake off that stress and get ready for an amazing weekend filled with laughter, good food and great company. Also, if you happen to live in a country that is into soccer (say, any country apart from the United States ha), then this weekend marks the start of the World Soccer Championship in Russia. One more reason to invite your friends to a nice BBQ this weekend.
To make your BBQ preparation as stress less as possible, I’ve come up with five super easy recipes that will hopefully get the full family to eat their five a day for dinner. Obviously barbecue recipes are always more of a suggestion, an inspiration and an idea, which you can ALWAYS adapt according to your taste or your friends’ or family’s taste. That’s why I regard the following recipes as more of a tool that I present to you and that you should fill with life. Of course, I would not recommend making al of the recipes below for one party. Simply pick, let’s say, two or three and serve them along with a delicious dinner salad. I’ll share my favorite salads at the end of this post, too.
Depending on your diet, you can use tofu, halloumi or whatever else you fancy in the following recipe. I use tofu, because I love it with my peanut sauce, but again, I’m not here to judge. I’m not on a mission to transform anyone into a vegetarian or vegan, I’m simply on a mission to get you all to eat more vegetables. And the following recipes will do so hopefully.
Vegetable skewers two ways
You probably know how much I love asian food. And peanut sauce. So this recipe combines both! If you’re not into asian food, then you might like the mediterranean version with the arugula lemon pesto from this recipe. You can use any vegetable and fruit you like in the following recipes, and you can substitute the tofu with anything you like.
- For the asian skewers 2 zucchini (courgettes)
- 2 bell peppers
- ½ red onion
- a handful of snap peas
- 6-8 mushrooms
- 100g of tofu
- 2 tablespoons of tamari
- 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons of sesame
- 8 vegetable skewers
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small piece of organic ginger, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons of tamari
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup/brown rice syrup/coconut sugar
- the juice of one lime
- 85 g of peanut butter (without any additives, chose organic peanut butter made from only peanuts) sub with any other nut butter or sunflower seed butter,
- 2 -3 tablespoons (30 ml) of water, more or less according to taste
- Mix all ingredients for the sauce with a whisk or blend them all in a blender or food processor.
- Wash the vegetables, slice them or cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut the onion into single layers. Cut the mushrooms in half. If you’re using tofu, wrap it into kitchen paper and place it between two plates. Add some books on top to squeeze out the liquid for at least 15 minutes.
- Marinate the tofu in about half of the sauce, as long as possible, preferably two hours. Marinate the vegetables in a mixture of sesame oil, tamari and sesame and let them sit for two hours as well.
- Now stack the vegetables onto the skewers, alternating between vegetables and tofu. Be careful, as both the tofu and the veggies are quite slippery.
- Grill the skewers on a round grill for about 20 – 30 minutes until well done. The exact time will vary depending on your BBQ.
- Serve with the remaining peanut sauce.
- 1 bunch of arugula, washed and dried
- 10 mint leaves, washed and dried
- 30 g of walnuts (or use any other nut if allergic)
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) of extra-virgin olive oil
- the juice of ½ lemon
- sea salt and pepper
- 2 zucchini (courgettes)
- 2 bell peppers
- ½ red onion
- a handful of snap peas
- 6-8 mushrooms
- 100g of tofu
- 1 small organic lemon
- Mix all ingredients for the pesto in a blender or food processor.
- Wash the vegetables, slice them or cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut the onion into single layers. Cut the mushrooms in half. If you’re using tofu, wrap it into kitchen paper and place it between two plates. Add some books on top to squeeze out the liquid for at least 15 minutes.
- Marinate the tofu in about half of the pesto, as long as possible, preferably two hours. Marinate the vegetables in the other half of the pesto.
- Now stack the vegetables onto the skewers, alternating between vegetables and tofu. Be careful, as both the tofu and the veggies are quite slippery.
- Grill the skewers on a round grill for about 20 – 30 minutes until well done. The exact time will vary depending on your BBQ.
- Serve with the remaining peanut sauce.
Other ideas for skewers:
- (sweet) potatoes, peeled and steamed for 5- 10 minutes
- aubergines
- pineapple
- avocado
- fennel
- mango
Stuffed mushrooms with sun-dried tomato hummus
I think stuffed mushrooms are simply the best BBQ idea ever. If you are not into hummus, then this cashew-basil creme might be something for you. This super delicious sun-dried tomato and pine nut version is no less delicious though.
- 200 g of mushrooms (about 10)
- ca. 200 g of hummus
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (I buy mine at my organic store without additives)
- 40 g of pine nuts
- Mix the hummus in a food processor with 70 g of the sun-dried tomatoes and blend until smooth. Chop the remaining 30 g of tomatoes into fine cubes.
- Roast the pine nuts in a saucepan without oil for about 4 – 5 minutes on medium heat. Watch carefully as they burn quickly.
- Remove the stems from the mushrooms, scoop about one teaspoon of hummus into each mushroom and press a few pieces of sun-dried tomatoes into each mushroom filling.
- Grill the mushrooms for about 20 minutes until they start to release liquid. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve with the remaining hummus.
- You can use leftover pine nuts in your salads or add it to the hummus.
Grilled coconut corn on the cob
I am the biggest popcorn fan! It’s my biggest pleasure which I can never say no to. I prepare my corn on the cob just like my popcorn: with coconut oil! Of course you can use butter or ghee, too, but I really love that exotic sweet flavor of the coocnut oil. In my opinion that’s all there is to a good corn on the cob. The simpler the recipe, the better the corn.
- 4 corn on the cob
- a bit of coconut oil
- a bit of sea salt and pepper
- If you want, you can cut each corn on the cob into three pieces in the beginning. Make sure to use a sharp knife to do so, and be extra careful when you cut it.
- Brush the corn with the coconut oil, make sure it’s completely covered. Grill the corn for about 20 – 30 minutes on the grill, the exact time will vary depending on your grill. Make sure to turn it around a couples of times with a par of tongs in order to prevent burns on your hand. Serve with sea salt and pepper and enjoy!
Asian grilled packages
- About 100 g shiitake mushrooms
- 100 g of marinated tofu (or halloumi marinated in the peanut sauce from the skewers)
- one lime
- extra-virgin sesame oil
- tamari
- baking paper
- Cut the baking paper into squares. Slice the shiitake mushrooms. Cut the tofu into small slices and marinate it with the sauce if you have not done so already. The longer the tofu marinates, the better it will taste.
- Add a few pieces of tofu and shiitake mushrooms into each package and sprinkle with a bit of sesame oil, tamari and a squeeze of lime juice. Roll the ends of each package like a bonbon, making sure each package is secured.
- Grill the packages for about 15 – 25 minutes until the mushrooms are nicely soft.
Other package ideas:
- feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, aubergines, bell pepper, olive oil, oregano, sea salt
- feta, stewed cucumber (it’s a German thing, I don’t know if you can get this in other countries, too), olive oil, sea salt, lemon pesto from the skewers)
- chickpeas, bell peppers, spinach, olive oil, fresh basil
Grapefruit Rosemary Spritzers
Now, I am definitely not a big drinker at all. That’s why I prepared these spritzers with alcohol-free sparkling wine, but of course, you can use normal rosé wine, white wine or juice if you like.
- 1 bottle of (alcohol-free) rosé sparkling wine or normal rosé or white wine
- 1 bottle of sparkling water
- ½ grapefruit
- 4-6 rosemary springs
- ice cubes
- Add ice cubes according to taste. Fill each glass with half the (alcohol-free) rosé and half with sparkling water, add the grapefruit and rosemary.
- Attention: grapefruit can have a strong interaction with medications. I have talked to my doctor about it, but if you take medications, you should check with your doctor if you can eat grapefruit. When in doubt, use lemons!
Have fun BBQing!
Leave a Reply