Delicious 4th of July Dishes From 3 Of My Favorite Wellness Warriors

June 28, 2015 Lifestyle

Fireworks. Watermelon slices. Corn on the cob. American flags. All staple items at a fourth of July barbeque. Yum!

However, it’s all to common to arrive at a friend’s patriotic shindig and find that they’re nothing gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, or vegan in sight. You’re starving. You don’t want to complain. So you eat everything anyway and feel utterly gross afterward.

Let’s avoid that this year, shall we? So that time can be spent laughing with friends, catching up with family, and feasting on healthy, delicious food.

Since I’m not a healthy cooking expert, let alone a chef, I’ve asked three of my most savvy lady friends to curate an exquisite menu of tasty BBQ treats to keep us covered!

Up first, is , healthy cooking expert and star of the Glamour video series, Treat Yo’ Self. She’s got two amazing recipes to cover cravings for both sweet and salty.

rwb salad

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
Place washed berries in a bowl. Sprinkle white shredded coconut. Enjoy!

tacos

Summer BBQ Fish Tacos (Serves 8)

1 head Swiss chard (at least 8 large leaves)
11 pieces grilled white fish (1 to 2 pieces per person)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 white onion
1 tsp. sea salt
1 lemon
1 cup cilantro, chopped

Saute onions in pan with olive oil. Add fish and cook on each side for approximately 5 minutes, or until done. Squeeze some lemon and add sea salt on top. Sprinkle with cilantro. Take off pan and serve fish on top of pieces of chard or separate on a plate for your guests to DIY!

Next up we have my girl Robyn Youkilis sharing some of her summer favorites with us. I was at a cooking class of Robyn’s recently in NYC and my mouth is watering just thinking about it so I know you’re going to love these recipes.

walnutburgers

Curried Lentil Walnut Burgers

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled

1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat panko crumbs)

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3/4 cup lentils, cooked, drained, and cooled

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 large egg

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce Ingredients:

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lentil-Walnut Burger Directions:

  1. In a food processor, combine walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add lentils and 1 tablespoon oil; pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils should remain whole).
  2. In a large bowl, whisk egg. Add lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-size parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4-inch-thick patties.
  3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Yogurt Cilantro Sauce Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, cilantro, and lemon; season with salt and pepper.  This also makes a great dip for your sweet potato fries.

Assemble burgers with your favorite bun (I like toasted whole wheat sourdough), lettuce and yogurt cilantro sauce.  These burgers also freeze well.  You can freeze them pre-cooked or cooked.  Just cook or reheat with a little olive oil (defrost first).

rumpunch

Spiced Rum Punch

1 cup ice

2 oz. clear rum

2 oz. orange juice

2 oz. spiced cider juice

Splash of club soda

Orange and lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

Add 1 cup ice to highball glass

Add rum and juices

Stir until well chilled.

 Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with orange and lemon slices.

Last but certainly not least, my lovely friend Cassandra Bodzak has two of her most inspired BBQ recipes on tap. Her name may sound familiar because she’s the first to bring vegan cooking to network TV on ABC’s The Taste.

superfoodsalad

Superfood Salad
1 cup cooked quinoa (I added a little basil + oregano while it was cooking)
2 cups of kale lightly sautéed in 1 tsp of macadamia nut oil (or coconut/olive)
3 baby spring onions diced and lightly sautéed with the kale
1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup  of fresh blueberries
3 whopping tbsps of hemp hearts
Season with garlic, onion powder, and oregano. Mix together and enjoy!

chocchiphazelnutcookies

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

1 1/2 cups of GF oat bran

2 tbsp of cashew butter (can use almond or hazelnut but I like the creamy sweetness that cash abutter naturally has)

2 tbsp of chia oil ( can also use coconut but I like the extra omega 3 boost of chia)

1 large organic banana

1/2 cup of vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced hazelnuts

1 tsp of cinnamon

2 flax “eggs”

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Toss it all in your mixer. Lightly grease your sheet pan with coconut oil and use a mini ice cream scooper or tsp to ration the dough. It will be a little bit stickier than normal cookie dough but should be manageable. Let the cookies cook for 5-10 minutes depending on your oven. Watch them and pull them out when the edges are becoming golden brown. Then, dive in 🙂

There you have it! Six mouthwatering and simply unforgettable recipes to bring to your 4th of July celebration. You certainly won’t be starving or regretting a single bite.  Now I would love to hear from you! Do you have a favorite 4th of July recipe that you can’t wait to share with your loved ones next week? Or do you have a question about one of the recipes above? Let me know and let’s support each other in having a fun and delicious holiday.

Thank you for reading.

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