Simple BBQ recipes. It’s mid-August, eighty degrees, and nothing says summer like a good cook out. The smell of a barbeque is in the air, and being invited to one begs the question of what to bring. Spending hours laboring in the kitchen is not fun any time of year, but especially in the heat. Instead of shopping around and preparing and cooking tons of ingredients, you could try one of these simple BBQ recipes for something quick yet satisfying.
Simple BBQ recipes: cucumber salad (low fat and gluten free!)
Cucumber is perhaps one of the most refreshing summer foods, and is so flexible it blends in with almost any entrée. An extremely simple way to enjoy cucumber is to dice it up and toss in some corn. The corn could be fresh corn, boiled and then cut off the cob, but frozen corn is a close second in this easy recipe.
Serves 8
2 large cucumbers, chopped in small pieces
One bag frozen corn or about 8 corn on the cobs with corn cut off after boiling
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine all ingredients except cucumber and corn and whisk. Mix cucumber and corn in a bowl and add dressing. Let the salad marinate in the fridge for as long as possible before serving. The longer it sits, the better, so making it even a couple days before the cook out is good (and convenient!). Low fat and gluten free!
Simple BBQ recipes: cole slaw
There’s nothing quite like the tangy crunch of coleslaw. A cook out wouldn’t be complete without this creamy yet cooling classic. Another easy to prepare salad, this one will satisfy everyone alongside almost any dish. One of the classic simple BBQ recipes!
Serves 8
1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
3/4 cup best-quality mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Spanish onion
2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons celery salt
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired.
Simple BBQ receipes: Greek salad
You can’t go wrong with salads, and a Greek one pleases almost everyone. This recipe has a few delicious ingredients that combine into a bowl of flavors that were made for each other. This is a salad that can be mixed and matched with other ingredients, like a carrot or tomato you may have lying around, but is delectable in its simplicity as well. To make more, just add more lettuce and other ingredients as needed.
Serves 6
1 container spring mix lettuce or 50/50 Spring Mix/Baby Spinach
1 cucumber, diced
1 cup kalamata olives
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
½ cup feta cheese
For the dressing:
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
Pepper to taste
Mix dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Add all other ingredients except feta and toss lightly. Once covered in dressing, sprinkle the salad with feta to complete. And a shake or two of sunflower seeds always adds to simple BBQ recipes.
There you go! Cool, delicious, simple BBQ recipes that can be made ahead of time. Enjoy!
“Creamy Cole Slaw Recipe: Bobby Flay: Recipes: Food Network.” Food Network-Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos. N.p., n.d.Web. 21 July 2013. <http://foodnetwork.com/recipes/boflay/creamy-cole-slaw-recipe/index.html.>.