With the weather being rather hot recently, there’s been a lot of barbecue talk in our Leatherhead office.
If you find yourself thinking about the sizzle of a steak but are being put off by any summer diet plans, don’t worry! This week’s blog features tips on how t0 enjoy a healthier BBQ without losing all the flavour.
Tip 1 – This is relatively self-explanatory… don’t forget the vegetables and greens. It doesn’t have to be as simple as putting a bit of salad on the side of your plate. Utilise the barbecue by grilling asparagus spears and corn on the cobs as well as laying out those vegetable kebabs. Vegetable kebabs can contain all sorts of different veg, so you can cater for your audience (peppers, onions and tomatoes are a popular choice).
Tip 2 – Your barbecue doesn’t need to include meat at all! There are so many delicious vegetarian and vegan options these days that can be found in your local supermarket. Here are some mouthwatering vegan barbecue options to try at home: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegan-barbecue
Tip 3 – When cooking on a barbecue you can often find the chefs like to be “better safe than sorry” meaning that food can often be charred and burned. Ideally you want to avoid as much charred and burnt food as possible so make sure you’re regularly turning meat when it’s on the barbecue.
Tip 4 – Barbecues usually consist of the usual burgers and sausage. Try and reinvent your barbecue menu with fish options. There are plenty of fishy options that are fantastic on the barbecue including prawns, salmon and trout. Fish provides a healthier option and often tastier so it’s a win win!
Tip 5 – You can really clamp down on the health watch by making sure you use low fat marinades. You can find a great list of healthy (and tasty) marinades from the British Heart Foundation here: www.bhf.org.uk/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/cooking-skills/marinades-and-rubs
Tip 6 – A food that’s been making headlines in the kitchen for the past few years can also make delicious headlines on the barbecue. The food in question is the sweet potato! Along with the jacket potato, sweet potatoes are great on the barbecue. All you need to do is wrap them up in tin foil and settle them down on the hot coals for a lengthy cooking session.
Tip 7 – Desserts can be included in a healthy barbecue. If you chop a banana in half and grate a little bit of chocolate inside (Just a little bit) then wrap it up in tin foil and you’ll quickly have a delicious treat to eat. It’s even nicer when served with Greek yogurt!
Hopefully you enjoyed these tips and can put them into action the next time the sun is shining!
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