Labor Day is just around the corner, which means cookouts and grilling. This also means difficulty for those that want to watch what they eat. Labor Day is traditionally a day filled with hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, bratwurst, sausages, BBQ, and lots of fats.
As you prepare your Labor Day menu, consider these healthy recipes with organic ingredients. You will find a selection of great tasting options that everyone will love.
Main Dishes
When planning which foods to cook, divide the food into two groups – main dishes and side dishes. Plan one or two main dishes and several side dishes. Here are a few different vegetarian burger recipes that even a meat eater will enjoy.
Black Eye Pea and Brown Rice Burgers
This recipe uses brown rice and black eye peas to form a patty. When you try this recipe, make sure that you allow the cooked brown rice and the black-eyed peas to cool completely. This will help keep the patty from falling apart, when you put it on the grill or the skillet.
Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Burgers
With the Buffalo Chickpea Quinoa Burger, the chickpea is the main source of protein. When mixed with quinoa, carrots, and the rest of the ingredients, the patty does achieve a meaty flavor; though, the best part of this recipe is the incredible blue “cheese” dressing that does not actually include any cheese.
Easy Vegan Lentil Veggie Burgers
A third burger option, Easy Vegan Lentil Veggie Burgers, has the most resemblance to a meat hamburger, and should appeal to your meat eating guests. To keep your veggie burger healthy, use extra virgin olive oil to fry your burgers.
Side Dishes
For your side dishes, buy a variety of vegetables that are easy to grill, such as corn, artichokes, and asparagus. If you want to offer side dishes that are a little more filling, grilled fruit and vegetable kabobs and a grilled corn, tomato, and basil salad are a couple of great options. Vegetables and artichoke dip is another good choice.
The grilled corn, tomato, and basil salad is a simple recipe to follow that will fit well with your veggie burgers. All-together, you could probably whip up a batch of this salad in less than 20 minutes. The grilled fruit and vegetable kabobs is even easier. Simply grill a variety of fruits and vegetables, cut them into bite size chunks, and place them on a skewer.
If you are having a lot of guests, you may want to consider including a few traditional side dishes or desserts. Bake homemade chips or cookies, and low-fat desserts. Offer a good spread and everyone will be happy.
Hopefully you found a tasty recipe to try out this Labor Day. Whether you are cooking for a large gathering or just cooking for a group of four or five people, include a variety of options, so that everyone can find something that they like. Have fun this Labor Day and remember to eat healthy.
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