Under-30-Minute Party Recipes to Make This Labor Day
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Labor Day tends to sneak up on the calendar each year. It seems like just yesterday we were daydreaming about summer vacation, and suddenly September is here. Don’t fret if you haven’t decided what to cook for this season’s last big cookout. Embrace the spirit of the holiday and go with quick and easy recipes so you can relax on your extra day off. Here are some of our favorite healthy recipes that come together in under 30 minutes, starting with dessert.
To satisfy your craving for peach crisp without the long baking time and all of the fat, grill peach halves in foil packs until caramelized and syrupy, and top with frozen yogurt. (A scoop per serving is factored into the nutrition information.) You can easily double or triple this recipe for a crowd.
Alice Gao, 2014, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Turkey burgers have a bad rep for being boring, but these Southeast Asian-inspired sliders are bursting with flavor. Instead of forming individual patties by hand, press the meat mixture into a baking sheet and score into squares for perfect portions.
Renee Comet, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
When tomatoes are as perfect as they are now, bruschetta is a great appetizer to highlight their bright flavor. Toss your favorite kind (Rachael Ray uses plum tomatoes) with basil, coarse salt and a drizzle of oil, and load onto toasted baguette slices.
Anna Williams
Guacamole lovers will rejoice over this avocado dip made with sauteed red onion and jalapeno, cilantro, lemon juice and crumbled feta. The salty cheese adds an irresistible briny contrast to the creamy blend. Serve with fresh veggies and tiny toasts instead of chips — you’ll be able to go back for more guilt-free tasty scoops.
Matt Armendariz, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved.
Eating healthy at a cookout shouldn’t mean resorting to bland grilled chicken. Ground cumin is your secret ingredient to adding bold flavor to grilled chicken breast — fast. And it tastes particularly delicious served over coleslaw.
Matt Armendariz, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Speaking of the coleslaw, Bobby Flay’s recipe comes together in just 15 minutes and also highlights the warm, spicy notes of cumin. Fresh lime juice and a dash of hot sauce add a zest and tang to the crunchy medley of cabbage, red bell pepper, onion and carrots.
Antonis Achilleos
Corn is at its sweet and crunchy best. Enjoy as many cobs as you can before reverting to the frozen or canned stuff come fall. For this weekend’s festivities, try Food Network Magazine’s recipe featuring nutritionist-approved barbecue sauce-flavored butter.
Con Poulos
You don’t need to fire up the grill, turn on the stove or preheat the oven for this 15-minute summer vegetable salad. Thinly sliced and dressed in a light vinaigrette, zucchini and yellow squash taste most delicious raw.
The perfect BLT no longer starts with squishy white bread spread with mayonnaise. It involves a whole-wheat baguette on the grill. Once toasted, rub with tomatoes and garlic, and pile high with creamy avocado slices, frisee and, of course, bacon.
Shrimp needs only a few minutes on the grill to cook through and get the desired smoky effect. And making Bobby’s spicy mint sauce is as easy as throwing all the ingredients into a blender. Serve the shrimp with a drizzle of sauce over lettuce leaves for mingle-friendly appetizers.
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Ending on another sweet note, dessert is an opportunity to add calcium to your diet. Go with part-skim ricotta to make these adorable mini tartlets. With mini phyllo shells, you can create a dozen of these picture-perfect treats in just 5 minutes, so increasing the recipe to suit your party is pretty effortless.
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