We all love barbecues and cooking outdoors during summer, so having some easy standbys you can whip up with a smidgen of effort is always handy.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
No-cook chickpea vegetable salad
Dressing ingredients
• ¼ cup finely minced shallot or onion
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp mustard
• ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• Pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper
Salad ingredients
• 1 large avocado
• 1 lemon
• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• ¾ cup cooked black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 3-4 handfuls kale, spinach, silver beet or beetroot greens
• 1 diced zucchini or scaloppini
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
To make the dressing
1. Place minced shallot or onion, white wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, honey or maple syrup, and to taste, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper in a small jar with a lid.
2. Seal and shake vigorously until well combined. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preferences.
To make the salad
3. Cut the avocado in half and discard the stone. Chop the flesh into a small bowl and toss with a squeeze or two of lemon juice to help prevent browning.
4. Finely slice the kale/spinach/beet leaves and dice the zucchini or scaloppini.
5. Just before serving, in a large mixing bowl, combine all salad ingredients together.
6. Pour about half the dressing over the top and toss with salad tongs or a large fork and spoon to thoroughly blend the ingredients and coat lightly with the dressing.
7. Top with a big squeeze of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add more dressing if needed. Serve immediately.
Marinating meat can be an effective way to reduce the carcinogens produced during grilling and barbecue. It also makes your meat less likely to dry out and easier to digest.
This delicious meat marinade is great for chicken and beef, and could even be used for meats on skewered shish kebabs.
Easy BBQ meat marinade
The marinade below should be enough for approximately 1 kg of fresh beef or chicken. You could either prepare these as fillets or cubes for shish kebabs. Kebabs are another great way to add some extra vegetables to your diet.
Ingredients
• 1⁄2 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄2 cup of your favourite local honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2-4- cloves garlic, crushed
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil
Instructions
1. Score meat by making crisscross cuts on the surface on both sides of the meat or cut into cubes for kebabs.
2. Mix ingredients for marinade and pour over meat.
3. Marinate for at least 45 minutes. If there is time you could marinate your meat overnight.
4. If making kebabs, combine on skewers alternating with slices of courgette, capsicum, onion, pineapple and mushroom.
5. Grill as desired.
Photos and words by Michelle Kitney
www.munchnz.co.nz
Munch is an eco-friendly New Zealand company that makes and markets kitchen products and offers ideas and recipes to feed the family. We are “useful, beautiful and green.”
