The Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and with that comes family, friends, fun, and FOOD! Swarms of people will be loading up on everything red, white, and blue. Though we are not entirely prepared for the celebration, my wife and I have already purchased t-shirts, bandanas, flags, crafts, games, and water balloons in anticipation of the holiday weekend!
Fun in the sun can incorporate anything from swimming, fishing, or squirt-gun fights, to biking, hiking, or running a local race. Regardless of how your friends and family celebrate our wonderful nation’s anniversary of independence, one thing is true – we all will get hungry at some point!
Most all of us will inevitably fire up the grill multiple times over the course of the weekend, and the back-yard BBQ has become a time honored tradition around this holiday. To inspire the creative chef in all of us, we have compiled a few recipes that you can try on your own. Feel free to share your own recipes with us, and check us out on our social media outlets for future articles, discussions, and information.
Spinach Salad with Blackberries and Feta:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 green onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey mustard
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
- In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, blackberries, tomatoes, onion and pine nuts.
- In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, honey mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.
- Image provided by: http://www.mountainmamacooks.com
Teriyaki Chicken Skewers:
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add soy sauce, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer. Stir in cornstarch mixture until thickened; let cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine teriyaki marinade and chicken; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Thread chicken onto skewers. Add skewers to the grill and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
- photo provided by: http://blogchef.net
American Flag Popsicles:
Ingredients (Use Quantities to Make the Number Needed):
- Strawberries
- Vanilla, strawberry or blueberry yogurt or kefir
- Blueberries
- Popsicle Sticks
Directions:
- Layer 1: Chop strawberries finely. Put 1/2 TBL chopped strawberries in bottom of popsicle mold. Add enough water to barely cover the berries. Freeze for minimum of one hour.
- Layer 2: Spoon out 1/2 tablespoon yogurt or kefir on top of strawberry layer. (vanilla or plain will make the U.S. flag) Return to freezer for minimum of one hour.
- Layer 3 and 4: Repeat steps one and two.
- Slide the sticks into the popsicles or the popsicle mold.
- Layer 5: Fill top of popsicle mold with blueberries. Fill the rest of the mold with water to cover the blueberries. Return to freezer until popsicles are completely frozen.
For those of you who are looking to better your overall health and fitness level, you can set up a free personal training session at our Minnetonka Clinic by calling 952-224-1919, or stopping by our location at:
Odom Health & Wellness
10500 Wayzata Blvd,
Minnetonka, MN 55305