As the sun comes out and the weather warms up, there is nothing better than a good old-fashioned barbecue. Cooking this way can be more than simply throwing a few boring bangers and burgers on the grill: why not give some of my favourite delicious and nutritious barbecue summer recipes a go?
BBQ jerk chicken (serves 4-8)
Ingredients
- 1-1.5kg chicken drumsticks
Marinade
- 1 tbsp allspice berries
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 2 hot chillies, chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- juice of a lime
- olive oil
Method
- Grind the allspice berries and peppercorns
- Combine with the onions, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg and chillies
- Mix and loosen with a splash of olive oil
- Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, salt and lime juice
- Pour into a larger bowl and add the drumsticks
- Marinate, ideally overnight or for as long as you can
- Heat the oven to 180ËšC
- Place the drumsticks in a warmed roasting dish and cover with foil
- Cook in the oven for 45 mins
- Rest the meat until you are ready to barbecue
- Finish the drumsticks on the barbecue, grilling for a minute or two on each side
Garlic, turmeric & lemongrass prawn skewers (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 16 large raw prawns (peeled and de-veined)
- 6 lemongrass stalks
Turmeric & garlic marinade
- 4 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fresh or ground turmeric
- ½ tsp sea salt; ground black pepper
- 1 tsp of honey
- 1 tsp olive oil
Dipping sauce
- 2 crushed garlic cloves
- 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
- 40ml soy sauce
- 2 tsp xylitol
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- handful of coriander
Method
- Blend the marinade ingredients
- Marinate the prawns overnight, or for as long as you can
- Cut the lemongrass stalks diagonally to get 3 strips from each one
- Skewer each marinated prawn onto each stalk
- Blend the ingredients for the dipping sauce, including the coriander stalks, but not the leaves
- Barbecue the prawn skewers for 1-2 mins until cooked through
- Garnish with fresh coriander before serving with the dipping sauce
Halloumi & red pepper kebabs (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 250g halloumi cheese
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 large yellow pepper
- 2 small red onions
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dip
- 200ml natural yogurt
- 1 tbsp fresh mint
- chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
- sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Cut the halloumi into bite-sized cubes
- Halve and de-seed the peppers and cut into 2cm pieces
- Peel the onions and cut into wedges
- In a bowl, add the halloumi and vegetables, and mix with the harissa paste, garlic and olive oil
- Marinate for 15 mins
- For the dip, stir the yogurt, mint and seasoning together
- Keep in the fridge until ready to serve
- Thread the halloumi cheese and vegetables onto 4 skewers
- Cook on the barbecue for 5-6 mins
- Serve with the dip
Christelle Page is a weight loss registered nutritionist. Visit Keep Calm Nutrition for more info on all her services.
