July 4th Feast, the healthy way?
Growing up abroad (Morocco) I remember glorious outdoors feast, centering around a barbecue. The great difference with the American BBQ counterpart though, is that we serve smaller portions of meat and much larger portions of salads and veggies. In other words, not unlimited amounts of burgers, hot dogs, chicken, with sliced pickles, corn on a cob etc…. Equal time for meat, vegetables and grains even on a splurging day: Yum! And the Gazpacho is so tangy and refreshing on a hot summer day!
Oh, one more thing: On July 4th and beyond, we ignore the hamburger-bun duo. Burgers sans buns. No need for ALL burgers to come with a bun, making the meal very high carbs. My humble opinion is, hamburgers originally came with a bun, to form the perfect and quite useful complete quick meal. But if we have a whole leisurely evening and a lavish menu, what need is there to eat our burgers with a bun? So, I’m tweaking this classic: burger and salad, burgers with toppings, burger and corn, burger and beans. What’s wrong with that?
For all of us who don’t have an outdoors and a BBQ grill, our oven broiler to the rescue, or even a very hot skillet!
The following July 4th menu is taken straight from my latest demo, The Good Junk, where I use several all-American Classics known as rich and decadent, and recast them the lean and healthy -my-way!
If you are accommodating some Gluten-Free guests, they’ll be happy! Happy and Healthy July 4th!
Try to neglect soda, and turn your attention to my delicious lemonade.
Be sure to save room for dessert: You’re in for a treat
