Recipes For 4th of July Celebrations!

Here are a few of our favorite recipes especially for 4th of July celebrations . You can make all the “classics” healthy and easy-to-make. Spice up your parties, picnics, and barbeques with one of these great treats.

Have a great Independence Day!

Classic Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 8 medium potatoes
• 4 hard-boiled Omega-3 or grass-fed eggs
• ½ cup / 120 ml mayonnaise, organic omega-3 or olive oil-based
• 2 celery stalks
• ½ cup / 70 gm peas, frozen, thawed (optional)
• ½ cup / 45 gm red bell pepper, fresh or pickled (optional)
• 1 medium white onion
• 2 Tbsp. / 30 ml vinegar, wine or cider
• 1 Tbsp. / 15 ml yellow mustard, regular or Dijon
• 1 tsp. / 3 gm granulated garlic
• ¼ tsp. / 0.8 gm ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Paprika and/or chopped chives (optional)

Directions

Bring 1-2 quarts of water to a boil. Add eggs and boil for 15 minutes; add more hot water as necessary to keep eggs covered. Cool to room temperature.
While eggs are cooking, peel potatoes if desired (optional), then dice and steam until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
While potatoes are cooling, peel and dice the eggs, dice the celery stalk, and mince the onion. Mix with the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, garlic powder, and pepper.
Place diced potatoes in large bowl, add all other ingredients but the salt, paprika, and chives, and mix well.
Add salt to taste, and garnish with paprika and/or chives, if desired.

Classic Homemade Hamburger

The ultimate crowd-pleaser at home and at parties, made simple, quick, and healthy.

Ingredients

• 1 lb /450 g grass-fed lean ground beef (85% fat)*
• 1 Omega-3 or grass-fed egg
• ¼-½ onion finely chopped
• ½ cup / 25 g 100% whole grain bread crumbs
• Seasonings to taste (garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, etc.)

Directions

Blend all ingredients together. Split mixture into 4-5 balls and press into patties.
Heat a 9-10-inch / 23 cm round non-stick sauté pan over high heat. Place the patties in the pan and lower the heat to medium.
Cook for 3 minutes until patty browns. Turn over and cook for another 3 minutes. Check for doneness (browness all the way though the patty) before removing from heat.
Serve with condiments alone (mustard, ketchup, barbecue or teriyaki sauce, cut fresh vegetables) or with a 100% or sprouted whole grain bun (1 whole bun = 2 carbs).

*The recipe can be varied by substituting with lean ground poultry, or with raw homemade seitan and no egg for the vegan version.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 5 tsp lime juice
• ½ cup black beans
• ½ medium-sized onion, minced
• ½ small cucumer, sliced and quartered
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 2 tsp hot pepper, minced

Directions

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer before cooking. Heat the quinoa and water until boiling, then reduce the heat until simmering. Allow to simmer until the quinoa fluffs up. Quinoa is cooked when you can see the characteristic curlicue of each grain, and is tender to bite. Set aside the cooked quinoa after draining any extra water.
Mix olive oil, lime juice, and minced onions in a serving bowl. Stir in the black beans, cucumber, tomato, and hot
pepper. Stir in the cooled quinoa.

Best served chilled.

Rainbow Shish Kebabs

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml olive oil
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Rosemary to taste
• ½ tsp / 1¼ gm ground black pepper
• 4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes / 450 gm boneless round steak, i.e. 85% lean grass-fed, cut into bite size pieces
• 5 tomatoes cut into cubes
• ½ Tbsp / 7½ gm garlic paste
• 4 sweet bell peppers of varying colors (green, yellow, red, orange, and/or purple), cut into 1-inch squares
• 3 red onions, cut into 1-inch squares

Directions

Step 1: In a mixing bowl, combine ⅓ of the olive oil with the lemon juice, garlic paste, salt, rosemary and ground black pepper.
Step 2: Pour this mixture over chicken, tomatoes, bell pepper (green), bell pepper yellow) and onions.
Step 3: Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours
Step 4: Piece together skewers of chicken, tomatoes, onions pepper (green), bell pepper (yellow) and onions.
Step 5: Heat pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and put skewers on it, turning every 5 minutes. Cook for 15 minutes and serve.

Roasted Vegetables

The traditional rainbow of roasted vegetables. If you wish, follow the recipe to a tee, or get into the spirit of it and choose any collection of your seasonal favorites. This feast for the eyes is as savory and delectable as it is healthful and nourishing.

Ingredients

• ½ cup beets, julienned
• ½ cup carrots, sliced
• ½ cup rutabaga, cubed
• 1 celery root /celeriac, sliced
• ½ cup cauliflower florets
• ½ cup each red, yellow, and green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch / 2-cm squares
• ½ cup mini eggplants, sliced
• 1 small fennel bulb, quartered and sliced
• ½ cup leeks, sliced
• ½ cup each red and white onions, sliced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup mini yellow squashes (coin-sized), halved
• ½ cup mini zucchinis, quartered length-wise
• 8 cloves of garlic, sliced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 4 sprigs-worth of fresh oregano leaves
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 tsp dried food-grade lavender
• Salt or substitute to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C degrees or convection oven to 375°F / 180°C degrees.
2. Lightly wrap beets, carrots, rutabaga, and celeriac pieces in aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes
3. Remove from oven and add to a large bowl with the remaining vegetables. Toss with olive oil to lightly coat. Add seasonings and toss again.
4. Spray a large shallow baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and place vegetables in a single layer, allowing for space between so they will brown nicely.
5. Place baking pan in the preheated oven on an upper rack. If using a convection oven to roast vegetables, you can place two baking pans in at once.
6. Roast for 20 minutes, turn vegetables, and roast for another 20 minutes.
7. Transfer to large dish to serve.

Homemade Vanilla Ice “Cream”

Frozen desserts can be a good source of calcium and even protein if done right! With this recipe, you can enjoy a treat once thought to be forbidden in a healthy lifestyle.

Homemade Vanilla Ice “Cream”

Ingredients

• 1½ / 7½ gm unflavored gelatin
• 1 Tbsp / 15 ml water
• 3 cups / 720 ml organic grass-fed or vegan milk
• 3 large omega-3 or free-range/grass-fed eggs
• 14-oz / 420-ml can nonfat sweetened condensed milk
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp / 5 ml vanilla extract

Directions

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you continue.
2. Pour half the milk (1½ cups / 360 ml) into a large saucepan. Add vanilla extract or cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the milk, and add the pod.
3. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until steaming. Whisk egg yolks and condensed milk in a medium bowl. Gradually pour in the hot milk, whisking until blended. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the back of the spoon is lightly coated, 3-5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil, or the custard will curdle.
4. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (must be very clean). Add the softened gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Whisk in the remaining milk. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
5. Whisk ice cream mixture and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.
Ice cream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week.
If you want to flavor the ice cream with stir-ins such as crumbled cookies, toasted nuts, chopped fruit, etc., here are a few tips:
• Stir-ins should be small, about the size of a pea.
• Cool toasted ingredients completely before adding them to the ice cream maker.
• Add stir-ins to the ice cream maker during the last 5 minutes of freezing.
• Check your ice cream maker’s instructions when it comes to judging the volume of your stir-ins. In general, the ratio is 1 cup/240 gm of stir-ins per quart/liter of ice cream.

Learn more about the right foods to eat in the Trim Down Club.